It's an argument worth thinking about when you factor in that several key players will be returning from injuries and other commitments, plus they come into the new year confident after claiming outright success against Kinross.

The 2020-21 season's been a wild ride for Redbacks but they might soon find the stability they've been badly craving.

They're only five points outside of the top four and have been well supported by one of the top 10 leading run scorers in the competition, Mark Day, and the leading wicket taker, Clint Moxon.

We caught up with captain Joey Coughlan to get his outlook on the rest of the season.

Coughlan gives the Redbacks season a "pass" grade thus far, which isn't something you'd normally hear from a team who have lost four of their six matches.

But the captain's been pleased with the effort his under strength side have put in against the competition's tougher teams, and they could have been inside the top four if not for a heartbreaking one wicket loss to Centennials.

Coughlan hopes the Kinross victory marks a turnaround point.

"That outright against Kinross helped us out massively. We've had a few injuries and unavailabilities throughout the season. Ben Orme breaking his finger was a big one, and we had Mick Tobin out as he had his first child," he said.

"John Rudge went to Western Australia for four weeks and we get him back. He brings a lot of experience to the team and helps me out a lot with field settings and takes some of the weight off my shoulders."

Orme belted 71 runs in the opening round but following his finger injury in the next round he's yet to return to action. He could take to the field in the upcoming game against CYMS.

MARK Day has been shouldering far too much of the load in the Bathurst City batting lineup this season, and if a couple more players can help him out then Redbacks will start to make inroads.

A return of Orme will no doubt help in that regard and Coughlan himself, the second highest scorer from the club, has made his share of starts without going on to a major score.

Day sits 10^th in the rankings with 211 runs from seven innings.

His top knock was an unbeaten 83 runs against Centrals in round two.

But batting has been the weak spot for Redbacks.

Coughlan said consistent contributions across the board can lift the team inside the top four.

"Mark Day has picked up from where he left off last year, and has been putting some runs on the board," he said.

"Ormey put on 70 in that first game before he broke his finger. Ollie Simpson looked alright against Kinross, and so did Jacob Pepper. They just need to find that bit of confidence so they can keep their innings going past 20 or 30."

IT'S all about Clint Moxon.

You can argue that no-one else in the competition has enjoyed such a significant turnaround in form as Moxon, who stands tall as the leading wicket taker in the competition with 17 scalps.

And it's not like he's been doing the work alone, with Jarrod Urza (10 wickets at an average of eight) providing a much needed consistent performer at the opposite end.

Coughlan said Moxon has figured out how to get the most out of his bowling and the team are reaping the rewards.

"Clint Moxon has been a revelation this year. He's put in the time and effort and a change in scenery with work has helped him out. He's had a bit of extra time for training," he said.

"Getting Jarrod Urza back from CYMS has been massive. He just ties up an end for us, does a great job and doesn't try too much out of the blocks. That's an area we've struggled with over the last few seasons.

"But everyone's buying into the plans I've set now and we're reaping the results and taking our chances."

COUGHLAN believes Moxon is still ready to step it up and lead the way over the back half of the season.

After his brilliant start to the season with the ball Moxon has the chance to inspire the rest of the squad to bring plenty of energy to their field.

"Mocko has really turned it around. He's now the leading wicket taker at an average of around 12, so he's one I'll be looking to with the new ball. We've figured out how to best use him now and how to get him into the game," Coughlan said.

"Once he does that he's so hard to play. He's so tall and he backs himself.

"When we get Benny and Tobes back we'll really be able to go on with it. Having three strike bowlers is such a massive thing.

"With the bat I want the team to be a lot better than what we have been over the past year. Our top five to six really needing to be scoring the bulk of the runs to let our bowlers be able to do their job."

BOY did that outright win against Kinross inject some much needed spark into the Redbacks squad.

Before that game the finals hopes for the team were looking iffy but now there's plenty of hope as they sit within a win of the four.

With more players coming back Coughlan is confident the team can keep pace with the top four and make a run.

"It wasn't looking good there at the start. To win the comp I think you need a strong 12 to 13-man squad and we probably had nine," he said.

"We had a couple of kids like Cooper Warry and Archie Carroll come up and they've done a great job for us, but they're probably a couple of seasons off regular first grade cricket."

Coughlan believes it's handy to resume with three rounds of one-day matches as the club still tries to ascertain who will be ready in time for the first few games back.

"It's great that we come back with one day cricket because we don't have to worry about trying to swap players out and shuffle people around," he said.

"We'll be alright once we get all hands back on deck."