By LIZ MOORE

Heading into a big clash with experienced Easts this week, Souths captain Luke Samoa believes his ‘gutsy’ young side is ready.

The 32-year-old fullback said whilst his team lost 39-24 to Bond on the weekend, they continue to improve each week.

“We did well to come back,” Samoa said about the loss to Bond. “They scored a few early tries in the second half, which put them out to a bit of a lead. But we managed to claw our way back to within three, I think, with five minutes to go.

“It was a good, gutsy effort from us, but we just couldn’t hang on there in the end. I think just a bit of experience from them got them through a couple of late tries.”