The David Loader-coached side fell agonisingly short against Geelong Falcons yesterday, losing 13.5 (83) to 12.9 (81) at Kardinia Park.

Compounding the loss, Warrnambool teenager Tom Schnerring suffered a knee injury in a tackle and could face a lengthy stint on the sidelines.

Schnerring was one of “three or four” Rebels who were injured in the clash, with Loader full of praise for his players’ fight.

Loader lamented a “really bad 10 minutes in the second quarter” when the Falcons kicked four consecutive goals. He also rued a lack of composure late.

The Rebels had multiple chances to close the gap in the dying stages, but missed. South Warrnambool forward Shannon Beks’ goal on the siren proved in vain.

“It was a cracking game of footy. We had our chances late in the day and couldn’t capitalise. We certainly need to be a bit better at that,” Loader said.

“But it was probably won and lost in the second quarter. We had a really bad 10 minutes when Geelong kicked four goals in a row. That hurt us a fair bit.”

Loader said coming within two points of the Falcons — traditionally one of the stronger sides in the TAC Cup — was a promising sign.

“They’ve got a little bit of resilience about them in this group. The bell went to finish the game at the 27-minute mark and we were still in there swinging,” he said.

He praised Koroit tall Nick Hausler, who showed his worth in the second half as injuries struck and was the pick of the Rebels’ south-west players.

Cobden’s Jack Hutt showed promise in a defensive role and was also rewarded with a spot among the best players.

But Loader had sympathy for Schnerring, whose immediate playing future appears in doubt.

“I wouldn’t even like to speculate on that. I’m hoping he’s twisted it. He’s got some bleeding and he’ll miss a game or two,” he said.

“We’re not going to know conclusively until we get an MRI. I think we’ll get him in pretty quickly. Fingers crossed it’s nothing structural.”

The Rebels have a five-day turnaround before playing Bendigo Pioneers away at Epsom Huntly Reserve and Loader foreshadowed a host of changes.

“It’s quite interesting. Next week we’ve got some guys who will go into the (AFL) academy,” he said.

“They’ll go out, along with three, maybe four injuries. We’ve got a boy who lives in the Northern Territory who goes home tomorrow as well.

“All of a sudden we could be looking at seven or eight changes. We need to make sure we’re rehabing everyone really well.

“The great thing about having a list of 48 is another group of boys will get a taste of TAC Cup really soon from where we stand today.”