LAURA Cudmore has been one of the better performers in Port City's run to the Group 3 league tag preliminary final.
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She will be the first to admit consistency - or a lack of it - contributed to less than impressive 2018 season with Port Macquarie Sharks.
But perhaps a return to where it all started with the Breakers was all she needed.
The 29-year-old has had a busy 2019 campaign that has seen her play oztag for Country against City and now she is preparing to play for Australia at the end of the year.
Throw in an appearance with the Group 3 league tag rep side and then North Coast and all of a sudden a level of consistency that had been missing is now there in spades.
She also finds herself as one of the older heads in a youthful Port City side and the fuse has been re-lit where she is once again excited to run around on a footy field.
"There are a lot of young girls that I've taught or come across at school over the last however many years," she said.
"Some of them look up to girls like Di and myself as mentors, but at the same time we can have a laugh and a joke too.
"They're not used to seeing that side of me because they've only seen me as a (school) teacher in the past."
Cudmore said it would be a perfect personal achievement should the Breakers go on and win the premiership after they won the 2009 title.
"I played for the Breakers in 2009, '10 and '11 when it started so it would be pretty cool if we won it 10 years later," she said.
But before they can think too much about the grand final the Breakers will have to overcome a Wauchope side who surprised Taree City last weekend.
Port City are also coming off their first loss of the season, but Cudmore said it the two-point defeat was a good reality check.
"I think we might have needed that loss," she said.
"Not that it was happening easy for us, but (coach) Troy (Roach) has this saying that once you're on top it's hard to stay on top.
"It was a bit of a kick up the butt and probably what we needed because we're all excited for this week to earn our spot."
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