As a regional club without the resources of the bigger clubs you always expect to face certain challenges but – with the group we have – a lack of team chemistry was not something I anticipated.

In reality it’s been our biggest hurdle. I’ve certainly placed myself under the microscope because building good chemistry is something I’ve always prided myself on as a coach.

What’s been most baffling is that it has nothing to do with the guys character. Character is something I recruit on and this is one of the best groups I’ve ever had.

It took us too long to click on the floor, there’s no doubt about that, but that character is what leaves me confident we can reach the playoffs.

We’ve had some big losses that could still come back to haunt us but, if we had a team full egomaniacs, they would have destroyed us. That hasn’t been the case for us.

I think our loss to Perth last week illustrated that. We didn’t get the win, but the performance was character-revealing. We’d played in a sauna a few days before and then had to travel over there.

If we were looking for the easy out we’d have taken that exit and copped a hiding. Instead we did more than just fight hard, we went really close to winning it.

We were coming home over the top of them and guys like Terrico White and Bryce Cotton made some huge plays. There were some really questionable calls thrown into the mix there as well. It’s Perth, that happens.

What was pleasing is that, afterwards, I saw a group that wasn’t relieved to be getting out of there – they wanted another crack at them.

The guys have stayed together, they haven’t quit, they’ve chipped away alongside each other, and that’s why we’re still here with a chance at the post-season.

As it stands, we’ve got some work to do to earn that. We’ve been saying ‘this game’s must-win’ for weeks but it’s literally the case for us and for Brisbane on Thursday. 

The playoffs have come early for both of us. We can’t afford to play the percentages because our percentage sucks. Winning is the only option for us. If we do that we can really roll into those last two games against New Zealand.

It’s going to very tough to make the finals. We know that but, I don’t give a rat’s who else believes it, when we get it right we’re one of the best teams in the league. 

We’ve won four of last six. If we win these last three, which we need to do to get there, we can go into the finals on a 7-2 run. We’d go in as one of the form teams. 

We’ve got a chance to not just reach the playoffs, but really rattle the cage if we do.