The odds weren’t in the Magpies’ favour for their last game before the Group 11 season kicks off, with injuries, low numbers and the heat all working against them.

“We only had 12 players; there were a few injuries and a few guys away,” coach Brad McMillan said.

“It was also stinking hot and we didn’t have any reserves, so our forwards especially found it a bit tough.”

While it might not be reflected in the score, McMillan said the team played well considering their numbers on the day.

“The fellows that were there went really well; they had a crack,” he said.

He said the front-row combination of Ben Robinson and Tim Anderson repeated their impressive performance against Parkes the week before, with other notable players were Jack Hall, Steven Gibbs and Tim Ashcroft.

“All the boys had a go,” he said.

“It was a pretty hard task for them.

“I was pretty happy with how they played considering what we had.”

McMillan said if Forbes had a full side they might have a better chance against Wellington next time.

“They [Wellington] weren’t overly tough, they were just quick and elusive - too quick,” he said.

“Once our boys got a bit buggered, it made it difficult for them.

“That won’t happen again though.”

While the loss to Wellington was a big one, McMillan said he’s not overly concerned about it in terms of the team’s chances in this year’s competition.

“It was just a bit disappointing that fellows couldn’t turn up, but we’ll have 18 reserves for our first game of the season, so numbers will pick up a bit,” he said.

The Magpies now have three weeks off before they face off against Dubbo West side in their first game of the season proper on May 4, following a bye in round one.

McMillan said having three weeks off will give the players a chance to recover from some of their injuries.

“We’ll be right for that game because we’ll have more numbers,” he said.

“A couple of the little injuries will have time to heal.”

In the meantime, McMillan hopes to see more players improve on their commitment to turn up to training, where they will be spending a lot of time working on their defence.