Werris Creek co-captain Cody Tickle has struck a confident but cautious tone ahead of the Magpies' anticipated trip to North Tamworth on Saturday.
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The clash will bring together the competition's two form sides: ladder-leaders North Tamworth are undefeated after six matches, while second-placed Werris Creek have won five straight.
The Magpies' only loss was a 54-22 home defeat to the Bears in round one.
On Saturday, Tickle and co will attempt to do what no team have done in 38 consecutive matches at Jack Woolaston Oval: beat the Bears.
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The Scott Blanch-led reigning premiers' last home loss was in round three of 2018, when West Lions beat them.
To end that remarkable sequence, Tickle said the Magpies would have to unleashed 80 minutes of excellent football.
He said: "It's gonna be a real test for us ... not just a test of our ability but more our ability to play for 80 minutes."
He added: "For us to beat them, we have to play for 80 minutes.
"The last probably four to five weeks we've been playing patchy - been playing a good 20 sets and a bad 10.
"If we turn up and play a bad 10 against a Norths side with such experience ... we'll get our bums kicked again, to be honest."
Tickle said the Magpies had "grown" since that opening round loss to Norths, when the Bears overran them in the second half.
However, he said the Creek "still have a long way to go". "We're only playing 60-70 [per cent] of our full ability," he said. "We get a few more things right, we'll give them [Norths] a red-hot crack."
