Fourteen years after making his first grade debut as a 19-year-old, Davidson is playing some of his best football and loving his role as the "old dog" among the young, enthusiastic pups of a side which could just deliver an elusive first grade title to Marcellin Park.

"I got my first, first grade cap when I was 19 and I've gone from being the youngest pup in the team to the oldest dog in the team I suppose," said Davidson who is leading voting in the Anderson Medal, the competition's best player award.

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"But just to be part of hanging out with the boys has been good and as far as form or awards you try to do your best for the boys and see how it pans out.

"It's a different perspective of playing I suppose. It's good to see most of the younger blokes are around that 20 to 23 mark and we've got a lot of depth.

"They are playing beyond their experience. They are a calm and collected group even when the chips are down they don't drop their heads."

In a rollercoaster year of great wins, followed by some inexplicable losses, Davidson's form has been one of the constants.

"Davo's been a big part of our club and team for a long time," Blacks coach Luke Cunningham said.

"He is a stand out on the field, but a lot of time you don't see a lot of the good things that he does.

"He does a lot of the ugly work, the hard work in defence, he cleans up a lot of scrappy ball and he takes a lot of those dirty carries that people don't want to take and times your team needs to get back on the front foot.

"He is a very good player to have around the club. He is one of those guys brings the team morale up. You know Davo's in the dressing room or around the team because the vibe is very high - he likes to have a joke and carry on.

"He is having a great season and getting reward. His deservedly leading the Anderson Medal at the moment which is a nice little accolade for what he is doing."

The Blacks can continue their push for a top-two finish when they host Nelson Bay in the inaugural Dempsey Gascoigne Cup on Saturday.

"I think at the beginning of every season everyone talks it up saying we'll be there in the grand final, but we've got a good shot," Davidson said.

"We have had some low points when we've missed key personnel or been off our game, but generally guys have been able to step up from reserve grade and do the job week in, week out.

"There isn't a team that's thrown something at us that we haven't been able to counter.

"The only thing we've really lost games to is when we've thrown it away because we haven't been playing as we should be. Without jinxing it or being too cocky, I'd like to think we are a good chance."

The Blacks backed up their win against Hamilton two weeks ago with a 64-5 win against Singleton in which Caileb Gerrard starred with four tries as skipper.