The Lions were forced to come from 19 points down well into the fourth quarter to prevail by ten points and stay unbeaten.

They will start unbackable favourites to continue that streak when they host winless Leeton-Whitton on Saturday.

Ruck-forward Daniel Foley (hamstring) and Michael Rothnie (work commitments) will miss, but reigning Jim Quinn medallist Jacob Olsson and Mitch Taylor return.

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"The main thing is we know 'Gullie is a genuine contender. They're a proper outfit and they picked us apart a bit," he said.

"A lot of our strengths weren't really a factor because they were able to move the ball really freely, and they have a potent forward line.

"This time of year is where you really like to be tested and find out where your flaws are, it was an eye opener for us.

"It was great to see our winning mentality at the end. Most would have written us off (late in the match), but all 22 players thought we were right in the game."

Olsson's return is one of a handful of key players hoping to come back from injury this week.

Wagga Tigers coach Murray Stephenson has been named after a missing a couple of games with a hamstring injury, while Coolamon co-coach Jake Barrett will have a fitness test on Saturday to determine whether he plays Turvey Park on Sunday.

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