Kings first XV coach Hugh Perrett admitted his side was lucky to win against Riverview on Saturday. 

Despite holding on to claim a 31-26 victory over second placed Riverview, the coach said his side was disappointed with their performance in the top of the table clash. 

“It was great to win but it wasn’t a great performance so we had mixed emotions after the game,” Perrett told Rugby News. 

“It was great that the guys found a way to close out the match and get the result, but I think we were a little bit lucky on the day to be honest. 

“Riverview are a very good side and they’ll only get better so we’ll need to improve if we want to beat them again later this year.”

While Kings led for the majority of the match, they repeatedly gave Riverview opportunities to fight their way back into the fixture, according to their coach. 

After leading 19-12 at half time, two tries against the run of play in the second half set up the five point win for the home side. 

“We compounded errors and gave them too many piggy backs down the field. Riverview are a really good side who never give up and they took those opportunities,” Perrett said. 

“We had to really work for our points and then we got an intercept and scored another try off a lucky bounce. They played a lot of footy and our defence was good but our execution needs to be better. 

“We just made far too many unforced errors and we were quite fortunate to win. We’re happy with the result but I don’t think we can rely on getting as lucky as we did again this season.”

Kings are now two competition points clear of Riverview in top spot on the GPS ladder, with round four rivals Scots now in third following their first win of the season. 

“The greatest cliche in sport is to take things one game at a time but that’s what we need to do. You can’t get carried away with things in a 10-round competition,” Perrett continued. 

“Judging by the ways the boys reacted after that game, they know they need to play better and be more consistent if they want to win a premiership and hopefully we can build on that performance and be better in the back half of the season. 

“Scots will be desperate for a win. They are always quality so we’ll need to be a lot better than we were against Riverview. 

“Our boys are a super competitive bunch and their will to win got them home this week, but our execution needs to be better moving forward.”

Australian rugby’s prize signing Joseph Suaali’i spent his NRL bye week back at North Parramatta helping his former side prepare for the Riverview clash and Perrett was full of praise for the humble superstar. 

“Joey was great all week. We were a man down for training earlier in the week and he jumped straight in to help out, then he did a jersey presentation before the match. 

“His presence around the place was a real boost for the boys, he still feels right at home at Kings and he wanted to give back, which is always great to see.”

In the rounds other matches, Newington extended Joeys’ winless start to the season with a surprising 31-29 victory at Hunters Hill. 

While in Bellevue Hill, Scots claimed their first win of the season with a hard fought 38-31 over Shore.