But six of Port Macquarie's 14-man under-18 boys squad will attempt to do the double at this weekend's NSW Junior State Cup northern conference final.

Jacob Prince, Corey Lewis, Aston Pollard, Josh Goldberg, Theo Garland and Tyrone Flanagan all played integral roles as the Makos hammered Orange 8-1 in the 2020 NSW State Cup men's under-20 final on December 6.

Fast forward just over two months and they will aim to replicate that success at junior level.

Never underestimate the flow-on effect that comes after appearing in a final and finishing on the right side of the scoreboard.

As a result, coach Brendan Prince knows his side will have a target on their backs.

"I think it's definitely a positive in terms of the experience they gained from not just playing in the 20s, but playing in the finals and in those pressure games," he said.

"It puts a target on our back a little bit coming into juniors because a lot of teams will want to put their best foot forward against us."

While some coaches would try not to focus on the past by creating added pressure, Prince admits it has been spoken about.

But he prefers to look at it in a different light. Instead of creating pressure and expectation, it provides a reality check that success doesn't just happen.

"A few of the Sydney teams that may have taken us a bit lightly in the past definitely won't be (after the men's 20s success)," Prince said.

"I've been with most of the group now for about five years and they've definitely come a long way in terms of their touch knowledge.

"The biggest thing from the 20s was the pace of the games; it's 100 percent all the way through and you can't let up.

"The men's and women's opens and men's 20s these days are lightning quick and non-stop, fast-paced games."

The Makos have put in extra work on their fitness compared to years gone by in the hope it will provide an advantage at the pointy end of the weekend.

"We don't play any back-to-back games so we have a little bit of a break between our games," Prince said.

"But on the Saturday we've got three games all before 1.30pm, so the experience from senior State Cup has driven the boys and their fitness."

The Makos would love nothing more than a chance to redeem themselves from the previous two years when Central Coast and Nelson Bay eliminated them from the competition.

"Nelson Bay beat us on the stadium two years ago after we were 5-2 up and lost 6-5," Prince said.

"But Manly are always there or thereabouts and Central Coast are a really strong side who knocked us out last year."

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