With one win from 13 rounds it has been a tough campaign for CSU and things are not likely to get an easier on Saturday when the students travel to Parkes to take on the Boars.

But Hatch knows finding positives over the remaining five rounds is important as CSU looks to lay the foundation for future success.

The coach was able to find some last Saturday when CSU managed to score 26 points against top-three outfit the Dubbo Kangaroos, and he wants his men to show that attacking intent once more.

“We want to end the season on a positive and I think we are headed in the right direction. For us it’s not so much about eliminating some of these other teams, or making a difference there, we just want to prove that we are actually capable at this level,” Hatch said.

“We have been making strides and we want to go away from home and be successful.

“Our defence is something that is not holding up over 80 minutes and that’s just smaller bodies getting belted by bigger bodies for a continued time and something’s going to break.

“But from the weekend from the Dubbo ’Roos, I was absolutely pleased with the steps we are making in attack.

“So many weeks we’d been getting beat 40-10, or 40-5 or 50-5, we were just not putting those points back on which CSU always tends to do, but now we are finally starting to get the points on the board. We lost 52-26, but it’s those 26 points I’m happy with.

“They just held the ball better, we ran the ball better and took better options – the things I’ve been saying since day dot we are actually starting to do, unfortunately it’s 15 weeks too late.”

Hatch will be forced to make one change to last Saturday’s starting line-up, with hooker Anthony Nougher ruled out with a broken jaw.

He is not the first member of the squad to have suffered a season-ending injury, but Hatch refuses to use injury, stretched player resources and the smaller stature of his side’s forward pack as an excuse for not sitting higher up the ladder.

“There’s obviously a lot of things we can blame things on, but I’m not about to start that,” he said.

“If we want to move forward and we want to get better, those are the things we have to deal with.”

As for what sort of line up the Boars will field against his side this Saturday, Hatch is unsure.

Parkes is still in contention for a spot in the finals, currently trailing fifth-placed Orange City by two points. But the Boars’ form has been inconsistent – its results include a 101-0 defeat at the hands of Orange Emus and surviving a scare against CSU when holding on to win 33-22.

“I don’t know what to expect to be honest. Parkes at home are going to be a completely different breed, so we are going to expect a very tough game,” Hatch said.

“They’re sitting in the middle of the table and still a chance to make the finals, so we’re expecting that they’re going to be up, but to be honest, I’m just not sure.

“They’ve got a couple of New South Wales Country boys in amongst them, a couple of ex-Country boys, so they’ve got the capabilities to be a very good side.”