Colts have dominated both the Friday and Saturday formats this season but Shepherd feels his side can bring home the silverware.

"I think we're confident, but we know how good they are. I think everyone knows that we can do it but they are a very good team we are playing against," he said.

This season's competition has brought a change from previous seasons with points from the T20 games being added to the Whitney Cup table, in an attempt to raise the standard of the competition.

It hurt Macquarie, who only won one match, but Rugby have surprised some by their form in the Twenty20 competition, with Shepherd being vital to his side's success.

"I think we do, particularly through the round games, bowl very well and we've bowled very well defensively keeping teams to 80 or 90 runs has been quite handy," he said.

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Rugby have knocked off Souths, Macquarie and CYMS and had a washout ruin their match against Newtown before being comfortably beaten by RSL Colts in their final round game.

Shepherd feels starting the T20 season off in-form has led to good performances on Friday's and Saturday's.

"We just sort of started the competition in a winning form and in the Saturday comp and sort of just ran through them and had plenty of confidence playing night cricket," he said.

Shepherd has emerged as one of the leading bowlers in the RSL Whitney Cup this season, while also captaining Dubbo's Brewery Shield side on several occasions in only his first full season in the competition.

Taking 28 wickets at an average of 18, the 17-year-old left-armed Shepherd is right in the mix to finish in the top three wicket-takers this season.

"Yeah good, I'm sort of just ready for the challenge against Colts. They are the best team in the comp at the moment and being undefeated it would be good to take some wickets and keep that going and get the team over the line," he said of his own performances this season.

Shepherd will need to take plenty of wickets if Rugby are to contain the RSL Colts batting line-up which features the likes of Mitch Bower, Marty Jeffrey and Chris Morton.

Last weekend was a special one for the Shepherd family, as Rugby veteran and father Glenn captained both Lawson and younger brother Dugald in their first grade match against RSL Colts.

"Yeah it's pretty good, you get the experience that Dad has had for certainly many years and to play with your brother and your dad in a game is pretty special." he said.

Last time the two sides met, it was RSL Colts pace bowler Ben Semmler who was the stand-out taking 3/10 from his four overs, in which he removed Aidan Bennewith, Ben Wheeler and Roland O'Connor.

Wheeler has yet to fire in the T20 format this season and Friday night's match could be the perfect chance for the aggressive opener to stamp his authority on the match.

Jacob Hill and Nathan Munro both missed last weekend's match and will provide an added bonus with bat and ball for Rugby as well as a veteran presence.

Play begins at 6:30pm.

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