THE moment you start relying on other results is an indication your season is almost done and dusted.
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It is no different for a Port Macquarie Pirates side that didn’t take advantage of a run of home matches at the start of the season.
As they prepare for their final home fixture for the year, they are now hoping for other teams to do them a favour.
Should that happen, their finals flame will continue to flicker.
Coach Nigel Hurlston wasn’t prepared to throw in the towel, but conceded his team faced an uphill task.
If I give up, then the players give up.
- Port Pirates coach Nigel Hurlston
“If I give up, then the players give up,” he said.
“I never give up while it’s mathematically possible, but I think it’s out of our hands even if we beat Southern Cross.
“All we can do is keep winning and if we can get a run of three games going, anything can happen.”
While training attendances have dropped in the last couple of weeks, Hurlston didn’t believe Pirates results so far had been what they deserved.
“I wouldn’t say that because they (the players) have been pretty good up until now and they’re all legitimate excuses; it’s not like they’re sitting at home on the couch,” he said.
A lack of experience in the playing group has also cost Pirates.
Hurlston said it was never more evident than during their defeat to Coffs Harbour last weekend.
“It’s definitely been a learning curve for us this season,” he said.
“The difference between us and a team like Coffs Snappers is that they’ve got a sprinkling of older, experienced players in there guiding the younger lads.
“I had all my senior players retire last season and now we’re left with the youngsters and no-one to follow.”
The coach was still positive about what they had achieved although he was disappointed they hadn’t taken advantage of their run of home games.
“We should have taken advantage of that when we had the chance, but you can’t change it now,” he said.
“But I wouldn’t say it’s been a season that got away.
At the start of the season I wasn’t expecting to win it; the lads are a couple of seasons away from that because they’re so raw.
- Nigel Hurlston
“At the start of the season I wasn’t expecting to win it; the lads are a couple of seasons away from that because they’re so raw.”
The clash with Southern Cross University Marlins on Saturday provides the final chance to play at home for the season.
Hurlston indicated they might try a few different things.
“We’re trying to bring in some different attacking options, different structures but maybe it is too late,” he said.
“I try not to get stuck in a rut because to me a team can always have 10 options and even if they only use two on the game day, at least they’ve got other ones.
“I think maybe we’ve relied too much on Plan A and only now we’re trying Plan B and Plan C.”