It hasn't been the season that RSL Colts skipper Marty Jeffrey expected, with upset losses and a changing of the guard at times catching the usual competition leaders unaware at times through the first six rounds of the Whitney Cup.
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But despite that, the intensity that the shake-up has produced, and one of his side's best performances yet this season on Saturday, is giving the Colts reason to enjoy the moment.
"It certainly makes you play harder each game with anyone being able to beat anyone on any given day, but it's been good," Jeffrey said.
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Before the Colts hotly anticipated rematch with defending premiers Newtown, the captain gave his side some words of encouragement after an uneven start to the season.
Those words seemed to have the desired effect, spurring club veteran Brad Cox to an outstanding 102 and securing a well earned bonus point win for the Colts.
"We probably haven't had the start to the year that we would have liked, but we take each game as it comes," Jeffrey said.
"It's a really good win to hopefully kick start our season and get us a good run into the Christmas break, hopefully we can come back from that and keep building."
Cox, who hasn't yet found his groove this season, only going above 20 runs once in the Colts' previous matches, quieted the nay-sayers with a lengthy, controlled spree that boosted the Colts to a 237/6 total over Newtown's 158/6.
"Brad's class, he always has been, I think everyone knows that," Jeffrey said.
"A lot of people had sort of ruled him out and thought maybe he was done, he's scored a few under twenty and a couple of people thought he was going downhill, but it just shows how class he really is."
"He's a guy that could play forever in first grade and still keep scoring runs, he's just a class above."
Bede Young and Ben Semmler also stood out in Jeffrey's estimation, with both delivering the results the Colts had been looking for.
"We spoke before the game about trying to nail our plan to the ball at the top of the innings, which is something we haven't done over the first few games, we've copped it a bit at the start of our innings and it's probably lost us a few games where we've taken a few overs to really get started," Jeffrey said.
That focus, and maintaining a strong start every week, is where Jeffrey hopes to continue finding success, with a matchup with Rugby waiting in the wings, he's not ruling any result out.
"Anyone can beat anyone the way the competition's been going and Rugby knocked us over last time, so I think we have to focus on being better each and every week."
The RSL Colts will meet Rugby on December 7.