Their second defeat puts extra pressure on Saturday's game against fifth-placed Charles Sturt University, who can move above North Wagga on the ladder with a win at home.

Thompson, who will be playing his 100^th first grade game with the club, retains confidence in what they're creating.

"It was disappointing to lose last week but it's pretty exciting (this season). We've lost the bulk of our core players and we've just got this really young group," Thompson said.

"The enthusiasm and the spark is there. We've just got to come prepared in the right frame of mind."

Saints believe their attitude, not taking their chances, and allowing the Jets to dominate the centre in the last quarter all combined to hurt them.

Thompson said the Jets moved the ball more cleanly in last week's conditions. But he believes the Saints can thrive under first-year coach Cayden Winter, if they back themselves.

"I think a big thing for us is we've got to live by the sword, die by the sword. We've got to always try to take the game on. When we move the ball forward, not just chip the ball around, that's when we look the best. We're going to make mistakes doing it but we've got to keep doing it," he said.

Thompson has taken his time getting to 100 senior games.

Cricket is a huge focus for the Wagga City Cats captain, who often misses the start of the footy season, and across 2016 and 2017, he primarily played reserve grade for a break from year-round intensity.

But the 27-year-old has been a Saint all his life.

"I'm stoked to play 100 first grade games there. I love my footy," he said.

"It's always been a bit of a challenge (juggling cricket commitments with playing football) but I've always like the involvement. It's a great bunch of blokes there and a good social side.

"I've played there since Auskick so I'm just happy to notch up a hundred with all my mates."

Most memorable in those 100 games, of course, is the drought-breaking premiership of 2019.

It had been a quarter-of-a-century without success for Saints, and Thompson was part of the generation of players who carried the burden of trying to end the run.

"It was special. It literally was, I reckon, about 12 years in the building, pretty much from Dowds onwards," he said, referring to Nathan Dowdle, who coached from 2013.

"He tried to get us going in the right direction as a club and learn to be really confident in what we do. It was just good to finally get it done.

"We probably should've won the flag the year before with the team we had, the names we had in there were exceptional. But we got the job done the year after. It was definitely special. It was something you hold on to."

It was a good 12 months for Thompson, who led Cats to a cricket premiership the following summer.

Perhaps, Saints will have it in them to defend the 2019 flag yet too.

"There's exciting things to come I think. The potential is there, it's just whether we turn up on the day."

Saturday at CSU could offer an indication.

The Bushpigs are also coming off their second loss, after going down at The Rock in atrocious conditions but coach Travis Cohalan isn't in despair.

"I couldn't question our effort, intensity or work-rate last week so I'm hoping we'll bring the same levels this week," Cohalan said.

"But also the conditions should be more conducive to playing a more free-flowing game of footy where we can use the ball the way we'd like to. So we'll certainly be looking to attack more this week.

"It's another big challenge this week. North Wagga are the only team that's knocked off Marrar, who are definitely the premiership favourites in my eyes, so we definitely rate them as a top three team and it's an opportunity to see where we fit."

Cohalan was rapt in Andrew Dickins' performance up forward last week, where he concentrated his time rather than in the ruck, and said the big man is likely to spend plenty of time in both roles this weekend.

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