At this time of the season in some years gone by Dubbo CYMS had already all-but sealed the minor premiership.
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The Fishies may again be top of the table heading into the final three rounds of the Group 11 regular season this time around, but they haven't had it all their own way.
One slip up now could see them fall below an in-form Wellington Cowboys outfit which is hot on their heels.
That's why captain-coach Jarryn Powyer wants a renewed focus from his side here on out, starting against the Forbes Magpies at Apex Oval on Sunday.
"We really need that 100 percent effort from now on," he said.
"We've got Wellington breathing down our neck and we're the defending minor premiers so we can't afford a bad performance.
"Wellington has got the better for and against, too, so we're only one loss from losing the minor premiership so that's definitely motivating us."
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Injuries have plagued the Fishies all season but the captain-coach is "very happy" with where his side is at this point in time.
After suffering a first loss of the season at Wellington last month the men in green and white have bounced back with resounding wins over Narromine and Macquarie.
The win over the Raiders was particularly pleasing for Powyer given his side had to rally after Wade Kavanagh was sent off following a fight midway through the first half.
"The discipline has improved a lot after Wellington, outside the incident with Wade," Powyer said.
"We really could have gone two ways after that with 12 men and made it difficult for ourselves but we didn't and we wore Macquarie down.
"I think earlier in the season we'd tried to put points on straight away and we're starting to build into it now and producing 80 minute performances."
Kavanagh was suspended for two weeks following the incident, forcing Powyer to again change his side.
John Ciappara has been promoted to the starting lineup while Nick Karydis comes in for Aidan Lake on the wing, and Hayden Chapman and Kaleb Binge return to the bench.
Brad Pickering and Hamish Astill remain out with long-term knee injuries and the pair will undergo season-ending surgery in the coming weeks.
Forbes comes into the game after a win over Narromine.
Kick-off is 2.30pm.
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Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
