The Ballarat Highlanders have fallen to the Shepparton Bulls 51-19 in round seven of the Victorian Rugby Championship at home.
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Ballarat coach Karl Thin told The Coruier Shepparton, who sit in first on the competiton ladder, simply out-sized the Highlanders.
"They've got a unique style that enables them to retain and turn over ball pretty well," Thin said.
"They have three or four guys weighing in at 130-140 kilograms... when you've got that and give those boys a chance to run, they run hard and they break a lot of tackles.
"They out-sized us, they out-muscled us so we just had to keep trying to outplay them."
Thin said he was pleased in the way his side played once they got their hands on the ball.
"It was a big challenge for the boys and once again I think we rose to that challenge. There was lots of talk on the day saying the scoreboard didn't necessarily represent the game.
"There was some pretty good stuff from our guys that they build on week by week."
The Highlanders are in third on the competition ladder after seven rounds and aim to keep climbing as the season continues.
Ballarat's next game will be against the rival Bendigo Fighting Miners on the road on Saturday afternoon. Bendigo, like Ballarat, have won three of its seven games this season.
Thin said his side is already focused on making up for its 22-21 loss to Bendigo at home in round three.
They are very motivated, they're already talking about what they can do differently on the field and learn from the game against Shepparton to help us get up on Saturday.
- Highlanders Coach Karl Thin
Following its game against Bendigo, the Highlanders will come up against the Maroondah Griffins, who currently occupy third spot on the ladder. Thin said these next two games are crucial for the clubs long term vision.
"We had a meeting (on Monday night) and the conversation was surrounding how important these next two weeks are in solidifying our spot on the table.
"Locking in these next two weeks and getting positive results is really important... we want to be there in August when the finals start."
The Highlanders will have to adjust to life without Ollie Williamson and Ruan Pretorius who are both returning to the UK and South Africa respectively after their time with St Patrick's College ended.
Williamson and Pretorious had become a dangerous combination playing next to each other in the backline. Thin is thankful for the time the two spent with the Highlanders and believe his side is better for it in the long run.
"They were a couple of guys that did a really good job in trying to take us forward as a club and they'll be sorely missed."
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