While the scoreboard doesn’t reflect well on the Lions, Nell said the final result didn’t reflect how physical the game was and how much of an improvement City had. 

“We haven’t had the best season and we’ve been pumped in the last few weeks, but we played better this week,” he said. 

“We had plenty more of the ball and were rolling forward in pods … we’re trying to build a platform for next year and having some of the colts coming through.” 

Tom West played his first game on the wing for the Lions and impressed Nell, as did young outside centre Lachie Lingley, who picked up a red card in the final few minutes. 

Josh Nagle had “the game of his life” before popping his shoulder in a “try-saving” tackle and will miss the final three rounds of the season.