THEY may have come up two points short in Sunday's latest Western League Tag game but Bathurst Panthers feel that they're making strong strides in their development this season.
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Panthers were unlucky not to come away with their third win of the season after going down 12-10 to the Wellington Cowgirls at Carrington Park, nearly adding to the pair of victories they've picked up against the Blayney Bears this year.
Panthers - a two-time winner of the Group 10 league tag competition in 2013 and 2014 - are currently in a rebuilding phase with a young but enthusiastic squad.
Coach Georgie Betts has been impressed by her side's ability to learn and grow with each week.
"We're still on the build up. We've got basically a whole new team this year and we're still seeing where everyone fits," she said.
"There's quite a few new players who have never played league tag before and then there's a few of the junior as well that are playing up for us as well."
Panthers were on the cusp of victory when they were 10-8 up, only for the Cowgirls to find the winning try with just over 10 minutes to go.
It was a heartbreaking result but an enjoyable game from a Panthers perspective.
"It was a great game. Wello were a really fast side, so it was great to play against them," Betts said.
"It's a bit disappointing to lose, because there was only two points in it, but they were really great to play against."
There's plenty for the club to look forward to in the future.
Their under 16s team currently lead their Group 10 competition, having not dropped a game this year.
But before more players from that side come close to joining the senior ranks Betts' Panthers are keen to add more wins before the season is done.
"It's great to see that they're going well in the younger grades," Betts said.
"That can really help us build up as they come through.
"Hopefully we can get another win. We'll be in Cowra this weekend and hopefully we can go well against those guys."
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