They lost their opening game, but the Queanbeyan Kangaroos have added 120 NRL games of experience for the rest of the Canberra Raiders Cup season.
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The Kangaroos went down 34-14 to the Goulburn Bulldogs in their season opener at Goulburn on Sunday.
But they've signed former Raiders winger Reece Robinson, who also played Super Rugby for the NSW Waratahs.
Kangaroos coach Aaron Gorrell was unsure when Robinson would start, but probably after the Easter Break.
His brother Travis played for the Kangaroos back in 2010-11.
"We'll have to see where he fits into the set-up and where we can maximise his strengths," Gorrell said.
He said there was plenty of improvement in his side, which has started life after Brent Crisp, who switched to the West Belconnen Warriors this season.
But Crisp's Warriors also started with a loss, 32-22, to a new-look Tuggeranong Bushrangers.
Bushrangers coach Jarrod Teka said it was an arm wrestle and not much separated the two teams for most of the game.
It's a different forward pack for the Bushrangers, with a lot of their players joining Yass, but their hooker Josh Mitchell was still there and still firing.
Former Raider Jarrad Kennedy and Josh Baker stood out in the second row.
"We've got a whole new outlook and myself coming in is new too, A whole new club and a whole new team," Teka said.
"It's great to get the start like that with a good win against Westies.
"Tuggeranong played a very powerful game last year, very strong up the middle and we don't have that size this year so we've got to play to our strengths - which is a bit more leg speed around the ruck.
"That was what gave us the win today, smart decisions around the ruck."
Reigning premiers Woden Valley got their title defence off to a winning start, with a 33-16 win over the Yass Magpies at Phillip.
They were cruising at 22-0, with tries to Bradley Martin, Daniel Prior, Jeff Morgan and Lincoln Withers, but the Magpies were back in the game with a 14-minute purple patch.
Yass crossed for three tries to make it a six-point game, but the Rams were able to settle and re-establish their lead.
Magpies coach Cameron Hardy said they turned the ball over way too much and Woden were able to capitalise.
But their second-half effort will give them confidence heading to Goulburn next week.
"When the ball presents itself to you off an opposition error or something like that you treat it like gold and we just kept turning it over," Hardy said.
"Woden are the current premiers, they have good structure, they've got good personnel and they've got a good coach and you just can't turn it over to a team [like that] and continually give them the ball.
"Swings and roundabouts, it turned around ... there were definitely some positives for us, but there was plenty to work on for sure."
AT A GLANCE
WODEN VALLEY RAMS 33 (B Martin, D Prior, J Morgan, L Withers, A Lucas, C Malisauskas tries; L Withers 4 goals; L Withers field goal) bt YASS MAGPIES 16 (B Houston, S Aiolupo, I Niumata tries; S Davis 3 goals) at Phillip Oval; GOULBURN BULLDOGS 34 (N Cornish 2, M Cornish, H Hodge, J Aubusson, L Tauoqooqo tries; C Hart 5 goals) bt QUEANBEYAN KANGAROOS 14 (L Cooper, K Pagura, B Cronan tries; L Cooper goal) at Goulburn Arena; TUGGERANONG BUSHRANGERS 32 bt WEST BELCONNEN WARRIORS 22 at Greenway Oval; QUEANBEYAN BLUES 50 (J Munro 2, I Latu 2, T Campese, M Cole, I Cotric, S Fetuani, J Wheeler tries; T Campese 7 goals) bt BELCONNEN UNITED SHARKS 12 at Seiffert Oval.