A slow start has come back to haunt the Dubbo Roos after they were defeated by Forbes on Saturday.
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Forbes' Grinsted Oval was waterlogged like many grounds around the Central West for the Blowes Cup meeting between the hosts and Dubbo.
A fast-starting Forbes side would prove to be too good for Dubbo, winning 32-12 to move within two points of a top-four spot.
Dubbo co-coach Paul Elliott said his side will learn a lot from Saturday's match as they continue to push for a finals spot.
"We were pretty obviously confident going down there but we just didn't play smart enough or adapt to the wet conditions," he said.
"Forbes did and got away to a good lead then went on with it in the end.
"It was pretty disappointing but there are a few positives to take from it."
Tries to Ratu Roko and skipper Tom Koerstz was the highlight for Dubbo but Elliott knows his side is capable of better performances.
"It was very hard to get back in the game after Forbes got out to a couple of tries lead," he said.
"We had a few opportunities that we missed and we weren't able to capitalise but Forbes were.
"It was pretty much the story of the day, we just didn't play well enough to the conditions and missed our opportunities."
"That's something we've been aiming to do every game," he said.
"The effort is always there, it's just sometimes we've missed our opportunities.
"We had Will Anderson playing at inside centre, it was his first time in that position.
"I thought he did a great job, he showed a lot of enthusiasm.
"It was his first time back in first grade for a while so I thought he made the most of his opportunities which was a positive."
The loss for Dubbo keeps them inside the top four narrowly and the club will turn its attention to next Saturday's match against Orange City.
In the other matches, the Roolettes welcomed back Lillyann Mason-Spice who played her first game for the season as they defeated Forbes 40-0.
Saturday will also be the club's annual Old Boys Day with former players travelling from far and wide to watch their former club play.
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