Port City Breakers coach Dan Kemp is the first person to put his hand up and admit he got a few things wrong in season 2019.

Three weeks after the Breakers were eliminated one game short of the grand final by eventual premiers Macleay Valley, Kemp still believed his team underachieved.

It's the sort of standards he sets himself as a coach and the lofty heights the club aims to achieve every season.

"I was asked a lot more questions this season than I had been in the previous couple and I got a few wrong; I'll put my hand up for that," Kemp said.

"You want to win the competition every year, but you've got to change your goals throughout the year, don't you?

"It was a very difficult year for the club."

It all started just couple of weeks before a ball was kicked in round one when a number of players linked with other clubs.

That provided a brief look at what was looming on the horizon.

"We had a large turnover in the off-season and a lot of it was late in the off-season so it was a difficult start," Kemp said.

However, the challenges their first grade squad were faced with provided opportunities for some of their younger faces.

Players such as Matt Burge, Elia Glassie, Taj O'Brien, Bailey Connor and Jordie Gibson were fast-tracked into the top grade as a result of an injury toll rarely seen before.

While those youngsters may have been too green for first grade at the start of the year, the club is set to benefit in years to come.

Over the previous four seasons, the rugby league gods had offered nothing but clear blue skies so it was bound to catch up with them eventually.

"We had more than our fair share of injuries, but it meant a lot of kids made their debut," Kemp said.

"We had to expose some of those kids to first grade a lot earlier than they should have, but that means we've now got some depth heading into the next couple of years."

The coach conceded they now realised how lucky they had been to appear in the previous four-straight grand finals.

"It certainly makes you appreciate the things that you took for granted, absolutely," he said.

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