The Rams are just one of two undefeated teams remaining in the competition after Ryan's men secured a hard-fought 26-13 win over Vikings in Wollongong.

Bowral are the other unbeaten team, the Blacks claiming a 39-26 victory over previously undefeated University on Saturday.

The tests don't get any easier for Camden, however, with Avondale waiting next week, Uni the following week and Bowral two weeks later. For Ryan, the next month will be a clear indicator of where his side is positioned.

"We knew this was our first big test of the season," Ryan said. "We knew Vikings were the start of four or five tough games on the trot. We have Avondale next week, then Uni and Bowral, it's a four-game stretch to really find out where we sit.

"We're confident in what we're building, but we're still getting a bit of a measure of where we are. We're using the first half of the competition to feel out where we are."

Saturday's match was a physical encounter, with the game evenly poised heading into halftime before Camden pulled away from their opponents with an impressive second-half performance.

The loss was Vikings first of the season and coach Sean Barrett did not hold back in his criticism of the team's performance.

"Lack of effort is the terminology I would use," Barrett said. "When you have a lack of effort, you have a lack of execution. We had a few opportunities late, but Camden were good defensively and kept us out.

"The guys were realistic in the change rooms. It's only round three, but we've identified areas to work on during the week to ensure we don't fall in that hole again. I don't think we'll have another lack of effort performance again. If we do, there won't be many of the playing group there."

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While Barrett was disappointed with his team's commitment, Ryan could not have been happier with Camden's commitment, particularly in defence.

A bruising encounter, Ryan was thrilled to see his side concede just one try, and he praised five-eighth Michael Midson for leading the team in both attack and defence.

"We were immense in defence. We've been spending a lot of time installing an attacking system, but everything is focused on how we defend.

"Michael was lights out, he was huge in defence. Coming from the forwards, it adds an extra element as a five-eighth with that physical nature."

"We still have some work to do in attack, but I'm most proud about how well we defended on Saturday. I don't have the exact stats, but it felt like we were defending for two-thirds of the game. The fact we only conceded one try and two penalties speaks volumes to our shift to a more defensive focus."

In other matches, Shamrocks secured their first win of the season, defeating Kiama 23-0, Shoalhaven claimed a 24-15 victory over Tech and Avondale defeated Campbelltown 58-10.

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