After finishing the regular season in third, the Jets will play in the qualifying final against the second-placed Shellharbour City Sharks at Ron Costello Oval on Sunday.

Finishing third means they cannot be knocked out in the first week and there is a second bite of the cherry if they need it.

However, it is a bridge Wellington does not want to have to cross.

“I’m not really concerned about the second bite,” he said. 

“We’ve got to play our best to get through this weekend and give ourselves a shot at going straight into the grand final. 

“This is the best opportunity we’ll get, so I’ll be I’ll be drumming it into their heads that there is no second-chance and we’ll be playing to win.”

After missing out on last year’s finals series, the Jets have been a real surprise packet this year.

At the start of the year, many of their rivals would not have tipped them to figure in the finals at all, let alone in third place.

While he always believed they were capable of making the playoffs, even Wellington himself is surprised by just how well they have fared.

“With the team we had, I always thought we had the ability, but to finish third is such a big boost to the club and the community,” he said.

“I always had the belief, but to actually see it happen is a real credit to the boys.

“All the hard work and the hours put in has paid off and the boys are all pumped up and ready to go.”

The Jets two previous clashes with the Sharks have been absolute classics and with one apiece, this weekend’s game could go either way.

“They beat us in the last couple of seconds the first time we played and last time it was a good, tough grind all game,” Wellington said.

“It was probably one of the best Group 7 games I’ve ever played in and hopefully this weekend’s game is of the same calibre,” he added.

Wellington said the game changes now the semi-finals have come around, but he has backed his side to be ready for the challenge.

“In semi-finals footy, anything can happen. You just how important it is,” he said. 

“Only a handful have played finals footy before. Guys like Geoff Johnson, Mick Blattner, myself, Matty Rouen, Nathan Falzon and Nathan Deaves have been there before, so it’s up to us to lead the young guys around.

“It might be a bit overwhelming for them at first, but once they get into it, they’ll be right and it’ll be a great experience for them.” 

While the poor weather during the week has made training difficult, Wellington said they will still be well prepared for Sunday’s clash.

“We had a good hit out against Warilla last week, even though it was a loss,” he said.

“We were always in it, we were at 24-all at one stage and it probably wasn’t until the last 10 minutes that they shut the door.

“We know what we did wrong and it’s very fixable.

“There were just a few stupid errors at a crucial time in the game, like losing a scrum, head-high tackles, basically ill-discipline.”

Wellington is confident they can get the glitches out of their game for the finals and thinks their best football is still yet to come.

“We’ve had glimpses of our best, but I think there’s room for improvement and that’s a positive thing,” he said.

“I really want to thank the community for supporting us each week.

“That’s what you play for and it would be great to see a big crowd get behind us this weekend.”