Currently boasting just two wins from 12 matches, the Mariners travel to Sydney Uni tonight to take on a team hell-bent on breaking into the top four.

They sit four points clear of Granville in sixth but three points and goal difference behind fourth-placed Rydalmere and will be licking their lips at the prospect of the out-of-form Western team.

But the lure of survival is enough to give the Mariners a chance of an upset according to one of their shining lights this season.

Young gun Jeremy Judge, who only turned 19 in April and by all rights could be focused on helping the club's under 20s outfit, admits that the year has been frustrating. 

"It has been tough, it makes it worse knowing that we have the talent there to beat the good sides but some of the selection issues we've had with players unavailable every few weeks have made things hard," Judge explained.

"It seems as though we play really well against the good sides but still find a way to let it slip, the first time we played Sydney Uni was a good example.

"We had a lead and still lost 4-3.

"I am sure we can beat them this weekend but we have to be aggressive and just make sure that we don't have those silly lapses that have cost us in basically every game we've lost."

Judge, an accomplished cricketer during the summer, has had no trouble holding his own as a full-time part of the men's outfit.

He's found the back of the net three times, including once in the early-season loss to Uni, as well as last Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Granville Rage.

His fondness for a drop or two of gel in the hair before a game have made him the butt of plenty of workplace banter and he says that on a personal level, he has enjoyed 2016.

"I feel like I've played pretty well most of the time, I just like helping the boys and having some impact," he said.

"The only thing we can focus on at the moment is just trying to stay in the competition and avoid relegation. We're above Dulwich Hill at the moment and a couple of wins in first grade would make the gap more comfortable.

"The good thing for us is that at the moment we have a very young side, apart from the likes of Adam Scimone and Adam Brakenridge most of the team is about my age or maybe a couple of years older.

"If we can survive in this grade, we should improve in the coming seasons with more and more experience, so that's something that is motivating us at the moment."

Western and Sydney Uni clash from 7pm on Saturday.