The Jets were beaten 62-6 but were missing a number of players including new recruit Kurt Beahan and halfback Corey Cox, and only had three on the bench for the match.

While they are in seventh spot, Thompson said a couple of wins against teams around them on the ladder like Wellington and Macquarie could help them move up.

“We’ll keep chipping away. I think we are equal with Wellington so hopefully we can get a few players back,” he said. 

“I think I’ll be back at the end of the month, as well as Coxy, and Kurt Behan soon after that, DJ Gordon will be back in a couple of weeks so hopefully we can scrape a few wins together and get in the five.”

Thompson was honest about his team’s effort against CYMS, identifying fitness as one of Dubbo’s biggest strengths and one of his side’s worst.

“Our boys turned up. It’s hard when you are missing so many players and you’re a club that doesn’t have much depth as it is,” he said.

“They were in it for a solid 20 minutes but playing against CYMS, their linespeed is second to none and they kept coming. We always knew it was going to get tougher as it went on.

“The effort at training has been pretty ordinary all year and I think that shows. CYMS are fit and they keep coming and fitness is probably 80 per cent of winning the comp in Group 11.”