Rugby Union: Red Devils hit the road to tackle Inverell

"It will be nice to make amends for what happened the other day," skipper Zac Newcombe said.

The "what happened" he was referring to, was blowing a 19-5 half-time lead in their season opener against Narrabri.

"The first half was as good as a start as we could have hoped for," he said.

But they were blown away in the second half with the Blue Boars running in four tries to take the points 32-24, and leave the Red Devils with plenty to mull over.

After having the bye in the first week, Newcombe did make the concession that it was their first game.

"We knew it was going to be a bit scrappy being the first game for us," he said.

"That showed in the second half."

The second 40 was riddled with dropped ball, and the set pieces - in previous seasons a strength of their game - also fell away, compounding their struggles to get their hands on the ball.

He felt the fact that they had a lot of new combinations, especially in the forwards with Nick Lyons and Sanimo Navatu the only regular first graders last season, contributed to that and believes they will be better for the game together.

Certainly at training the signs have been promising, Newcombe noting that the way they have trained the last two weeks has been the "polar opposite".

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They have had to make a few changes with players unavailable but should still have two pretty strong sides.

Newcombe isn't quite sure what to expect from the Highlanders, who have had a tough start to the season.

They have been well beaten in their two games but are he remarked "always tough at Inverell".

The Red Devils only have to cast their memories back to the corresponding game last season, going down in a tight affair 15-12.

Their first round meeting was similarly hard fought although the Red Devils got home on that occasion 34-22 to notch their first win of the season.