Portland's Tom Sharp appreciates the test playing a team like Koroit offers for his emergent group.
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The clubs meet for a top-two showdown on Saturday, with the former coach, 29, absolute on the fact the unbeaten Tigers had limited room for errors against the Saints.
"It's going to be crucial," Sharp said of a four-quarter performance. "A side like Koroit is going to make you hurt if you lapse throughout the game.
"We've played some good footy but we haven't had, besides the North Warrnambool game, too many games we've been on every minute of the game.
"(Koroit) can score quickly and have great depth across the board.
"That's what it will come down to, if we can bring our best footy for 120 minutes."
Sharp said he and his teammates were excited by the challenge of playing the powerhouse.
"Why wouldn't you be," he said. "The feeling around the club is the best it's been in a long time, and wins do that, so you're like what's next? You play sport to challenge yourself. What better challenge than a team that's been right up the top of the table for a multitude of years."
Already beating two of the top five teams in North Warrnambool and Warrnmabool, the next fortnight should give Portland a strong indication of where it now stands, with South Warrnambool to follow Koroit.
"Since we've been in Hampden, I think the stat was we hadn't won five games in a row, so to win seven is fantastic," Sharp said. "Holty (coach Jarrod Holt) said to us, that that's where he thought we were, that we consider ourselves as a top side going into the season. So we just had to play like it.
"To back up with a couple of good wins against those top five sides gives us confidence that we're on the right path and doing the right things."
Portland's latest win against Terang Mortlake was a grind but a quarter of dominance from its midfield group was the difference.
"With the likes of Lachie Huppatz coming into the side, Daniel Jackson's been in amazing form this year, Toby Jennings, Harry McIntyre, we've got a really strong midfield group," Sharp said. "They've been able to win plenty of the ball and get it forward, it's helped our game."
Sharp said the forward line was also feeling the best it had in his time back at Tigerland.
"The difference we're doing to previous years is trying to really stretch out that forward line and play more one-on-one footy," he said. "It seems to be working well."
A change of position for Sharp has paid dividends, lending to 35 goals in seven appearances for the goalkicker.
"I've moved to deep full forward, as opposed to previous years where I've played that centre half forward, high half forward role," he said. "We tended to get too compressed up the ground and when we moved forward we didn't have that target to kick to.
"I'm just trying to play that role and stay as deep as I can."
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