The Brumbies currently sit  in ninth spot with just the one win and have a tough road ahead of them.

After hosting fourth-placed Gunnedah tomorrow, they’ve got Walcha, Moree and Pirates.

They had come into the season with high hopes after taking out the Tier 2 competition last year.

“The plan was to build on last year,” Kent said.

But that hasn’t quite happened.

Retirements and departures have left them with only three or four from last year’s successful side.

“It’s been a case of starting afresh,” Kent said.

And that takes time.

The positive is that the players who are stepping up aren’t necessarily the star players.

Like breakaway Paul McTaggart.

He was their best against Tamworth last week and has been most of the season.

Last year he played in the grand final with second grade.

They did make some steps forward against the Magpies.

Their defence markedly improved, although they’ve still got some work to do on their first-up tackles, and their physicality was also a lot better.

“What we have to work on going forward is our kick-chase and our get-out clauses out of our 22 and our half,” Kent said.

“At times we looked a little lost there.”

It made it hard to release the pressure.

They will be without inspirational skipper Martin Feehan tomorrow. He’s gone back to Ireland for a few weeks.

“That’s going to be a big loss,” Kent said. “Mert (Feehan)  is just a toiler.”

The Red Devils will be on their own mission at Scone.

While they are ensconced in the five, staying there depends on them winning.

“In the scheme of things, this Saturday becomes remarkably important for our season,” Red Devils co-coach Tim Walsh said.

“If we lose Saturday we’ll be on the back foot to make the top five.”

They will also be looking to bounce back after going down to Barraba last week.

“The first 20 we probably played as well as we have all season,” Walsh said.

“Then the wheels fell off.”

He said  it highlighted their lack of fitness.

It’s endemic of their attitude overall.

“We’re not where we should be and fitness is a part of it,” Walsh said.

“We need to improve our attitude at training, to the game and to what we do on the field.”

He is hoping Keegan Loughrey is right after a couple of false starts from his injury return.

Lance Martin should also be back.

In other games tomorrow, Tamworth heads out to Narrabri, Moree to Quirindi, Pirates are at home to Inverell and Barraba and Walcha clash in a battle of the Rams at Barraba.