REGARDLESS of where they sit on the table or recent results, Nowra-Bomaderry Jets coach Ben Wellington is expecting a tough contest when they take on Gerringong at Michael Cronin Oval on Sunday.
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The Lions slipped out of the top five last week after their 30-22 loss to Jamberoo, but Wellington said they are not reading too much into their recent form.
“They are having a bit of a rough trot at the moment, and that’s been a bit surprising,” Wellington said.
“I’m not sure what’s going on there, maybe they’re just lacking a bit of harmony.
“But I just take that with a grain of salt, because they’re a good team.”
The Jets learned first-hand what the Lions can do when they are on their game when they were on the wrong end of a 50-20 touch up at Nowra Showground in round six.
Wellington said they have come a long way as a team since then, particularly their defensive game and they will go out with a point to prove.
“We got a bit of revenge against Shellharbour last week and I think that has really boosted the boys confidence,” he said.
“We’ve shown we have the ability to beat the top teams, we just need to minimise the lapses, defend well and the points will come,” he added.
The Jets are now in third on the ladder and while he knows playing finals football is a strong possibility, Wellington said they need to keep winning to make sure of it.
“We’re not counting our chickens, but if we can keep playing the way we are and don’t suffer any injuries, I think we can make it,” he said.
“We are in third now, but it’s important to stay there.
“I guess we’re at the stage now where you treat basically every game like it’s a finals game.
“If we do make it, we’ll want to feel like we deserve to be there and be able to say we were one of the best teams.”
The Jets clash with Shellharbour was always a close game, but they eventually managed to hold out for a 34-32 win.
Wellington said it is one of the first times they have managed to stay in the grind for the full 80 minutes and they will need to do it again against Gerringong.
“You’ve got to go into every game with the belief that you can win it, or you lose before you even take the field,” he said.
“I just want to keep that momentum and winning spirit alive.
“They boys are buzzing and can’t wait to play each weeks and that’s a pretty good feeling as a coach.
“It’s good to see we’re all gelling so well on the field and we’re good mates of it as well.”