A fixture against the reigning premiers was a daunting start for the Magpies, who had a slow start at Walker Park as the Rams charged to a 0-22 lead at half-time.

Midway through the second half, Brendan Houston, Saipani Aiolupo and Isaih Niumata all crossed for Yass, which narrowed the margin to six points.

At that point, it was anybody's game, but the Rams landed two tries in the final minutes to push Woden to a 17-point win.

The two teams' biggest difference, in Yass coach Cam Hardy's opinion, was the Magpies' 61 per cent completion rate, which he said was "poor".

"Just the turnover rate was ridiculous, we made so many unforced errors off their errors," Hardy said.

"It was very hard. There were some good signs, but you can't turn the ball over that much and expect to win a game against the [premiers]."

The message to the players going forward, Hardy said, would be to play more sensible football early in their sets.

"It sounds boring, but boring football wins football games," he said.

"You can't afford to offload on the first or second tackle. You've got structure there for a reason. Sometimes we didn't stick to it, we just thought about it too much."

While frustrated by his team's sub-par completion rate on the weekend, Hardy was nonetheless pleased with the grit they showed to get back within six points, and was optimistic about this weekend's fixture against the Goulburn Bulldogs in Goulburn.

"Goulburn have recruited well with their local juniors, the Cornishes, coming back, [and] they've got a great coach in Adam [Kyle]," he said.

"Goulburn's a very proud club, it's a bit like Yass, and they'll certainly be hard to beat.

"We'll certainly be in the challenge, that's for sure."

The Magpies will take on the Bulldogs at the Goulburn Workers Arena on Sunday April 14 from 2.15pm.

The Bulldogs will also run a fundraiser for Parkinson's disease at the match, so visiting fans are encouraged to donate to a good cause.