For those outside the team it may seem hard to do that as the Bay Bulls suffered three defeats on day one of the championships at Apex Oval on Saturday, but Wallace could see the potential.

Central West had little luck when the draw was put together and had to play Sydney powerhouses Manly, Eastwood, and Penrith on Saturday.

They were beaten in all three but Wallace felt some of the damage in each game was done prior to kick-off as the country kids were a little overawed by their bigger Sydney opponents, but the coach also saw his side produce some promising rugby when the players backed themselves.

"It's tough. We get into our own heads about size and the technique goes out the window," Wallace said after the 38-0 loss to Eastwood.

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"We're not trying to talk about the scoreboard, it's more about technique and things like line-speed and tackling around the legs and when we do that we look like a good football team and compete really well, but when we go away from that we let big sides get a roll on and we're in a negative.

"We've got to adjust to that and step up to the level we're at and not rely on being the best player in our club team, we've got to be a collective and be the best 15 in the Central West.

"We're trying to change that mindset and that mentality and I'm proud of the boys' effort they're putting in because they're all having a dig."

After a grinding 12-0 loss to Manly in its opening game on Saturday the Central West boys came up against an imposing Eastwood second-up.

The city side's domineering forward pack created plenty of momentum and tries to Christopher Moala, Patrick Withford, and Cooper Fradd gave the visitors a 19-0 lead by half-time.

Central West, featuring Dubbo Junior Rugby Club's Tom Dennis at prop, was guilty of errors at key times but they kept pushing, with Mudgee flyhalf Tully Robertson doing all he could while forwards Angus Littler and Jai Wheeldon were all full of effort.

It wasn't enough though as Fradd's second, a try for the impressive Samuel Sorovi, and five-pointer for Hugo Compton-Sheer after an impressive rolling maul off a lineout led Eastwood to a convincing win.

Central West was back on deck later in the afternoon and suffered a 26-0 loss to Penrith and while Wallace admitted his side was a little "busted and bruised" he said they all still savoured being part of a special carnival and the chance to take on the state's best.

"Coming away and playing at home effectively, they're all up for it and want to be here," he said.

"Everyone wants to win and be competitive so they're probably a bit down but part of my role for this is to help make them better footballers."

Wallace had achieved that goal by Sunday morning as Central West started day two of the carnival with a morale-boosting win over Southern Districts.

The finals start on Sunday afternoon and continue through Monday until the grand final at 1.45pm.

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