Travelling to Pride Park to take on Orange City, the top-of-the-table visitors were hoping to replicate the 61-0 drubbing they handed the Lions the last time these two sides met.

But a "much improved" Lions defence and a number of absences for the Roolettes resulted in the match finishing 22-0.

"We had a lot of girls out today, ten girls out," Ryan said.

"We pretty much had a whole new forward pack out there and some inexperienced girls. They stepped up for us today to help us get the win."

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The Dubbo side, coming off a 52-7 win over Forbes the week before, did the bulk of the damage in the first half on Saturday as a double for Ryan and five-pointer for Danielle Plummer set-up a 17-0 lead.

With rain about for much of the second half, it took until the last play of the game for the Roolettes to add to their lead.

With time running out, the Roos tried their luck with a kick into open space. A near full-field chase by Lakeisha Hull ended with her dribbling the ball over the line to grab a try in spectacular fashion.

While the was a highlight, the match belonged to Alahna Ryan during what was her birthday.

"I'm really excite to get a double and a win on my birthday," she said.

"It's always a bonus."

City coach Tom McCutheon was pleased with what he saw despite the loss.

"We've got a few girls who are only just starting rugby so the week-on improvements that I've seen have been amazing," he said.

"I'm always amazed at how committed the girls are out there. They're always getting up, they're always making their tackles and being physical. It's one of the big positives in the team."

Roolettes captain Janalee Conroy joked that the sloppy play in parts from her side could be put down in part to the change in climate.

"We're used to the Dubbo weather, so that probably played a part," she said.

"It's only the start of the season, so it's good to get some of the younger ones and inexperienced ones get that game time early on in the year, which will help them and us come closer to finals."

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