Before their first round meeting against Gunnedah, it was looking all pretty smooth sailing for the Pirates women's side.
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The defending premiers had put on over 50 points in three of their games, their only hiccup being a forfeit to Moree.
But then in consecutive games they were beaten by the Red Devils and Narrabri.
Both losses were only narrow but were a bit of a reality check.
On Saturday they avenged the first, handing the Red Devils their first loss for the season 37-24.
Tyanna Kerr continued her sublime form, following her last game four-try haul with five of the home side's seven tries.
"Ty's just a natural," coach Jess Middlemiss said.
"She just finds the gaps and her line speed is amazing."
Middlemiss was "over the moon" with the performance and felt they had been building to it for the last few weeks.
"They've been working really hard to get that result," she said.
"We came in with a goal to get the win and we came away with it."
She said it feels like they are back on track and it was really good to see the girls "happy and with their mojo back". The consistent byes and forfeits have led to a "low mood" at times.
As well as being a confidence boost, Middlemiss said Saturday also showed to them "what they actually can do and their abilities" and "that when they all support one another, it all pays off individually and as a team."
She felt having faced the Red Devils already this season did help in turning the result around, particularly the newer players in the side this season. They knew what to expect and were able to handle it better.
The win has given them a mathematical chance of finishing second but they need results to go their way. They need to beat the Blue Boars this coming weekend and then hope the Red Devils can then get over them in the final round.
It won't be an easy task out at Narrabri with the Blue Boars in ominous form in recent weeks.
They had a 94-nil win over Inverell on Saturday with Cassidy Morley matching Kerr's effort with five tries of her own. Toni Gale also crossed for a double and kicked 10 conversions for a 30 point haul to follow her six-try 50-point effort of a few weeks ago.
With the Red Devils' loss they jumped to the top of the table.
Middlemiss said they're excited for the challenge, and spoke about needing to shut down the Blue Boars key players, such as Gale, and really just supporting one another.
Red Devils coach Matt Hannay wasn't too perturbed by the loss. They probably needed it, he said.
In the other game played on Saturday, Quirindi coach Georgia Moore pursed three tries to lift them to a 29-25 win over Scone.
