Old Collegians has had to take a different path in its premiership quest in 2018.
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The past two seasons the Warriors have finished the season on top of the ladder and had the first week of the finals off.
This season they finished second and have had to keep playing from the qualifying final right up to Saturday’s preliminary final against Kolora-Noorat.
Daryl Beechy, the former coach and current captain, said he did not necessarily see it as a bad thing.
"The week off definitely would have been nice, but we didn't get it so we can't be too worried about it and we just need to do what we need to do.
"This year we have had to work harder and I think it has put us in a good position as we have had a couple of gutsy wins which have built belief in the group.
“A couple of those have been come-from-behind wins and that have come from resilience and shown real grit and determination.”
The Warriors will be hoping the end of their path is different as well after stumbling at the final hurdle for the past two seasons.
Beechey said the hurt from two consecutive grand final losses had the fire burning inside, but that grand final talk was premature.
"It is a big factor in motivation of the playing group," he said.
"But it hasn’t been focused on and we're sort of not looking too far ahead because there is no point worrying about the premiership cup if you are not in the grand final.
"This week is do-or-die so if we don't get the job done it all over and we are just dealing with what is in front of us."