"I know they've got a few Bay players in there but that's just more of a reason for us to step up, especially in our forward pack.
"I know we can do it, we can dominate teams at times and judging from our performance against them during the season there is no reason we can't replicate [that] this weekend.
"That was a good scalp but it was early days and they were probably trying to find their feet, but it was one of the best performances we've had all year," Savage said.
As a team that struggled to score tries off turnover ball, Whaka were working on other ways to score, he said.
"We try and build into the game, establish dominance and then score tries. We can score tries, just not at will, we just have to work hard."
Because the top of the table is so tight, Whaka were hoping to climb the table when the current top sides took points off each other.
With three games left and therefore a possible 15 points on offer, they would need other results to go their way but making the top four was not impossible.
"It is possible for us to get those 15 points, there's no reason why we can't. There's still definitely a chance for us to get in there.
"The guys know that but I want them to just focus on one game at a time."
Meanwhile, Rotoiti travel to Greerton Marist hoping to bounce back from their first loss in the Premier 1 division against Rangataua last weekend.
That result saw Rotoiti drop from first to third, while their opposition, Greerton, sit in seventh place with one win and one draw.
Rotoiti coach Willie Royal said his side had done some "soul searching" after the 27-7 loss to Rangataua.
"We've spoken about the importance of this game and that we need to get up and win to stay in contact with the top four.
"They've been training like it - they're all motivated and they're all up to win.
"It's whether we can get the game plan and the job done on the day," Royal said.
Picking up wins now would make life easier come the pointy end of the season.
"I think the table can change a lot during the next few weeks because the teams are so close together.
"If you win you stay in touch, if you lose you can drop away.
"It's better to try to stay on top and accumulate points than fall back in the pack and put yourself under pressure."
He said Greerton had "one of the biggest forward packs" in the competition.
"It's about not running into them and trying to move them around the paddock - try and go round them rather than waste energy trying to go through them.
"They have a handy backline too, especially in the centre and wing positions, so we'll have our hands full unless we can cut down their supply."
