The In Safe Hands Cup reached the halfway point of the season after last weekend's Round 5 matches were completed in blustery conditions.
Wynnum Manly remain undefeated with 15 points on top of the ladder, with Valleys and West Brisbane close behind with one loss each, both to the Seagulls.
Carina avoided a third-straight loss after defeating Brighton 30-28 to hold on to fourth place and Brighton, Normanby, Pine Rivers and Bulimba are locked together with one win apiece.
The match of the round this weekend has the third-placed Panthers hosting Carina.
The Tigers have had a tough past three weeks, recording losses against the Diehards and Seagulls, but did manage a narrow win against Brighton last Saturday.
Carina coach Jason Di Lizio reflected his relief to get the three points post game.
"We knew it was going to be tough and we are happy to come away with the win," Di Lizio said.
"Brighton are a good footy team and were hard and physical out there today."
Roosters coach Dylan Slater lamented the close defeat, saying his side made it hard for themselves.
"Unfortunately, we shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times in the first half and a key moment in the second half," Slater said.
"Hats off to Carina... they played a good game and they made us work hard.
"We got plenty of magic in our side but we just need to lay that platform first.
"In saying that, I thought we matched them up the middle."
This week isn't going to be any more relenting for Carina, up against a Panthers machine that rolled up their sleeves against Normanby last week with a massive 54-0 win.
Wests fullback Gerard McCullum had an outstanding game at the back and has been named to start there again.
After a solid first up effort in Panthers colours, Bryce Donovan has been named to replace Tommy ‘two tries’ Butterfield at hooker.
The Tigers will need to be on guard when the Panthers' demolition man Lachlan Foulds comes off the bench.
He was devastating last week and will be a handful again on Saturday.
The Tigers' saviour, Zak Taibi is the man to watch in the black and orange after scoring and converting his own try to take the win last week.
The real ‘fun’ will be up the middle as both packs look to bash the other six in the opening exchanges.
The Diehards are at home to Normanby as they look to hold on to second place on the ladder.
Liam Horne has moved into hooker to allow Jack Miers to replace Simon Brittain-Snowden in the halves with Scott Prince.
For the first time this season, both the try scoring Watene’s will line up with Joey and Nesta starting.
The Hounds gave away too many penalties and dropped the ball way too much against Wests last week, and will need to improve against the Diehards or it could be another tough afternoon for coach Luke Srama and the boys in blue.
However, captain Sam Gardel will have his pack pumped to avoid such an outcome.
Pine Rivers and Bulimba will both be looking at getting back to the basics of percentage, disciplined, mistake-free football when they come together on Saturday afternoon.
Both sides have shown glimpses of outstanding rugby league but that must be applied for the full 80 minutes.
The Bears have some serious wheels out wide with Justice Utatao and Dylan Briggs hungry for some action.
A lot has been mentioned about the mobility and work rate of their pack and that will be the key again this week for their second win.
Bulimba also have some firepower on the edges with Zac Croft headlining a backline with plenty of points on offer.
There is a lot to look forward to in this match as one of these sides search for a much-needed second win in Round 6.
In the final match this weekend, the Roosters are the talk of the competition.
Despite only having the one win, they have muscled up and pushed every one of their competitors for the full 80 minutes.
They were outstanding last week and will need to be again against the Seagulls.
The ‘flockbuster’ at Brighton this week has all the ingredients for a tight game... the match ups are endless.
For Brighton; fullback Josh Beehag, five-eight, Cameron Cullen and lock Sheldon Pitama will go up against the Seagulls' Matt Milson, Aaron Booth and Luke Bateman.
If you like your poultry well done, Brighton at 6pm is where you will get a great serving.
This match will also be broadcast live on the Brisbane Rugby League Facebook page.
In Safe Hands Cup Round 6 fixtures
Saturday, August 29
| Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 3pm | West Brisbane Panthers v Carina Tigers | Frank Lind Oval, Mitchelton |
| 3pm | Valleys Diehards v Normanby Hounds | Emerson Park, Grange |
| 4pm | Pine Rivers Bears v Bulimba Bulldogs | Mathieson Oval, Petrie |
| 6pm | Brighton Roosters v Wynnum Manly Seagulls | Jim Lawrie Oval, Brighton |
