An eight goal final term by Bendigo proved costly for the Murray Bushrangers in Shepparton on Sunday.
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Despite hitting the scoreboard early at Deakin Reserve, the Bushrangers were left to chase the Pioneers for the remainder of the match, with 64-points separating the sides at the final siren.
Albury's Cameron McLeod was one of the standouts in the clash at half-forward, finishing the game with two goals.
"He looked really dangerous," Bushrangers' coach Mark Brown said.
Teammate Ryan Eyers also impressed in his two goal performance.
The 18-year-old served the side well in the ruck.
"He battled really hard and had some really impressive moments throughout the game," Brown said.
Albury's Daniel Turner held his own in the backline before being moved forward late in the last quarter.
Both sides had a number of debutant players take to the field, including Turner, who made his senior Ovens and Murray debut for Albury against Lavington during last weekend's season opener.
Brown said the first game loss exposed several ley areas the side will now look to work on.
"I thought they had our measure almost from the get-go," he said.
"We were able to kick the first two goals but they just looked to be transitioning better than us and working away from the stoppage better than us.
"As the game progressed, that gap only became more evident.
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"We've got a bit of ground to make up in that regard.
"Our boys were a little bit behind the eight ball in that area.
"Now we just have to get to work fixing it."
The Bushrangers made several changes in the final term to try and regain control.
"Our backline held up well for the first three quarters, but in the end we made a few changes to try and stay in the game," Brown said.
Jhett Cooper, Noah Bradshaw, Declan Bren, Toby Murray and Joshua Rachele were the Bushrangers remaining goal scorers.
Macca Hallows, Patrick Parnell and Rachele were also named among the side's best.
The Bushrangers will now prepare to take on the Geelong Falcons next weekend at Bendigo's Queen Elizabeth Oval.
The Falcons are coming off the back of a round two loss to the Greater Western Victoria Rebels.
The Bushrangers then take on the Rebels for round four of the NAB League season.
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