Kullen Beathe tragically passed away due to injuries sustained in a match against Port Macquarie Pirates in 2002.

It's now been 20 years since his passing and Heuston said the team has kept Beathe at the forefront of their minds all year.

"That's been a huge focus this year," he said. "To make sure we are remembering him and his efforts and sacrifice to our club.

"We are making sure that we take pride in our jersey for him and represent him the best we can."

Heuston said Beathe was an instrumental member of the Kempsey Cannonballs club.

"He just personified what a rugby player was; all heart and always there for his mates. We are hoping to carry those traits into the end of the season because we are doing it for him this year."

The Kempsey Cannonballs, who are currently third on the ladder, are clicking at just the right time of the season following their win against the Snappers over the weekend.

Heuston said the team's performance comes down to getting the simple things right.

"We are just making sure we are doing what we can to win," he said. "I think we will win on the back of our forwards, along with just doing the little things right to keep us on top."

Heuston said a disrupted training season made the team a little unsteady in the middle of the season, but he hopes the team is now back on track heading into the finals.

"I think in the regular season we have performed reasonable well, and it's probably indicative of our training," he said. "We unfortunately haven't had the best training season, so that's impacted how we've played on the field.

"I think we're heading in the right direction now and it's coming at a good time."

The Kempsey Cannonballs have a tough game ahead of them this week as they face the Coffs Harbour Snappers again, who will be looking to upset the Cannonballs' finals run as they bounce back from their narrow loss.