"We're really proud of how the boys have stuck to the task. The goal was to make the final and win it, this game is a stepping stone, but we're under no illusions, it will be tough."
He said having a home semifinal was a big advantage.
"That obviously gives us a good chance - we like playing at home, we like playing in front of our home crowd, that's going to be a big plus for us.
"[The loss last weekend] has given us things to think about this week. Playing the same team again, we've had a good look at them and how they operate. We've worked on a few things at training and hopefully we can play a lot better than we did last week. We played well, but we were 10-0 up and we should've put the foot on the throat, but we let them back into the game and they ran over the top of us, really."
One of Judea's strengths will be their experience, Preston said.
"They've got quite a few experienced players, a lot of older players who have probably been down this path before, whereas we have some older guys but we've also got a lot of younger players.
"We're really looking forward to it, it's an exciting week."
Early in the season, Judea did not look like a side capable of making a semifinal, losing their first eight games. However, once they figured out the winning formula there was no stopping them.
Coach Dale Bigwood said the team were excited to achieve their goal of making the top four.
"Now we're looking to kick on and win it, that's the next goal. We're quietly confident against Kahukura, we've had a victory each this season and we felt they were lucky in the first round. We're looking forward to playing them again.
"[Winning last weekend] was a big confidence boost, but we're aware that there was nothing in it for them. We had to win to make the playoffs, whereas they were already through."
He wanted a stronger performance from his forward pack this weekend.
"They matched us in the set piece last week, if anything they may have dominated us, so we need to improve there. However, in broken play I felt we were stronger than them. They're forward pack and defence is very, very good.
"It will be a slight advantage to them, playing at home, they have good support. We realise we have a big challenge, but we're confident.
"We've had a tough season, taking nine weeks to get a win. It took a long time to get our team settled and confidence wasn't that high, but the second round has been good for us. We've built a lot of confidence in each other and combinations," Bigwood said.
In the other Division 1 semifinal, first-placed Ruatoki host fourth-placed Paroa.
Farmlands Co-operative Baywide Semifinals and Finals Draw
Saturday
Premier 1 semifinals
(Kickoff 2.45pm)
Te Puke Sports v Mount Maunganui Sports at Murray Salt Stadium
Te Puna v Tauranga Sports at Maramatanga Park
Premier 1 Development semifinals:
(Kickoff 1pm)
Te Puke Sports v Mount Maunganui Sports at Murray Salt Stadium
Te Puna v Tauranga Sports at Maramatanga Park
Premier 2 semifinals
(Kickoff 2.45pm)
Te Teko v Arataki at Dunderdale Park
Opōtiki v Rangiuru at Princess Street Reserve
Premier 2 Development semifinals
(Kickoff 1pm)
Ngongotahā v Te Teko at Ngongotahā Domain
Rangiuru v Opōtiki at Princess Street Reserve, Opōtiki
Division 1 semifinals
(Kickoff 2.45pm)
Ruatoki v Paroa at Tuhoe Park
Kahukura v Judea at Kuirau Park
Division 2 Final
(Kickoff 2.30pm)
Reporoa v Katikati at Reporoa
Senior Reserves semifinals
(Kickoff 1pm)
Tauranga Sports v Te Puna at Tauranga Domain
Ruatoki v Greerton Marist at Tuhoe Park
