The Roosters were beaten around the stoppages in the first half of their 15-point triumph against Cobden on Saturday, but reversed the tide after the main break.

South Warrnambool coach Mat Battistello was able to expose players to new roles in the contest and felt positive about his side's ability to adjust.

But Battistello, who joined the Friendly Societies Park-based club for 2019, said stoppage work would be a major focus on the track leading into the Roosters' bout with Portland on Saturday.

"We sort of feel like we've been beaten in that one particular area over the past two weeks (against Cobden and Terang Mortlake)," he said.

"We'll put some more attention into that because certainly, by no means, have we played our best footy yet.

"We'll go into the Portland game pretty optimistic about what we can do."

The Roosters trailed Cobden at quarter-time but booted three straight majors to take a three-point buffer into half-time.

An improved midfield showing helped South starve the Bombers of scoring opportunities after the main break - they booted just two goals - as Battistello's men pushed out to a 17-point lead at the final change.

A stale final term, in which both sides kicked just a goal apiece, helped the Roosters maintain their advantage.

While defence has been a strong point, the Roosters want to be more ruthless in attack.

Battistello said Isaac Thomas, Liam Mullen, Harry Lee and Ben Rantall were in fine touch. Thomas was South Warrnambool's best on Saturday and played a key role in defeating the Bombers.

"Isaac has been in great form since day one," the third-year coach said.

"Those guys form the core of our back line. Isaac has been able to take his game to a level we knew he was capable of. He's probably found some continuity.

"It's more so been with his body. We always knew he had the talent. He's been outstanding for us, but he's still working on his game. He's still young.

"That's why we're reasonably optimistic about what we can do when we can bring it all together."

Cobden mentor Adam Courtney said his side was "really competitive" and felt it was heading in the right direction but lamented the result as a "missed opportunity".

"We really controlled the first half apart from eight to 10 minutes where they kicked three goals from our mistakes," he said.

"It was a good performance without getting a result and we feel like we're heading the right way."

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