Bacchus Marsh was left frustratingly disappointed after losing the top-of-the-table clash with Lake Wendouree on Saturday.
The two Ballarat Football League sides had lost only once between them going into the match and not much separated them all day.
But the Cobras poor kicking in front of goal proved the difference by the end.
Despite having four more scoring shots, the Cobras were beaten 12.10 (82)-7.19 (61).
Cobras president Adam Sutherland said knowing they were in the game was the most frustrating thing about the loss.
“It was disappointing and it’s always frustrating to lose, especially when you’re in the game,” he said.
“We didn’t make enough of the enormous amount of opportunities we had in front of goal. They were more efficient than us.
“It’s a third of the way through the season and they’re on top of the ladder for a reason.”
Jarrah Maksymow was the only multiple goalscorer for the Cobras, with Matt Denham and Tyson Shea named their best.
Besides the poor goalkicking and efficiency inside their forward 50, Sutherland said there was lots to take out of the game and believed his side was definitely good enough to mix it with the top sides.
“It was very frustrating and I’d love to play them [Lake Wendouree] again this week,” Sutherland said.
“If we can compete like we did against them every week, we’d be happy. We always knew it was a crucial period and we didn’t pass the first test. Now on to the next one.”
Sutherland said efficiency inside 50 would be one area they would address.
“We saw the areas we need to improve on and get better,” Sutherland said. “It reinforced that we can compete with the good sides.
“We need to be more clinical inside 50. You can get away with it against the lower sides, but not the good ones.”
Sutherland said Cam Richardson and Jackson Bolton were still to come back into the side.
He was also hopeful they would get a couple of their VFL-listed players on the park in the next few weeks.
The weekend loss saw the Cobras slip to third on the ladder behind the Sunbury Lions.
They face fourth-placed North Ballarat City and fifth-placed Redan in the next two weeks.
This weekend, they face a North Ballarat City side coming off a big win over Melton. After an even first quarter, City took control to win 25.19 (169)-4.4 (28).
