But they know they will then have to take down a high-flying country juggernaut if they are to be champions of North Otago rugby again.
Old Boys, tied for second with Valley just a single point behind defending champion Kurow, play Excelsior this weekend and finish the regular season against Athletic Marist.
A place in the semifinals is guaranteed, but coach Ralph Darling would like to see some more consistency from his team.
"We’ve dropped a couple of games, and probably haven’t played as well as we should have, but then we played really well in a couple of games.
"At the moment it’s a pass mark. But we’ve got a big few weeks to come."
Old Boys last won the Citizens Shield in 2017, the end of an unbroken run of eight appearances in the final.
They don’t have huge depth — that is the reality for most clubs in small towns now — but they have plenty of talent and can be hard to stop if they get up steam.
Kelepi Funaki and Manulua Taiti never take a step back up front, and Junior Fakatoufifita and Tini Feke have dazzling skills in the open.
"We’ve just got to sort out some decision-making, and get rid of handling errors that give away momentum," Darling said.
"That’s been a bit of a feature of our season so far."
The season-ending injury to playmaker Logan Wilson had been frightening, Darling said.
"The boys were definitely a bit shell-shocked that week.
"But we’ve been to see him a few times and he’s staying really positive and recovering well, so that’s really good news."
Kurow now shaped as the team to beat with its star-studded backline, Darling acknowledged.
"They have beaten us twice this year. If we are to go all the way, it looks like we will have to knock them over at some stage."
Darling, who guides the fortunes of Old Boys alongside great mates Lemi Masoe and Tai Halalele, will develop his coaching career as an assistant with the Old Golds in the Heartland Championship.
He played 115 games for North Otago before retiring last year.
"It’s all come as a bit of a surprise but I’m really looking forward to it.
"It’s time to move to the next step, even if it’s come a bit quicker than I expected."
