ON THE run to the finals the Junee Jaguars came away with a 4-nil loss to the Henwood Park Hawks.

But far from being disappointed, co-coach Isaac Cooper said the team was happy with the result.

A scheduling conflict left many of the team's first choice players out of contention, leaving it with half of its usual strength.

"We're happy with the result we got considering the number of people we had out," Cooper said.

"(We were) surprised with how we went with a half-strength team.

"We haven't fielded a full-strength side all year."

Intensifying the Jaguars' challenge was the fact the team had only one reserve, leaving most players to do a lot of heavy lifting against Henwood Park.

Cooper said Mark Hogan and Jade Becroft starred for the Jaguars.

With Junee eyeing a chance at the finals, it was an opportunity for the club's reserve grade players to make their mark on the squad, he said.

"It's always good to give younger players a bit of a run to see what level they need to be at," he said.

"All the reserve graders are a chance to get chosen for the bench (or the team) and anyone who played at the weekend did their chances no harm."

The team's next three weeks before the Pascoe Cup finals series will be tough but an opportunity for players to get a run they would not normally get.

Cooper said the goal was to show the Wagga teams how deep the Jaguars could go into the finals.

This weekend is the first game of the split Football Wagga competition.

Tolland will be the first club Junee faces before playing Henwood Park and Wagga United again.

"It's a tough run heading into finals," Cooper said.