Braidwood's 35-7 victory over the last-placed Sharks was simple enough, but more important to assistant coach Nick Kemp was the spirit in which the game was played.

"The team played well, we were quite short with a few players out injured or with other commitments," Kemp said.

"It was played down at Tilba, so it was a beautiful setting. The Bermagui guys put on a pretty good effort for their last game of the season. It was played in good spirits, a good game of country rugby and enjoyed by all."

After the team's picturesque outing last Saturday, the Redbacks now have a much more daunting challenge in the top-ranked and still-unbeaten Bungendore Mudchooks.

With 11 wins for the year, the Mudchooks have positioned themselves as competition favourites. However, Braidwood will have the home ground advantage this Saturday and, if able to field its best side, Kemp believes they are in with a shot at victory.

"Bungendore is a big, mobile team, so they run hard and we've got to be smart about how we defend and take our time with attacking plays," he said.

"We need to build throughout the game. We've certainly got the defensive team to stop them, and we've got lots of attack across the park, it's just about being patient."

The last two years have seen a sharp change in the fortunes of the Redbacks.

After struggling in their first three seasons since the club reformed, they defied all expectations to make the semi-finals in 2020. In 2021, they currently sit fourth on the South Coast Monaro ladder, and have consistently challenged all three of the sides above them throughout the year.

The reason for Braidwood's improvement, Kemp said, was the investment the club made early in keeping a solid core of regular players.

"This year, we were pretty confident we had the basis of a good squad," he said.

"It's hard because you just don't know how many repeat players you're going to get, but we've got a pretty strong core group of players, so if you can hold that group together for a few years and build connections, then your chances get better each year of putting in a solid performance all season."

The Braidwood Redbacks will take on the Bungendore Mudchooks at the Braidwood Recreation Grounds this Saturday, July 31, from 2.30pm.