QUEANBYEAN Blues prop Jay Lasscock admits the side is at a loss to explain its poor defensive efforts in recent weeks.
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The Blues were handed a 40-18 hiding by the Belconnen United Scholars last Sunday to follow on from the side’s 40-22 defeat to the Yass Magpies in round eight.
The back-to-back losses have seen the side slip to fourth on the Canberra Raiders Cup ladder.
It’s been a sharp turnaround for the Blues who conceded just 84 points in winning four of their first five matches this season.
‘‘I’m not really too sure what to put it down to at the moment,’’ Lasscock said of the Blues leaky defence.
‘‘Those first few weeks we were winning games and teams were struggling to score points against us. To let in 40 points two weeks in a row isn’t too flash. When you’ve got a few injuries you can cop losing ... but to get that many points put on us is disappointing.’’
The Blues have been struggling with injuries and unavailability in key positions of late with captain Jordan Hammond forced to sit out last weekend’s clash.
Five-eighth Dennis Gordon has been battling a hamstring complaint while halfback Ben Nicoll is yet to return from travelling overseas.
Lasscock acknowledged the side hadn’t managed to handle the loss of such key personnel.
‘‘We’ve been pretty good in the forwards but losing that experience out wider hasn’t helped,’’ he said.
‘‘Most of the tries scored against us have been out wide so we’re struggling a bit on the edges.’’
The Blues are also likely to be hit hard by representative selection in coming weeks when the ACT side to compete in this year’s Country Championships is named.
Gordon, Hammond, Lasscock and Nicoll were all part of last year’s side while frontrower Matt Holmes and Mitch Day could also come into contention.
