In a match played in front of a bitterly small crowd and lacking greatly in atmosphere, the biggest talking point came when touch judge Daniel Thornton left the sideline just prior to half-time.

His absence cost Macquarie a 12th try after prop Zac Rennick chipped and regathered to go under the posts, but with no official on the sideline, referee John Francis elected to call no-try and blow for half-time.

Thornton reappeared in the second stanza after a chat with Francis and Group 11 president Ross McDermott.

Macquarie carried a 28-0 lead into half-time after scoring five unanswered tries in the first 40 minutes through a pair to Chris Allport and one each to Kyle Cochrane, Adam McDermott and Viliame Cagibula. Cochrane scored his second of the afternoon after running onto a bouncing ball to push the margin out to 32 points before the Roosters registered their first points of the afternoon when Luke Moody grounded a grubber kick that had rebounded off an upright.

James McKinnon scored the first of his double in the 55th minute, and Macquarie continued to rack up the points as Cochrane and Allport each registered their third try of the afternoon. McKinnon scored his second in the 73rd minute before the game finished with a flurry as Tom McCarthy went over out wide for Cobar and Cagibula bagged his double just before the full-time siren sounded.

"It's good to get the points because that keeps us there with CYMS and Wello, and I think this year's comp is pretty even so if we can finish top three it is a big advantage," Raiders hooker Jeremy Smith said after the match.

"That kind of game is never easy because we were expected to win and it didn't have that usual intensity so we'll have to regroup at training this week to prepare for CYMS.

"We had some guys missing this week through niggles and other things so we should get them back and I can't wait to face the green fellas." Cobar coach Nathan Graham was disappointed with the result but said he couldn't question the commitment of his group.

"We had about seven guys backing up from playing a full game of reserve grade," he said.

"Those kinds of circumstances aren't ideal but we're a club that is rebuilding, and it's particularly hard when you're on the road.

"But we're putting three sides out on the field each week, which is what we said we would do,

"Macquarie did what they had to do today, and good luck to them, but we just have to go back and hopefully get a win or two in the last few weeks before we look at trying to get guys for 2015."

n DUBBO MACQUARIE 52 (Kyle Cochrane 3, Chris Allport 3, Viliame Cagibula 2, James McKinnon 2, Adam McDermott tries; Jeremy Smith 4 goals) def COBAR ROOSTERS 12 (Luke Moody, Tom McCarthy tries; Michael Furner, Damien Pumpa goals).