"We still haven't played to our potential yet and that's exciting."
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Dubbo Kangaroos captain Shaun McHugh will lead his side into Sunday's minor semi-final against the Mudgee Wombats and is well aware his side can play even better than they did last week, when they defeated the Wombats 34-24.
The Roos and Wombats meet again but the difference is this time the match is at Dubbo's No. 1 Oval and this time it's Blowes Clothing Cup finals time with the loser facing elimination.
"I've been saying it for weeks now but we've been building and we're still building, we haven't played that perfect game yet," McHugh said.
"Everyone's excited and while you play for the love of the game you want to win too."
The Roos were hugely impressive last week as they became only the second team in 2015 to win at Mudgee's Jubilee Oval.
Despite that win and the fact the Roos were one of the form teams in the competition, McHugh said there were areas his side needed to improve on, namely in attack, where patience was needed to get through the Wombats' committed defence.
"It was pleasing to beat Mudgee at Mudgee but we know we didn't play as well as we should have," McHugh said.
"We've got to play smarter, but we go into every game confident and we know our structure and our team are good enough to win.?It's just about putting that structure in place.
"A few of us older blokes need to pull rank and if things aren't working then we need to change up the attack which we didn't do enough last week, we were pretty one-dimensional."
More intensity was needed at the breakdown, according to the skipper, but his side's efforts at the scrum and lineout were two of the more pleasing aspects.
Another positive for the Roos is the fact they came through last week unscathed and rookie winger Luke Ryan was hugely impressive in his battle with Mudgee man-mountain Daniel Niumata, scoring a double.
James Mata is back from an ankle injury and his return to scrumhalf in the place of Bryce Williams is a possible change but Mata's versatility may mean he starts off the bench.
Moa Kavaefiafi is shaping as another key player for the home side after playing a starring role last week and his intimidating defence will be vital against the likes of Mudgee stars Niumata and Rota Seru.
McHugh is well aware of the power the Wombats possess and praised their strength but remains confident his side can defeat Mudgee for the third time in 2015.
"Their backs are top notch, you can't deny that, and their attack is a big thing," he said.
"Their defence is good too but like any defence it can be broken."
Sunday's main game kicks off at 3.15pm at No. 1 Oval.