WINNING six games in a row is a big achievement, but Berry Magpies coach Nathan Benney said it would be huge if they can stretch it to seven by beating the competition leaders.
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They will get the chance to do just that when they travel to Cec Glenholmes Oval to take on the first-placed Warilla-Lake South Gorillas on Sunday.
The Magpies made it six in a row last week, with a 32-nil defeat of the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs.
The win put them into fourth spot and they are well-placed to make the semi finals if they can continue their winning ways.
With their remaining games being against Warilla, Gerringong, Shellharbour, Jamberoo, Nowra-Bomaderry and Albion Park, on paper the Magpies have one of the toughest runs home.
Coach Nathan Benney agreed they have some tough games ahead of them, but said it is what you expect.
“At the end of the day, you’ve got to play all these teams in the semis anyway,” he said.
“Hopefully we can knock some of them off between now and the finals. “Sometimes you’re relying on results to make the finals, but if we can keep winning games, then our fate stays in our own hands.”
While they are still on top of the table, the Gorillas recent form has surprised a few.
After their upset loss to Albion Park, the Gorillas only just managed to get over the line against Port Kembla, but Benney doesn’t see their last two results as a true reflection of what they are capable of.
“They haven’t been having their best performances, but when a team is coming first you should never take them lightly,” he said.
“We’ve got to give them the respect they deserve,” he added.
Benney said sometimes teams can get a bit complacent when they have been winning games, but is confident they will go in with the right mindset on Sunday.
“I think we’ll be switched on and ready to go,” he said.
“We can’t turn the ball over, we’ve got to make sure we complete sets. “They’ve got a very strong forward pack, so we’ve got to match them.
“If you can take a bit of fire out of them, then you can start to slow them down.”
Although he is not looking too far ahead, Benney feels they are starting to have the belief that they are a top five team and thinks their winning run can continue.
He admitted getting the two points against the Gorillas would be massive.
“To go seven in a row is huge, but to do it by knocking off the team in first would really be special,” he said.
“It would be reassuring to know that we can beat these top sides and it would give us lots of confidence.”
