Ruapehu coach Chris Winter is really beginning to dislike the favourite's tag.
Wanting to keep his front running team's feet firmly set on the ground as Premier rugby rolls into week 12 tomorrow, especially in light of eighth-placed Utiku Old Boys pushing them so hard in Taihape last week, it cannot help to hear other coaches speaking of them in such reverent terms.
Kaierau co-coach Keith Savell, heading a team fifth on the table, has every reason to still talk confidently about a playoffs berth.
And he does - in coming games they play a Taihape team which just scraped by them 16-15 on April 20, then a Pirates side who they defeated a week later.
But that confidence just does not extend to tomorrow afternoon at the Country Club, it's about getting through it.
"I think it has to be [trying to make the playoffs] apart from Ruapehu who you have to play out of your skins and hope they come down a peg or two.
"They're on a roll and are a damn good side from 1 through to 22."
Their goal, Savell says, is to turn around some of those close losses during Round One and keep up the hunt for bonus points, as evidenced by their four tries beating Ratana 30-24 at home last Saturday.
"It was pretty free flowing, some of the defence wasn't the best.
"We've got a few injuries this week, we needed a few of the Bs last Saturday and we will again. But the backup's there."
One of those players is a special young man in Wanganui rugby.
Lock Sam Lane has started in the pack the past three weeks for Kaierau and is a standout considering he plays the game despite being completely deaf.
"He's going well, he's in the engine room a good worker who does really well considering," said Savell.
Winter meanwhileputs the praise Ruapehu had received in context "it's something you have to deal with".
Last week Utiku's determined grafting was a good lesson for a team which he says is not storing up extra strategies in training for the finals, just because current opponents' abilities may not warrant unveiling them.
"We have got a plan in place, but there's nothing [extra] as a team, so long as we stick together.
"It was definitely our ruck [against Utiku] they slowed our ruck down a bit.
"We're good, just working through a few more injuries."
If there is a goal it's continuing to improve on Ruapehu's record at the Country Club (3 wins, 11 losses, although it's much healthier in recent years), as well as bettering their 58-12 win in Ohakune two months ago.
In the other matchups, it is a very important clash at Spriggens Park between Pirates and Taihape, who fought out a 20-20 stalemate on April 13.
Ratana and Marist will both play for pride down in Ratana, while Utiku Old Boys, will host Border at Memorial Park.