The Katherine Camels have ended the regular season on a high after beating the first placed Ngukurr Bulldogs 66-60 on Friday night.
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The win means the Camels have won seven of their past eight games in the Big Rivers Football League (BRFL) as they look to make a deep run in to this year's finals series.
Katherine Camels coach Mark Tyrell said they looked to keep the game to a low score.
"We tried to put more pressure on the Ngukurr boys who've got amazing foot skills if you don't try and put pressure on them," he said.
"We thought if we could make a low scoring game, it would bring us into it."
The Camels have finished the regular season in third place as they look to gear up for the first round of finals August 26.
The win was the Camels' first against a team placed higher than them with Tyrell noting that confidence was building amongst the squad.
"I guess that's really important this time of year for the guys to start seeing that they can match it with those top two teams that have been there all year."
Eli Horrocks was on form for the Camels, sneaking in a tight goal from the boundary line while Nathan Brewster reached a personal milestone playing in his 200th senior game.
Ricky Walsh was also in fine form, putting in a notable performance. Walsh was later recognised over the weekend for his standout performances this season, winning the BRFL's 2022 Doug Kelly Medal.
Tyrell was full of praise for the Victorian, who's medal victory capped off a fantastic debut season for the Camels.
"A lot of guys come to Darwin and Katherine from down south and really struggle with the speed of the game, but he adapted to it really quickly and I think that's why he's had such a good year," Tyrell said.
Josh Carlin was also recognised over the weekend, winning the BRFL Co-Leading Goalkicker honours after kicking 57 goals for the Camels this season.
The Camels will now turn their attention to their finals clash in two weeks time against the Katherine South Crocs.
Tyrell said he was wary of ability that the Crocs have, but said his side will continue their preparation as per usual.
"They've been saying all year that their best team is going to be when it matters most, so we're looking forward to seeing what they'll roll out," he said.
"For us, we'll just continue what we've been doing which is refining how we're playing and just getting it perfect for the right time of year."
