GROUP Three coach Phil Trembath indicated he will be stepping down from the position after his side downed Group Two 36-34 in the game played at the Jack Neal Oval.
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"No, I don't think so. I think three years is enough,'' Trembath replied when asked whether he's apply for the job in 2017.
He's steered Group Three to three successive wins against the northern combination.
"It was too close for comfort,'' Trembath said of the game.
"A draw probably would have been a good result.''
Trembath correctly called that the two groups would get a reasonably even number of players in the North Coast side. Group Three finally gained 10 places and Group Two eight.
"I thought we were all over them at one point. But in the end we weren't dominant.''
He admitted the try scored by Group Two after the halftime siren was a 'coach killer.'
"That hurt,'' he said.
"That's the difference between putting a side away and keeping them in the contest. And that's what we did - kept them in the contest because of that play.
"They had nothing to lose and they threw caution to the wind and that's what happenend.
"But if you have a look at the results from the last three years, there's nothing much between the groups.
Winger Aden Avery from Taree City was a late withdrawal from the side with injury.
"That made us light-on for backs and that changed things around a bit. We had to put Tom Dooker there and he's not normally a winger. But when you're dealt those cards you just have to play them.''
Group Three led 24-18 at halftime but as Trembath said the score was 24-10 when the siren sounded. Group Two narrowed the advantage to 24-14 when a sweeping play from Group Two resulted in centre Shayde Perham scoring after a kick to narrow the gap to 10 points.
The second half was a see-sawing affair, as if often the case in these matches. In the end Group Two had a chance to level the scores on fulltime however impressive halfback Lachlan Miller missed the conversion.
The Port Macquarie Sharks combinations worked strongly in the forwards for Group Three with second rower Matt Shipway outstanding.
Wingham hooker Mitch Collins started off the bench but saw plenty of game time, playing on the wing at one stage. He must have gone close to gaining a North Coast jumper.
Perhaps it was because a number of players were selected out of position, but Group Three's backs seemed to struggle for cohesion. Group Two gained the majority of backline places in the Coastal squad.
