The North Otago club has been resurgent, winning four of its six games, and finds itself sitting second in the Citizens Shield standings.
It is a remarkable turnaround for the team that has struggled for numbers and form in recent years, often being dealt the wooden spoon.
Not this year — Blues are challenging for their first title since 1997.
They showed they could produce big wins, beating Kurow 38-13 and Maheno 34-19, and ground out the tight ones, edging Athletic Marist 20-15 and Old Boys 26-22.
Top of the table Valley has been their only stumbling block, falling 27-13 in the opening round and, again, 35-17 last week.
Both games showed the importance of combinations, with Blues having more than 15 players making their premier debuts this season.
An influx of Pacific Island players have joined the club this year and have joined new head coach Dan Keno, who is back at the helm after a couple of seasons off.
"We’re certainly tracking better than what I expected.
"There’s a lot of talent, for sure, but actually pulling it together on the field is always the biggest challenge.
"They’ve certainly risen to the occasion and are performing well," Keno said.
First five Josh Phipps (58) leads the competition for points, while utility back Matia Qiolevu (6) is tied with Valley’s Sam Sturgess as the top try scorer.
Qiolevu has been an "exciting prospect" in his debut season, while Englishman Phipps — who arrived in Oamaru during lockdown in 2020 — has battled away at the club for three years and was now reaping the rewards with points.
Much of the talk has been about the new superstars, but the experience of ever-reliable captain Mat Duff was "hugely" important to guide the team.
"We talk a lot about, especially those older heads, having the ability to just control the game, and impact that decision-making process, and take the right options at the right time.
"There’s no substitute for experience especially at those games that have been a wee bit tight," Keno said.
That experience would be key tomorrow when Blues makes the trip to play Kurow at home.
The defending champions are not where they want to be at the bottom of the table — only three points separate third and sixth — but Keno knew Kurow would be working towards a good performance for next weekend’s 125th celebrations.
"We’re under no illusions that going up there they’re going to be pretty tough.
"While they probably haven’t played the way they want, they’ve got some pretty classy players, so we take nothing for granted.
"We’re also aware we still haven’t performed at our best yet. We’re got to work on our own improvement as well."
Old Boys play Valley at Whitestone Contracting Stadium and Athies are home to Maheno.
