So it will come as little surprise to most that Kelly crossed for his first-ever career hat-trick as the Sharks cruised past Forster-Tuncurry Hawks 58-16 on Sunday.

He didn't have to run more than 10 metres for each of the four-pointers, but it didn't make them worth any less.

"I'm not known for my try scoring abilities; I've scored a few doubles, but never a hat-trick," Kelly told the Port News.

"But ... a try is a try."

In the last fortnight Kelly has come off the bench and provided some energy through the middle of the field for coach Dave Geary's side.

That was again on show on Sunday after the Sharks trailed 12-0 early before they awoke from their first-half slumber.

"I've come off the bench the last two games which has worked best for the team because we seem to lose a little bit in the middle part of the halves," Kelly said.

"The more minutes I can play the better. I haven't played 80 minutes yet."

Port Macquarie consolidated second spot on the Group 3 ladder after the win although third-placed Old Bar have two games in hand.

"It's probably going to come down to when we play Old Bar who finishes second," Kelly said.

The two sides will clash on August 14 with the Sharks hopeful they can move the fixture from Wauchope to Lake Cathie.

"It's been hard playing home games at Wauchope; we'd like as many of our fans to attend as possible, but it depends if the ground is available at Cathie," Kelly said.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: