Kiama made it five wins in a row in Illawarra rugby over the weekend, defeating Camden with a dominant 41-25 victory at home.

After climbing to the top of the ladder last week, Kiama knew they needed to reinforce their position with a strong showing against third-placed Camden.

Kiama forward Dante Patrick said the team struggled to find their rhythm early.

“It was a tough game to get into from the start. They threw quite a bit at us and, as I’ve said the past few weeks, we’ve really been working on our defence,” he said.

“We weathered the storm and once we started getting a bit more ball to play with, it was quite a pretty thing to watch.”

Despite the commanding win, Patrick noted the team was still disappointed to have conceded 25 points - most of them late in the second half.

“We started to lack a little bit of discipline, gave away back-to-back penalties, and a couple of turnovers that really let Camden get a few last-minute points to scare us a little bit,” he said.

With five consecutive wins against top teams, Kiama remain firmly atop the competition ladder. But Patrick said the team won’t be getting ahead of themselves.

“We let in 25 points on the weekend, and for a team that's trying to maintain a high standard, we want to bring that number down. That’s what keeps us hungry and ensures we don’t get complacent about where we are,” he said.

As a reflection of their impressive season so far, two Kiama players have been selected to represent NSW Country. Lock Jack Hobbs has been picked for the Open side, while prop Isaac Kaunicaramaki will represent the under-20s Colts.

“It’s very well deserved. It's a big achievement, and it’s great to see one player in each side. The whole team is behind them - I think the whole town of Kiama is behind them,” said Patrick.

Next week, Kiama travel to the Highlands to face sixth-placed Bowral. Patrick expects a tough contest, especially with the added challenge of playing away in cold conditions.

“They've got a young team with a few Illawarra representative players as well. So it’ll be a really good clash, and if we don't give them the respect they deserve, they could do a number on us. We’ve just got to get our prep right,” he said.