THE Nowra-Bomaderry Jets have some unfinished business to attend to when they host the Shellharbour City Sharks at Nowra Showground on Sunday.
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Last time the two sides met, the Jets let a golden opportunity slip, when the Sharks scored in the final 20 seconds to wrap up a 26-22 win.
At that stage of the season the Jets were still searching for their first win, but thanks to a massive turnaround, they are now just one place behind the Sharks on the table.
The Jets managed to move into third place without even playing last week, thanks to the two points from the bye, while their rivals Berry did them a favour by knocking over Kiama.
The Sharks are currently six points clear of the Jets in second place, but captain coach Ben Wellington is hoping they can start to catch them with a win this weekend.
“We’re going to keep playing and try to win every game and if we do that, we could catch them,” Wellington said.
“We’ve got a pretty tough run home, but if we win the majority of our games and they drop a few, then it’s possible,” he added.
While Warilla and Shellharbour have built a lead at the top, there is only three points between the third-placed Jets and Jamberoo, who are in seventh, so Wellington knows all wins are crucial with the competition being so close.
If they needed any more motivation to continue their winning ways, they need only to look at the last time they played the Sharks.
It is a game Wellington definitely feels they should have won.
“We fell at the last hurdle last time, but we’re very keen to square things up,” he said.
“We’re on a bit of a roll and we’ve got momentum behind us.
“We just need to keep doing the little things right and the points will come.”
Wellington is hoping they have not lost any momentum after having the week off, but on the plus side, they will get Steve Brandon back from injury, while lock Mat Rouen has pulled up well after returning against Kiama.
So far, Warilla are the only team that has managed to beat the Sharks, but Wellington is confident they can do the job with a strong defensive effort.
“Our against is really high, but we’ve got the best attack in the comp, so it balances out a bit,” he said.
“I’m not worried about being able to score points but we’ve got to not let easy tries in.
“Games can be won or lost with a little lapse in concentration, but if we can stay focused and complete our sets, I reckon we’re a good chance.”
