![Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles forward Joshua Sainsbury and Nowra-Bomaderry Jets player-coach Adam Quinlan. Pictures by Sylvia Liber and Robert Peet Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles forward Joshua Sainsbury and Nowra-Bomaderry Jets player-coach Adam Quinlan. Pictures by Sylvia Liber and Robert Peet](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/kZL4qV6yTxfrWZJxKQxjSN/43fb1c81-0431-485a-b180-4534a21c712b.jpg/r0_268_3000_1957_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
At the start of the year the Albion Park Oak Flats Eagles set themselves a target of playing finals football for the first time in 12 years.
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The Eagles are firmly entrenched in the top five heading into their round 12 Group Seven rugby league stoush against the Nowra-Bomaderry Jets at Centenary Field on Sunday.
This pleases Josh White no end but the Albion Park coach said his chargers know not to get too carried away as there is still a lot of football to be played.
"We're doing well and things are going well but there's still a long way to go to achieve our goal," White said.
"Our ambition this year is to make the finals and that's what we're really focusing on. Hopefully we can keep the roll going and see how we go this weekend.
"It's been 12 years since Albion Park last made the finals.
"That's why it's been a big big emphasis for us to make the finals. Once you get there it's a different story, but we're really going to try to put a big emphasis on trying to get to the final series this season."
The fourth-placed Eagles have won five of their eight games this season and hold a six-point lead over the seventh-placed visiting Jets.
White though was expecting a tough encounter against a desperate Nowra team keen to win to keep pace of the top-five.
"It's going to be tough, every game in Group Seven is tough," he said.
"If you don't turn up to play, you can quite easily get beaten.
"Our main focus this year is turning up and doing our job every week and it's starting to work for us. The boys are starting to understand how good we can play and the proof is there that we're going all right."
White said the biggest change to the young playing-group this season was that they were starting to have belief in their abilities to match it with the competition big boys.
"We're a young side and I think we're a new side as well. We've signed a few new guys in and it took a while for us to get to this stage," he said.
"I said probably at the start of the year when we played the Gerringongs and Warillas and all those sort of teams, we were close but not close enough.
"And I think now we're starting to realise how good we can be.
"But in saying that there's a long way to go too, we can't just count our chickens down thinking we've made it.
"The good thing is we are improving every week. We need to continue improving against a very good Nowra side."
White is banking on his gun forward Joshua Sainsbury to lead the way against the Jets, just as he has done throughout the season.
"He's inspirational. I've had a lot to do with Sains. I was at Wests when he was there and he was unbelievable. He just leads from the front and lets his actions speak louder than words," he said.
"But when he does talk, everyone listens. It's great to have him in the side. He is a leader on the field and off the field. He's a great club man."
Meantime round 12 kicks on Saturday with the Stingrays looking to get their season back on track with a win over defending champions Gerringong Lions at Michael Cronin Oval.
Also on Saturday sees the heavyweight clash between the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs and Warilla Lake South Gorillas at Bill Andriske Oval.
The following day the unbeaten Shellharbour Sharks will look to record their 10th win on the trot when the Jamberoo Superoos visit Ron Costello Oval.