![Shellharbour Sharks' James Ralphs (left) and Nowra-Bomaderry Jets' Mason Harrison (right). Pictures by Adam McLean and Brian Scott. Shellharbour Sharks' James Ralphs (left) and Nowra-Bomaderry Jets' Mason Harrison (right). Pictures by Adam McLean and Brian Scott.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/157749079/d01c6292-5d3f-4650-b7fd-b48e57600808.jpg/r80_151_1938_1431_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Nowra-Bomaderry Jets and Shellharbour Sharks will play to keep their seasons alive this Saturday in the Group Seven semi-finals.
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The Jets enter the match fresh off a comeback victory over the Milton-Ulladulla Bulldogs in the elimination finals 37-30, while the Sharks dropped to the Gerringong Lions in the qualifying finals 24-10.
Both teams know what is needed to win on Saturday and have prepared strongly.
However, who will stick to their word come Saturday afternoon at Ron Costello Oval?
The Jets were able to weather the storm finding themselves down early 18-6 to the Bulldogs last Saturday, but came out in the second half absolutely on fire, scoring five unanswered tries to run away with the match.
Jets captain/coach Adam Quinlan said he was proud of the fight and resilience his side showed but said they can't afford to start the same way this week against the Sharks.
Quinlan added that urgency must be paramount.
"I was very impressed and happy with the way the boys regrouped at halftime and came out and played the way we did," he said.
"It would of been easy to get flustered and panic given the importance of the game but it showed how far we have came as a group."
![Nowra-Bomaderry Jets' Adam Quinlan with the kick. Picture by Game Face Photography. Nowra-Bomaderry Jets' Adam Quinlan with the kick. Picture by Game Face Photography.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/157749079/28c0f51a-ed1c-4a20-ad83-a76350304959.jpg/r0_52_4659_3106_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"We need to start well with plenty of energy, we spoke about it last week and didn't quite get it right which was disappointing, but we know coming up against Shellharbour if we don't sort it out the game could be over before we know it."
Quinlan said the team's morale was high at training this week and added that everyone's morale was very high knowing what was on the line come this weekend.
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"We spoke about needing to take it up a notch this week but believing in ourselves and each other like we have all year. The boys are all feeling excited," he said.
"It was the first first-grade semi final on the weekend for a lot of the team so everyone is excited to get out there and play another one."
![Nowra-Bomaderry Jets' Brayden Omoeboh in action. Picture by David Hall. Nowra-Bomaderry Jets' Brayden Omoeboh in action. Picture by David Hall.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/157749079/523e5fb9-3165-477a-aaca-1432e967a358.JPG/r0_0_3628_2419_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Shellharbour are a strong side right across the park and everyone does their bit so every player needs to be on and ready."
"However, like most weeks we will concentrate on ourselves and our own game and getting that right."
The Abed Atallah-led Sharks know they didn't mean the expectations they had for themselves last weekend against the Lions, but the side remains confident in the formula that saw them win their last 10 games of the regular season.
"We switched off at some key moments of the game late which let in some soft tries from our perspective," Atallah said.
"We also needed to throw the footy around more than what we did."
Despite last week's result the Sharks defense has been their calling card all season and something Atallah said the team and players both take a lot of pride in.
![Shellharbour Sharks player Eze Harper. Picture by Adam McLean. Shellharbour Sharks player Eze Harper. Picture by Adam McLean.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/157749079/45666eac-08fb-43b1-9853-99a1dc95c530.jpg/r0_0_4505_3003_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"It's all come from confidence in the individual players as well as the goals we've been trying to achieve, everyone is on the same page,' he said.
"That's definitely helped with everything, we just have to get ourselves right, and tap back into that defensive mindset this weekend."
Atallah looking at the Jets and their microwave attack, said that a defensive focus has never been more crucial then it is this Saturday.
"We need to make sure we are strong defensively across the whole field," he said.
"They (Jets) are a team that can score from anywhere, they showed that last week, coming back down from 18-6 down to set themselves up for a strong victory."
![The 2023 Shellharbour Sharks in a clash with the Stingrays of Shellharbour. Picture by Adam McLean. The 2023 Shellharbour Sharks in a clash with the Stingrays of Shellharbour. Picture by Adam McLean.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/157749079/9bfc4ce0-6bba-4635-921f-f8f2b4c44c26.jpg/r0_0_4686_2645_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"In our attack we need to build pressure and get to our spots where we can play some decent shape off of."
Atallah, despite it being a bounce back season for the Sharks, said it is the expectation of the club to be here at finals time, and further credited the efforts of the team all season.
"It's kind of an expectation for us to be around at this time of year, even though we've had some challenges over the last couple of years," he said.
"The guys have worked hard to give themselves the opportunity to be here, they have a second chance and now it's on them to make sure we utilize it."
The Nowra-Bomaderry Jets and Shellharbour Sharks kick off at 3pm on Saturday, September 2 at Ron Costello Oval.