The Armidale Blues might have only come away with the runners-up prize at their annual knockout but coach Riley Hopwood said the performance far exceeded his expectations.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A host of new and young faces lined up for the Blues at Saturday's event and they made it all the way to the final before being beaten by Central North heavyweights, the Tamworth Pirates.
"I was actually very impressed the boys," Hopwood said.
"To be honest I wasn't expecting to go as good as we did.
"It is a very new side.
"We only had two team runs at training Tuesday and Thursday to get this together."
Hopwood put the loss in the decider match down to a few unfit players and a lack of depth in the forwards.
"I think if we had a couple of extra boys on the bench in the front two and two row we could have really given Pirates a crack but it was still good," he said.
"There's a lot of busted boys after today [Saturday].
"A lot of them were a bit unfit so I think they will be sore and sorry for a couple of days."
The success of the team at the carnival puts them in good stead for the coming New England Rugby Union season.
It gave them a chance to test out some of the young outside backs and put other players on notice.
"We have a few new young fellas coming in, especially in the backline," Hopwood said.
"It creates a lot of depth to the side where we can have a bit more pressure at training and there's a lot more competition to get into those positions which creates rivalry within the club itself and pressure to train.
"I think that is really healthy for the guys and making training and playing a bit harder to hold down their spots."
The Blues now turn their attention to preparing for a trial game in April against Dorrigo.
In the women's 10s, Tamworth and Coffs Harbour dominated the day to meet in the final.
Tamworth gained an early lead to hold the advantage at half-time but Coffs Harbour wore them down to claim the silverware.
Coffs were bolstered by a handful of young Armidale Blues women turning out.