PORT Macquarie Sharks will reflect on a couple of games this year that ultimately ended up costing them a Group 3 semi-final position.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Their two-point defeat at the hands of Old Bar a fortnight ago was the difference between their sixth-place finish and the top five.
They finished a mixed campaign with a surprise 25-18 upset of Wingham on Saturday at Regional Stadium, doing it with 12 men for 60 minutes of the contest.
In a fiery encounter, there were a number of scuffles throughout the game with Joey Cudmore spending his usual 10 minutes in the sin bin along with two Tigers.
Sharks second-rower Scott Grant was given his marching orders inside the first 20 minutes as the defending premiers raced out to a 22-4 lead at half-time.
Coach Ben Kirkland was pleased his young side still found a way to win a match that didn't have any bearing on the semi-final makeup.
"I figured that the Breakers weren't going to get rolled so it was the inevitable that we weren't going to make (the finals), but we turned up and played good footy," he said.
"We put 20 points on them in 10 minutes and we battled on once we lost Scotty for the game so it was good.
"The boys deserved it so that's the main thing."
Kirkland admitted the defending premiers benefited from an undermanned Tigers side that included captain Mick Sullivan.
"Take him out of that side and they're the same old Wingham," he said.
"Every side would benefit and I think he's out for another week so Wauchope might go down there next week and upset them if he's out too."
Kirkland was confident he had seen enough from Port Macquarie in 2019 to suggest they would be setting the pace in years to come.
"It's a shame not to play finals," he said.
"But I explained to the boys after the game that it's a process and in three years' time, every team are going to be chasing us if we all stick together.
"(The season) is what might have been, but it doesn't matter in our eyes. Hopefully there are good things to come."
Mitch Smith and Kyle Ellison did a strong job in the middle of the field and that was how the Sharks won the game.
"We dominated them through the middle," Kirkland said.
On a successful day for the club, they claimed all four grades with an 8-0 win in the ladies league tag.
They also won reserve grade 20-8 and the under-18s 16-10.
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.