Leeton’s women’s sevens side went down at No. 1 Oval 34-15 to the Tumut Bullettes on Saturday. 

Allen said the team was in the middle of a significant rebuilding period following the retirement of players, others who left town and others having children. 

“Tumut scored late on Saturday so that did blow the scoreline out a bit,” he said. 

“We don’t hold back in acknowledging we’re going through a rebuild period. You can’t be dominant for five years and think it’s going to last forever, because it won’t.

“We’re lucky in that we’ve got a number of young players coming through. So it’s just working on that and eventually everyone will start to gel. I’ve had supporters to tell me it’s great to see a number of young players coming through the ranks.”

This weekend the Dianas will hit the road to take on Wagga City, a game Allen said was important. 

“It’s a bit of a must-win for us … we want to make sure we get the points,” he said. 

The Phantoms first grade side will also be taking on Wagga City and will be looking to make it three wins from three starts this season. 

Already Leeton has defeated Albury and Tumut. 

Last weekend’s game was a controversial one, with Tumut lodging a complaint against Leeton coach Marika Vunibaka.

The Bulls have alleged Vunibaka punched a Tumut official on the sidelines during Saturday’s match. 

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Allen, who is also the Phantoms club president, said he had no comment on the matter, choosing to focus on the match at hand.  

“Definitely the game will be one in the backs,” he said. 

“In saying that, the forwards have been working on maintaining their structure so they’ve got the ball. 

“To Tumut’s credit last weekend they really pushed the boys hard for the first 20 to 30 minutes. The boys know they need to put in a full 80 minutes or the result won’t go their way.”

The Phantoms are focusing on the match at hand, but are also trying to build momentum ahead of last year’s grand final rematch against the Waratahs on May 12.

First grade gets underway at 3.15pm in Wagga.