The Magpies started their AFL North Coast seniors campaign in impressive fashion last weekend with a comfortable 55-point win over defending premiers Sawtell-Toormina at Richardson Park.

Schmidt and George McGuire kicked five goals each in the 20.8 (128) to 11.7 (73) victory, but the captain admitted there were a few outside factors that contributed.

"They've lost some and we've gained some, but we had a lot of things that worked for us last weekend," he said.

Incredibly, the Magpies could have won by a few more goals if not for some desperate last-ditch defending from the Saints.

"We've got a few new faces who all played well and the scoreline might have been a bit better for us with a few of our shots falling short and being hit back into play," Schmidt said.

"We'll work on those little things."

Port Macquarie bowed out in a grand final qualifying defeat to Sawtell-Toormina last year and Schmidt said his team had gained a deal of confidence from their first-up performance.

"It's only round one, but you've got to be confident going into a game against Grafton next weekend who traditionally haven't travelled too well," he said.

"It's amazing what confidence can do to any team out there on a sporting field."

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