THE next month of rugby league could very well determine how far Port City can advance in 2019.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
One quick glance at the current ladder indicates Port City still have some ground to make up before they can challenge Macleay Valley, Wauchope and Wingham.
But the positive news for coach Dan Kemp and his men is they won't have to wait until the business end of the season to make any sort of statement.
Kemp isn't concerned about what might happen - he's more worried about navigating their way past Forster in Forster on Sunday.
The Breakers are currently battling the Hawks and Port Macquarie for the final two positions in the finals.
Their immediate focus, however, was nullifying the effectiveness of Forster hooker Riley Glover at Harry Elliott Oval.
"They have a really big pack and Riley Glover has really good ruck recognition," Kemp said.
Mitch Fowler returns to the Breakers side for the clash at the expense of Kurt Durbridge who will miss the match due to work commitments.
Port City go into the match confident after hanging on 26-22 when the two teams met earlier in the season.
"We had the foot on the throat at halftime and then were pretty average for the first 10 minutes of the second half," Kemp said.
After the Hawks, the Breakers face the Tigers, Blues and Mustangs in successive weeks.
Counting in their favour is that the 2018 grand finalists have something the other teams don't have a lot of.
And that is experience at the business end of the season. But Kemp also knows they still have plenty of improvement in them.
"We've got lots of work to do to get to the level of winning the competition," Kemp said.
"But if anyone thinks they're good enough to win the competition at the moment, they'd be wrong."
Port City know what works. They have appeared in the last four-straight grand finals.
With a consistent availability of players now at their disposal at the business end of the season, they are primed to make a charge at the top three.
"We've been cruising along and the break last week was good for a couple of individuals," Kemp said.
What else is happening in sport?
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, SIGN UP HERE
