The Raiders took to the inaugural fast-paced tournament and recorded wins over both Westside teams and Narromine on their way to the final before going down to Parkes.

The under-18s side also impressed, defeating Nyngan, Narromine and Parkes in the early rounds before also going down in the decider, 26-18 to Forbes.

It marked the first time Meredith had seen his first grade squad in a competitive environment and he said everything was on track in the lead-up to the Group 11 season proper kick-off.

"We're happy with where we are and I'm happy with what I saw," he said.

"It was good for the Raiders and that's what it was all about, it enabled the guys to blow out the cobwebs a bit and find their legs and we had rested a lot of our players, it wasn't our best team.

"We took predominantly backs and a few of the guys who like to play faster."

The Raiders' senior squad has moved on from their dramatic 2014, with Meredith replacing Steve McLellan as head coach and the John Grey mid-season transfer to CYMS a thing of the past.

On Sunday, the likes of Claude Gordon jnr, Rowan Orcher, Jade Hooper and Norm Button were among the new faces in the squad while regulars Jeremy Smith, Mason Williams, Chris Daley and Ash Widders all lined up.

The Raiders opened their day with a win over the Westside reserve grade side before cruising past Narromine 46-22.

This set up a semi-final with the Westside first grade side and Macquarie made it two-from-two against Rabbitohs opponents.

But despite leading at different stages against Parkes in the decider, they could not hold on and went down 38-30.

Meredith said the unpredictable nature of Nines meant his side could have easily beaten Parkes but he said the main positive was the fact he got to see a lot of the team's new players in action.

The likes of Josh Merritt, Dylan Hill and Viliame Cagibula are no longer with the club but the players who have taken their places have already caught the eye of Meredith.

"We've lost a few players and that's what I heard a lot of when I arrived, people were talking about how the Raiders had lost players," he said.

"But that happens every year and we've lost a few but we've gained a few and I was impressed by those guys.

"Big Kurt Ryan got good metres all day and Norman Button, he's come from Newcastle, and was good out wide on the wing."

Claude Gordon Jnr also impressed and Meredith admitted the former Narromine Jet looks all set to wear the number seven jersey in round one on April 12.

Of the returning players, Meredith said Western Rams representatives Jeremy Smith and Chris Daley were a level above the other players while youngster Jack Kelly was voted players' player in his first outing with the senior squad.

The day was also a success for Group 11, with gate takings of $4700 and plenty of positive feedback from the healthy crowd in attendance.