The win saw the Breakers move four points clear of sixth-placed Wingham and two points clear of fifth-placed Macleay Valley although the Mustangs have played one more game.

The top five progress to the finals at the start of September.

Richie Roberts scored a hat-trick in a strong performance, but coach Dan Kemp admitted he felt comfortable for most of the contest.

That was despite Mustangs goalkicker Miles Mongta missing a sideline conversion in the dying minutes that would have stolen a draw.

"We had five disallowed tries and I'm not saying they should have been tries, but it felt a little bit different to what it was because we kept going over," Kemp said.

"When you play the top sides you've gotta get those things right, but it was a step in the right direction. You've got to get those finishes right."

Kemp was pleased with the defensive performance of his side to be able to keep the unpredictable Mustangs attack to just three tries for most of the contest.

"Kempsey go well. Those kids are talented. Mal Webster and Ant Cowan ask a lot of questions," he said.

"We defended really well and didn't get rewarded on the scoreboard in attack but we walked away really happy."

The Breakers currently sit in fourth position on the ladder, but they do have a number of catch-up games starting with Old Bar this Saturday.

"We're not looking too much at the ladder because it's a bit hard to tell where we are," Kemp said.

Mustangs co-coach Ant Cowan was happy with his sides resilience in the second half but identified discipline as a key area for improvement.

"It just goes to show we do have depth at our club, the young fellas step up when asked and that's the main thing," he said.

"One percenters win and lose you games and that was key today."

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