Port Fairy captain Matt Sully in good form as Seagulls eye finals

The Seagulls, a game behind fifth-placed Cobden, have won five of their last six games and will welcome reigning grand finalist North Warrnambool Eagles to Gardens Oval on Saturday.

"It started a couple of weeks ago but every game from here on out is a must-win," Sully, 30, said. "It's such a congested ladder. Terang Mortlake (last round) felt like a final and coming into this week, it's just as important. You can't really rest on your good wins."

Nevertheless, the third-year skipper is buoyed with the progress his club has made under first-year senior coach Dustin McCorkell following a winless 2022 campaign.

"It's exciting to be a part of," he said. "Especially coming from a forfeit last year where we couldn't make a team to potentially being on the brink of finals, it's really exciting."

Sully credited the Seagulls' form to several factors - a better run of injuries to the inclusion of former players and new recruits - such as ruckman Tyson Macilwain and Jett Hopper - and returning players like Jake Bartlett taking their game to new levels. All up it's making selection for spots tougher than ever.

"It's probably been a problem we haven't had in the past couple of years, with guys pushing for spots," Sully said. "There is some quality players missing out in the under 18s and reserves so it just really drives a higher standard at training and (on) game day.

"Dusty's done a great job of just bringing the group together, keeping everyone accountable and playing some enjoyable football."

Sully's form has been a highlight of the Seagulls' season, the key target playing all 14 games for 22 goals, and the inclusion of big men such as Macilwain, Bartlett and Sandy Robinson helping lighten the load on the captain's shoulders.

"Having a bloke like Sandy come back and he's been down back as well as another tall, it sort of frees me up for the coaches to put me where they see fit," he said. "It's probably been a luxury we haven't had in a while. The big fellas have proved a key part to this year, that's for sure."

The captain is also enjoying taking his leadership to new levels while highlighting the support of experienced leaders such as Kaine Mercovich, Isaac Martin and Colin Harwood.

"It makes my job pretty easy when we've got a good core of leadership-quality guys that are leading the group," he said.

The Seagulls, who used their split round bye to freshen up with fitness sessions, are looking for their first win against the Eagles since round 16 of 2019.

"North are a quality side," Sully said. "We haven't beaten them for a few years now. We have no issue coming in as the underdog. As the results have gone we've got belief in ourselves so we'll see how it goes come Saturday."

South Warrnambool and Terang Mortlake, and Cobden and Portland, make up this weekend's split round fixture.

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