Albury Thunder was pipped by a superb individual try against Gundagai in Group Nine rugby league's season-opener on Saturday night.
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The home team led 18-16 with less than five minutes left, when the Tigers' produced a 50m-plus effort to score in the corner for a 20-18 win in front of a strong crowd.
"That's footy, full credit to Gundagai, it was a good game, a clean game," Thunder coach Justin Carney said.
"A few things didn't go our way, but we're not looking for any excuses either, at the end of the day they came home with the chocolates."
The Thunder edged out the Tigers for the final spot in last year's finals series, so the visitors were determined to grab the advantage this season.
But the Thunder's pack was terrific.
Big prop Isaac Carpenter, who spent time in North Queensland's Young Guns program, produced a powerhouse performance, rolling through the Tigers' pack.
And he received strong support from fellow front-rower Clayton Couley, who's in his second season after arriving from Dubbo Macquarie.
He had previously played NSW Country under 18s.
Newly-arrived Englishman Ben Lee also worked hard in the back-row, showing his strong defensive ethic, while classy five-eighth Paul Karaitiana and fullback Lachy Munro were the pick of the backs.
