With four wins on the trot, the Magpies are now within striking distance of the top five and their desire to play finals footy is as strong as ever.

They got their fourth straight win with a runaway 58-22 victory over the Port Kembla Blacks last week.

Despite the final score line, Magpies coach Nathan Benney felt it was far from their best football.

They only lead 18-12 at half-time and it was actually three tries apiece at that stage, but they came into their own after the break.

“It wasn’t our best football, but at the end of the day, getting the two points was the main thing,” Benney said.

“We kicked on in the second half, but it got to the stage where we were trying to score off every play and we went away from our normal game, which was a little frustrating,” he added.

Nevertheless, Benney and assistant coach Trent Burns are quite happy with the position they are in, leading into their clash with the Kiama Knights on Saturday.

“I think we both always knew we had it in us, it was just a matter of putting it together,” Benney said.

“Now I think we’re in a good position to make the semis, but we have got to continue to win.

“Whatever happens, I think it’s going to be a tight finish and I want to feel like we earned it, rather than having to rely on other results.”

Benney agreed a good way for them to control their own destiny is by knocking off teams ahead of them on the table, which they will get the chance to do when they play the third-placed Kiama.

“Everyone is really looking forward to getting out there,” Benney said.

“Last time we played it definitely wasn’t out best footy. We had only played one game and had a few out.

“But I’m very keen to see how we go now that we’re in the second round, with basically a full-strength side and playing with a lot more confidence.”

Last week the Knights were comprehensively beaten 32-12 by the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets, but Benney said the fact they are coming off a loss will not change their preparation.

“They have proved to be a very strong side this season and we will need to be at 100 per cent,” he said.