The Wollongong Wolves may be flying at the top of the table, but coach Luke Wilkshire has declared his team can get even better in the run to the finals.
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The Wolves currently sit five points clear at the top of the NSW Men's National Premier League ladder and they will have a chance to snare a further three points when they host Sydney Olympic in Sunday afternoon's round 16 clash at WIN Stadium.
Wollongong enters the match on the back of a 4-0 victory over Sydney FC last weekend. Despite the result, Wilkshire was disappointed with his team's first-half performance and he's looking for the Wolves to produce a full 90-minute effort on Sunday.
"Obviously it was a great win last week, 4-0, but I think we can perform better," Wilkshire said. "I'm sure we'll get 90 minutes of full concentration and intensity this weekend.
"We were slow out of the gates last week, sometimes you get that when you feel the game's going to be comfortable. I'm sure coming up against Sydney Olympic, a side with a big reputation in this competition, we'll be fully focused and firing."
While Wilkshire conceded his team may have been a little bit complacent heading into last week's game, he has no such concerns for this weekend.
Sydney Olympic currently sit seventh on the ladder and have struggled to fully click this season. They are, however, the defending premiers and enter Sunday's match on the back of a 1-0 victory over Hakoah Sydney City East.
For Wilkshire, a poor start like last weekend could be costly.
"They have been a little hot and cold this season but we're worried about ourselves and our performance. We've come this far, now with seven games to go we have full concentration on winning each game."
While the Wolves could have easily dropped off after their fast start to the season, Wilkshire has made sure the side continues to improve and evolve in order to stay ahead of the chasing pack.
That improvement has seen the Wolves remain on top of the table with just two losses this season and he's confident their best remains in front of them.
For Wilkshire, one of the key pillars of the side's success is the competitive tension within the squad, with 22 players jockeying for spots in the best team in the league.
"I think we have improved and we're still looking to improve every week. If you look at the record so far, defensively and scoring goals, how the team's performing, I'm very happy with that. There's a lot of players in this squad with potential to play at a higher level.
"The intensity and hunger within the squad is phenomenal. The players know if they don't perform, there's players there pushing them everyday in training and if they lose their spot, they could be sitting on the sidelines next to me for some weeks before they get the chance to play again."
- NSW Men's NPL1
Sunday June 23 3pm: WOLLONGONG WOLVES v SYDNEY OLYMPIC at WIN Stadium
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