For all of the Dubbo Rhinos' improvements this year the side is still yet to score that big win that makes the rest of the New Holland Agriculture Cup sit up and take notice.
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There's been a lot to like about the Rhinos this season as the structure and discipline has vastly improved under coach Doug Sandry, earning praise from supporters and rivals alike.
But the side still sits fourth on the ladder with just the two wins to its name.
On Saturday, Sandry and his troops head to Parkes to take on the unbeaten Boars but they're making the trip in a positive state of mind.
"I'm really confident that if we hold our line of defence and we tackle well and control the ball we can put in a really strong performance over in Parkes," Sandry said.
"I see it as a game we can win. The reason we can win is we got so close to them here in Dubbo (earlier in the season). It was 10-all with eight minutes to go and we turned over some ball and they ran 80m.
"We've spoken about what we need to do and it could be a free hit, we could go and sneak a win, but I'm quite confident we'll perform well and be hard to beat."
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All sides are coming off the long weekend general bye and it came at a good time for the Rhinos as the likes of key men Nash Forgione and Dale Smith were able to recover from niggling injuries.
Prior to that bye the Rhinos had produced the best defensive effort of the season to down the Narromine Gorillas 8-5 in what a crucial win.
"We're really, really stoked after that defensive effort against Narromine. If we do that against Parkes they're not coming through and we're confident we can hold them out," Sandry said.
"Our forward is really confident and they're playing with a great deal of intensity and that's spreading right across the paddock."
As positive as Sandry feels he's all too aware Parkes is unbeaten for a reason.
The Boars have produced some electric attacking displays this season and if the Rhinos fall away from their structure the hosts will capitalise, with fullback Semi Navatu especially dangerous from broken play.
Shutting him down and maintaining a strong level of performance in defence is the key for the Dubbo side as they have one more bye next week before playing three of their final four regular season games at home.
"We don't want to be peaking now but we want to start to in the next three or four weeks," Sandry said.
"This is where we need to start peaking so we really need to turn it on this weekend and start focusing forward."
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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.
