The loss saw Shamrocks slip to fourth on the ladder, but it's certainly not panic stations for Ridgway's men, with the coach taking plenty of confidence out of Saturday's match.

Shamrocks were able to hang with their more-fancied rivals for 55 minutes, the two teams engaged in a hard-fought, physical affair. That was until, with Shamrocks trailing 12-7, the match turned with 25 minutes remaining,

A try against the run of play allowed the Wombats to kick clear and once their big forwards gained a head of steam, Shamrocks had no answer.

Avondale ultimately ran out 33-7 victors, but Ridgway, while disappointed, was overall pleased with his team's performance.

"We're pretty disappointed with the outcome," Ridgway said. "We were in it for large stages. With 25 minutes to go, only down 12-7, things had been going to plan to that point. A try against the run of play swung momentum and once they get momentum, they're hard to stop.

"We were really pleased with the first half, the guys did all the things we asked of them. We had a lot of pressure defensively, we stopped their momentum, had them behind the advantage line. It worked in the first half, but in the end fatigue set in and we couldn't maintain it."

Avondale coach Joe Aiono was disappointed with his team's performance in their victory over University last Saturday, this week, however, he was thrilled with the way the Wombats played, particularly the way his side remained patient until the tide eventually turned.

"It was a tough game," Aiono said. "Shamrocks have been travelling well, they've got young and exciting players in that squad. We kept up with their pace, stuck to all out structures and remained patient, and it showed in that last 20 minutes."

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The effect of the loss was compounded for Shamrocks, with their chief rivals on the ladder all collecting victories.

Vikings secured a 53-15 win over Campbelltown to leapfrog Woonona into third on the ladder, while University defeated Tech 31-21 to draw level with Shamrocks on 35 points. Shamrocks hold on to fourth position courtesy of for and against.

Avondale's victory and Bowral's 20-0 win over Kiama allowed the two teams to open up a gap ahead of the pack, with seven points separating Bowral and Vikings.

Saturday's final match saw Shoalhaven defeat Camden 34-31.

Ridgway is very much aware there is a lot of work that needs to be done over the final seven rounds of the competition, but he's confident if his side does run into Avondale in semi-final action, Shamrocks will be able to produce a different result.

"If we do play Avondale again, we've got to believe we can beat them, we played well for 60 of the 80 minutes, if we can get it right for 80 minutes. We were better in this game than round one. We just need to be a little smarter and not fall away."

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