Wallaroos fans might be forgiven for thinking that the side would take a lot of positives out of their loss to the Black Ferns in Newcastle - but coach Jo Yapp and captain Siokapesi Palu were candid following the match, saying the side's growth is only just beginning.
Despite their 38-12 loss to the Black Ferns seeing their streak extend to 28 straight defeats - the performance was a seen as a major step forward for the women's XV's program - especially following their 62-0 loss at Ballymore in July 2024.
Watch every game of the live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
However, Yapp admitted the squad was very disappointed with the result in Newcastle - but sees the growth despite the loss.
"I'm really proud of the effort, more so the effort that goes on behind the scenes," Yapp told Rugby.com.au.
"To be able to produce somewhere near what we knew that they were capable of.
"What's interesting is there's still the disappointment that's in the squad. It's is a good thing, there were times where we let ourselves down a little bit.
"When we play to how we know we wanted to play from an attacking perspective, we started to get on top, we just need to see more of that.
"I think it's a reflection of the belief and connection that we're starting to really build and see in this squad is nobody rolls over. They want to fight for each other.
"That's such a positive thing. We started to see glimpses of that at WXV when we were really under pressure and girls really fronting up."
Yapp however was realistic despite the improvements, with the Black Ferns class to neutralise the Wallaroo threats and close out the game a major factor in the result.
"What hurt us were the two tries either side of the half, because otherwise we were we would have been in the fight for a bit longer," Yapp admitted.
One thing that the side will be happy about is the set piece - an area the Wallaroos have previously struggled against New Zealand - with the scrum holding up well and two tries off the back of the rolling maul.
Kaitlan Leaney also enjoyed a strong return at the lineout, proving more than a handful for her New Zealand counterparts.
"The confidence that the players will take from that is massive," Yapp added.
"[Assistant coach] Sam Needs has spent a lot of time with the girls doing extras, doing extra scrum connection sessions, and it's really starting to pay off.
"I was really pleased that they got their rewards for that tonight."
"The game itself is very positive, regardless of the loss," Skipper Palu added.
"But like Jo said, there is disappointment and we are frustrated in some areas, but we know what we need to do and that is what's promising. That's the positive that we're going into next week. The girls should take a lot of confidence. We came in with a game plan and I think we only just scraped the surface of it.
"There's still more to unpack. That's the exciting part."
While the Wallaroos went into the sheds 19-0 down at halftime, the 19-12 scoreline in the second half suggested a growing confidence in the side, as they asked more questions of the Black Fern defense.
The Wallaroos will now turn their attention to the USA in Canberra next week, who kicked off their campaign with a 26-14 loss to Canada in Kansas City.
However, this upcoming fixture might be the most critical of the Wallaroos' pre-World Cup preparations - with the side also set to face the Women's Eagles in Pool A at the World Cup. Both sides will fight it out with Samoa for the second quarter final slot, should favourites England win the pool.
The Wallaroos will also fancy their chances against the Eagles given their improving form, despite the inclusion of Sevens superstar Ilona Maher. The corresponding fixture in May last year saw the hosts go down 32-25 in Melbourne.
"It is a big game. We recognise that," said Yapp.
"It's really important that we step up and put in a really good performance, and that we come away with a positive result."
"It's an 80 minute performance," Palu added.
"We could see a reflection of that [2024] game that we probably only started to fight back in the back end of the first half and especially in the second half. We're going to make sure we take that first punch in the game.
"It was so fresh for us as a new group, new coaching and new management.
"You can see things are now starting to piece together, trusting the process and just sticking to it."
