United eased past Camden Haven Redbacks 3-1 on Saturday in Laurieton in a performance which satisfied coach Nathan Wade.

Unless Taree Wildcats defeat Kempsey Saints by a nine-goal margin next weekend, the Green Bloods will finish third.

But Wade stopped short of admitting his side had turned a corner after declaring they weren’t good enough to win the competition four weeks ago.

“We still have a bit of work to do before I will say we’re good enough to win the competition, but they showed what they are capable of,” he said.

At a venue United traditionally find tricky to emerge with all three points, they found themselves in a dogfight at 1-all at the break after a first-half Andy Collins strike.

But two goals in the second half – one each to Matt Broderick and Matt Bale – ensured they got the job done.

Wade said the windy conditions provided plenty of headaches and he was satisfied with the mental toughness of his side.

“With that wind on Saturday anything could have happened,” he said.

“You were running into a gale for one half and then running with it the second half which made things difficult.

“It was a day where no one wanted to be outside and it would have been easy for the boys to claim a draw and then get out of there.

“But they were really focused and knew what they had to do.”