However coach Tom Lamond is confident the side is much further along than he could have imagined.

After being beaten in last year's preliminary final, Aggies are set to be a very different outfit in 2024 with many of their most experienced faces moving on.

Around five key players from last year have left the club or like Taylor won't play this year.

While they were able to overcome the loss of Taylor midway through the season, a new permanent five-eighth is something Lamond is still exploring.

Fullback Jake Elworthy is one option while after moving across from Australian rules Jake Haydon also impressed in the club's trial against Forbes on Saturday.

Taylor made a big impact at the club, and has stepped into an assistant coach role this year, but despite Sam Nixon being among those moving on, Lamond remains confident they can come up with the solution.

"(Elworthy) comes from a playmaker background in rugby league before coming to Ag College so he's got skills and there's a couple of new faces who have turned up who look pretty handy," Lamond said.

"Josh Elworthy might be the first grade 10 but was away so Jake Haydon came in and played very well for his first ever game of 10."

Ag College have only been training for the past three weeks after the return of university.

However their players were given programs to follow over the summer.

Lamond was pleased to see the response in Forbes.

"We tried a lot of blokes in a lot of different spots and grades and at the end of the day we had a bit of a coaches meeting and thought it definitely was a positive trial," he said.

"We're in a lot better position than we thought we would have been for this time of year.

"It was a good positive day for us."

Ag College now heads to the Boorowa to complete their pre-season on March 23 before taking on Reddies to start the Southern Inland season on April 6.