The team will take on the Picton Magpies in a make or break game on the weekend. 

Both teams will compete for a spot in the Southern Highlands Shield competition finals.

Shield side captain/coach Aaron de Jagger said the team was ready for a knock-out semi-final. “Picton is a good, young team. They’ll be tough to beat,” de Jagger said. “We beat them the last time we played them, so we’ll take confidence from that.”

Coming out with a win would mean a lot to the Shield side. “It’ll be a big thrill,” de Jagger said. 

“We started off slow, but we’ve come good.”

Meanwhile the Cup side claimed a 24-18 win against the Narellan Jets at Mittagong Sportsground on August 20.

Spuddies Cup captain/coach Aaron Ditton said the team’s performance in the first half put them in good stead for the rest of the game. “It started off as a good contest, we were playing some good footy,” Ditton said.

“We had a few tries, which was pleasing. It to us to a lead [at half-time], which I was happy with.”

Players to watch on the field included Elijah Pearsall and Christopher Barton.

Ditton said the team was not overconfident ahead of the next game. “We dropped off in the second half after losing a few tries,” he said. “We didn’t play badly but we need to improve.”

Injuries plagued several players including Griffin Turner, Paul Briggs, James Gartside and Matt Hammond.

“We lost a couple of key players with injuries,” Ditton said. “It’s better to be safe than sorry. We have big games coming up, and we want to save the key players.”

Ditton said the team had several key areas of focus ahead of the finals, including ball work and completing sets.

“We need to work on a few things,” he said. 

“Coming into the semi-finals, hopefully we come up with some good results. 

“I’d like a win, but I hope we just play some good footy.”

The Shield side will play at Sid Sharpe Memorial Oval, Oakdale at 12.15pm on August 26.

Meanwhile the Cup side will take on the Narellan Jets at Mittagong Sportsground at 4.30pm on September 2.