Forbes Magpies coach Cameron Greenhalgh chasing improvement against Orange Hawks

The Magpies finished outside the top three in the regular season on each occasion but the hit the finals like a freight train and ultimately claimed the competition's biggest prize.

As special as those moments were, it's not something Forbes coach Cameron Greenhalgh wants to repeat in this year's Peter McDonald Premiership as he's eyeing a top two spot in the Group 11 pool.

"I mentioned that last night (at training). First spot is out of reach now but I really want top two," Greenhalgh said.

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Forbes had been second behind runaway leaders Dubbo CYMS in the Group 11 pool but were leapfrogged by Macquarie after a disappointing 22-16 loss to the Raiders last weekend.

The Magpies now sit one point behind the Raiders while fierce rivals Parkes is just a further point back in fourth heading into an intriguing final three rounds of the regular season.

Finishing in the top two would ensure a second chance at finals time and would likely set-up a trip to either Mudgee or Orange CYMS in week one of finals.

Greenhalgh's troops are at home in each of the final rounds. A clash with the in-form Orange Hawks on Sunday is followed by a derby battle with Parkes and then a meeting with Nyngan in the last round before finals.

"We probably need to win all three of them and that's not out of our reach," Greenhalgh said.

"Maybe we then have to play those sides during semi-finals football but if we finish second I've got no dramas at all with going to play Mudgee in Mudgee.

"That's the sort of thing we look forward to, that challenge."

Greenhalgh admitted that challenge might not have been there enough for his players at Apex Oval last weekend and some complacency slipped in during the loss to the Raiders.

Inconsistent patches, something that has plagued the Magpies this season, proved costly last weekend while the sin-binning of Mitch Andrews and injuries for the NSW Country star and fellow influential Magpie Jake Grace were also factors in the match.

Thankfully for Greenhalgh and Magpies fans, both Andrews and Grace have been named to start against a Hawks side which has won each of its past two games.

Hawks, captained by former Parkes captain-coach Alex Prout, remain outside of the top four in Group 10 but have found form at the right time and have defeated contenders Spacemen and Orange CYMS in the past two rounds.

"We've got to improve on a lot of things," Greenhalgh said.

"Last weekend was disappointing from a coach's point of view and the boys know that. We could have put Macquarie away and we tried to be too flashy and lost our discipline and went away from what we were doing in a lot of areas.

"We've done a lot of homework on Hawks and we know it won't be easy but we've got to be better."

The coach highlighted Prout as one of the biggest dangers his side has to deal with, as the hooker has continually got his side on the front foot with his running game from dummyhalf.

"I think he was the difference against Orange CYMS last week so if we can control the ruck and not let them have a quick play-the-ball then maybe we nullify him a bit," Greenhalgh said.

"They've got some good go-forward and they finish well so we need to be right on to match them."

Forbes will be without suspended winger Apolosi Tuiloma for Sunday's match, with winger Coopa Martin shifting out wide and Alvin Maungatti earning a spot in the centres.

Sunday's first grade match kicks off at 2.30pm.