The former Canowindra standout spent the first 18 rounds of the NSW Cup season coming off the bench, but was finally given a chance to shine in the run-on side against competition front-running Newton Jets.

The Bears went down 20-14 in that game, but Hughes retained his starting role for their round 21 victory over the Canterbury Bulldogs.

"Just consistency throughout the year has been the key. Going to all the trainings, putting in all the effort and just working on the areas that I've been trying to pick up over the past few months," he said.

"You've also got to be fortunate with injuries as well, so it's just worked out well for me that I was able to crack the starting side and I was very grateful for that."

Hughes played 44 minutes, made 21 tackles and ran for nearly 100 metres in the 30-20 win over the Bulldogs.

Following that performance, he is slated to start a third straight game when the Bears take on the Newcastle Knights on Sunday.

"It does a little bit I find," he said when asked if his mindset changes with the different role.

"When you start the game, you're setting the benchmark for your team for the rest of the game.

"You try to be a little bit more focused and really get stuck in those first ten minutes, because it's the more physical part of the game. You're really relying on your middles to set the physical standard. I've just tried to be a bit more revved up for it and just prepare myself for that."

With a five team finals structure, a top three spot will ensure a side has at least two chances in the post-season.

The Bears are currently sitting in fourth, one point behind the Bulldogs in third, but just three points ahead of the six-placed South Sydney Rabbitohs.

Hughes knows just how important these next three weeks are.

"The previous few matches, we've gone away from our game-plans a little bit, so (the Bulldogs game) on the weekend was a really good starter for us coming into finals," he added.

"We really stuck to our game-plan and it showed. We were way more dominant than the Bulldogs, pretty much the entire game.

"Coming into these final games, it shows you've really got to stick to what research the coaches do about your opponents and you've got to follow what they're saying. We need a strong home stretch now to push us into that third position so that we're in a good spot for finals."

The Bears-Knights game kicks off at 2pm and will be streamed on NSWRLTV.