Gundagai ensured there would be no happy homecoming for their former premiership-winning captain-coach James Smart.
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However current Tigers leader Luke Berkrey wasn't thrilled with the performance at Anzac Park on Saturday.
Gundagai were never behind after Berkrey scored in the opening minutes and extended their unbeaten start to the season with a 32-20 victory over Kangaroos but Berkrey knows his side can produce so much more.
"I think we were a little bit scrappy," Berkrey said.
"We won, and that's the main thing, but we have a lot of improvement in us."
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Gundagai bounced out to a strong lead after a 40-metre solo effort by Derek Hay was followed up by a try to Jack Lyons.
It handed Gundagai a 14-0 lead after 16 minutes before Kangaroos got themselves back into the contest.
Bowie Foster went over from dummy half following a Berkrey error before Jake Mascini showed his pace to complete a 40-metre effort to see Kangaroos trail 14-12 at half-time.
Berkrey thought lapses from the Tigers allowed the Wagga outfit to make a game of things.
"I thought at times we hit some flat spots," he said.
"We started the game really fast, with lots of energy and kicked clear to lead 14-0, but credit to Roos they ground their way back in.
"You can tell they're a James Smart coached side, they never gave up and I thought they played pretty well and kept coming all day."
However Gundagai responded in the second half as Damian Willis scored off a deft little kick to make it an eight-point game 11 minutes after the break.
Jack Elphick then capitalised on an error at the back from Daniel Foley to extend Gundagai's advantage before Tyron Gorman scored a controversial try with 13 to play.
Foley thought he'd forced a mistake from the Tigers second rower but it wasn't to be.
However Kangaroos showed they've got plenty of fight in them as Ollie Hoskin crossed with seven to play before Foley put on a lovely ball for Charlie Barton to score against his former club.
Berkrey wasn't impressed with the team's defensive effort.
It's one thing he wants to improve ahead of a clash with Southcity at Harris Park on Sunday.
"To leak 20 points is very disappointing and a lot of our defensive structures just fell away," Berkrey said.
"We've got a lot of improvement there.
"I thought we had a really good start, and in the middle period of the second half we really got ourselves into a bit of a rhythm but unfortunately we let 'Roos score a couple of late tries, which was disappointing."
Meanwhile Kangaroos face a crucial clash with Albury on the border on Sunday as the both teams chase their second win of the season.
The Wagga side lost Nick Baker to a head knock during the loss while Mascini didn't finish the game with an ankle complaint and Dakota Ruta didn't play at all.
James Luff also wasn't able to finish the game for the Tigers due to a head knock.
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