Orange City went into Saturday's half-time break with a 22-10 buffer, but a barnstorming Forbes Platypi tracked the Lions down, claiming a dramatic 25-22 victory at Grinsted Oval.
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Viv Paasi's men knew it would be an arduous 90 minutes of rugby, as it's never easy to win a game away from home, let alone at a hostile environment like that.
Forbes' come-from-behind triumph means that all nine home sides have collected the competition points in 2021, illustrating just how important it can be to have the fans in your favour.
City skipper Josh Tremain couldn't pinpoint where Saturday's game went wrong. But one thing's for sure, the loss stings.
"Every time we put the pressure on in the second half, we made mistakes," Tremain said.
"We just couldn't execute. It's very upsetting and very frustrating.
"Viv [Paasi] and the coaching staff were all very upset but we've somehow got to move forward from that one."
City will need to have a short memory this week as its next assignment is a local derby against the hot-to-trot Emus.
"We've still got some combinations coming together but for us, we just need to get to training and focus on the next game," he said.
Cowra Eagles continued their winning ways this season as they went back-to-back with a victory over Bulldogs.
The home side's triumph was even more impressive due to the undermanned nature of the Eagles' side with 15 names missing across both first and second grade.
"We had a lot of players out in the club today, it was pleasing that the players we had stepped in," Coach Col Kilby said.
Cowra dominated possession and territory in the first half on Saturday and time and again backed themselves to score when offered the opportunity to add to the score board through penalties.
After three rounds of play, Cowra, Forbes and Emus share top spot with two wins each.
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