Bathurst Bulldogs have swept their Blowes Clothing Cup rivals so far this season but in head coach Dean Oxley's mind his troops still have more to give, he says they "haven't even played our best football yet".
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Bulldogs host Dubbo Kangaroos at Ashwood Park this Saturday with a six point buffer at the top of the table and only a single change from the side that fought back to beat Cowra last start.
Oxley's never been one to settle for anything less than the best and he's confident Bulldogs' defensive effort is close to that, but with the ball he wants more.
"Our attack structure has not been functioning as well as we would have liked. We've had to make significant change there and we've been working on an ever-evolving lineout."
Winning against all other opponents is the best way to paint a giant target on your backs, and Oxley expects the rest of the competition to fight even harder now for victories against his club.
He doesn't believe his side will be burnt out by the high-energy game they've played over the opening third of the season.
"We benefited from a good pre-season and some would say that we've spent a lot of energy at the start of the season but we've seen the dividends from that," he said.
"We got the jump on a lot of sides during the opening round but I don't believe that's going to happen in the second round. Their match fitness will improve.
"When we played Dubbo the first time they were a little bit underdone but that won't be the case this weekend. Cowra had to come from behind to beat them two weeks ago and Cowra are a very good side.
"There's a few people coming through in that Dubbo side from representative perspective and there's been some very positive comments coming out of the club."
Bulldogs won their round one game 39-16 in what Oxley deems one of the toughest trips to make in Blowes Clothing Cup.
What helps the Bulldogs immensely heading into this Saturday's game is the consistency in their lineup.
The only change will be Matthew Trapp coming into tighthead prop to replace the injured Joel Harper, with kick-off at 3.15pm.
- BATHURST BULLDOGS: 1 Aaron Booby, 2 Peter Fitzsimmons, 3 Matthew Trapp, 4 Justin Mobbs, 5 Dylan Carter, 6 Mark Donnelly, 7 Harrison Peacock, 8 Alex Weal, 9 Brad Glasson, 10 Scott Johnston, 11 Ben Sheppeard, 12 James Woolmington, 13 Will Oldham, 14 Hayden Leopold, 15 Joe Nash
WANT MORE ORANGE AND REGIONAL SPORT?
- Receive our free newsletters delivered to your inbox, as well as breaking news alerts. Sign up below ...