George Graham has always been one of rugby's granite-hewn characters, but the normally flinty Gala coach admitted he was distraught at the end of last season when his Borders side lost the RBS Premiership title after going down 34-33 to Ayr, while Melrose were beating Currie just five miles away.

It was a great advert for the club circuit, but try telling that to the team which finishes on the wrong side of the debit sheet.

Graham, though, did not amass a slew of Test caps in both rugby codes by resorting to the tantrums of Violet Elizabeth Bott. Yes, there was plenty of angst at Gala as their championship hopes evaporated, but they have subsequently bounced back in stirring fashion and currently lead the Premiership table, despite suffering an opening day defeat away to Ayr. Even if one suspects that Graham will not be attending too many Burns Suppers in the coming months, he has done a remarkable job of exorcising demons.

However, they have not vanished altogether, as his words at the weekend made clear. "I am not pretending it wasn't very, very hard to take, because when you get so close to something and then it is snatched away with the last throw of the dice, it is a horrendous feeling and the lads were absolutely stunned at the end of the game," said Graham. "I did a lot of soul-searching, because you always wonder what more you could have done, and it was a big setback.

"The thing is that we have grown very close in the last few years and although we were disappointed and, in some cases, devastated, we still believe we are on the right track at Gala. If anything we are hungrier this season, because we know how bad it felt last time around. These are early days in the race, but we are where we want to be.

"But we are not even thinking about title victories at this stage, and especially now there is a new play-off system. All that matters is the next match and if that's a cliche, well so be it."

Graham recognises the rising standards on the grassroots circuit and although his men should prevail when they travel to meet struggling Edinburgh Accies on Saturday, they have passed the stage where any result is taken for granted. Already, in the space of the first month, there have been myriad nerve-shredding tussles and unexpected losses for all the clubs and Graham does not envisage that scenario changing.

"Maybe at the outset, people thought it would be between ourselves, Ayr, Heriot's and Melrose, but I've been impressed with Stirling County, Boroughmuir have surprised a few folk and Glasgow Hawks aren't far off the pace.

"We should probably have beaten Ayr last month but we didn't, yet at least we came away from Millbrae with a couple of points and not too many clubs will manage to do that.

"One of the positives for me is how many local lads there are in the side. There were 10 Gala boys involved on Saturday and we have teenagers making their mark and showing they deserve their chance. Some will be keen to aim for senior contracts, but others just love playing for the club. We have to make sure as many as possible are happy."

That last emotion was not in evidence in the spring at Netherdale. But there is a renewed sense of optimism around that grand old venue. For now, Graham is talking merely about a play-off spot but there should be no doubt about his true ambition.

TEAM OF THE WEEK

It's a sign of the changing times in Scottish rugby when Dumfries can put 32 points past the once-mighty West of Scotland and nobody bats an eyelid. Yet, after four matches in their campaign, the far-travelled south-west side have maintained their 100% record with bonus points in every outing.

TALKING POINT

There were hopes in the north east that Aberdeen Grammar might be capable of rallying from relegation quickly and returning to the top flight. Instead, the Rubislaw club has still to taste victory this season and lie second bottom in the Scottish National League. The SRU is opening a new rugby academy in the city. Not before time.