“It all played out perfectly,” Macquarie quick Jeremy Dickson said.

“We got the right result with Souths winning so we knew when we were playing our result didn’t really matter and we could play with a bit of freedom but it was clinical.”

Dickson said it was just what his side needed before finals, bowling 40 overs and then performing well with the bat. The only negative was a dislocated thumb to Ed Haylock, which has him in doubt for next weekend’s semi-final with Souths.

James Hughes again impressed, taking 3/36, while Anthony Heraghty again chimed in and finished with 1/22 from eight.

For Rugby there was strong performances from captain Nathan Munro (62) and Chris Russo (53), who added 64 for the fourth wicket.

But it wasn’t enough as Macquarie stretched its unbeaten run to six matches.

“We’re playing some pretty good cricket and have been for six weeks,” Dickson said.

“We’re gearing up for finals but we know Souths are too.”

Dickson added another real positive for the defending premiers is the fact they know what it takes to win a premiership now and there isn’t as much pressure heading into this season’s finals.