With three rounds remaining in the Bundaberg Broadcasters A Grade Premiership, Waves Tigers must beat leaders Past Brothers at Salter Oval to keep their quest alive for back-to-back minor titles.
Brothers are on 19 points, three clear of Wests Panthers and Waves, with a further three points to Easts Magpies, followed by Wallaroos (8) and 2022 champions Hervey Bay Seagulls (0).
Honours are shared between the Brethren and Tigers this campaign with the former getting home 34-12 against a depleted Waves on May 6, but Brothers being without many stars in a 26-12 defeat at their hands on June 10.
Brothers are coming off a 36-8 victory over Wallaroos before last week’s bye round, while Waves disposed of Easts 28-16 with quiet achieving winger Lachlan Dullaway a match winner with three tries and two conversions for a 16-point haul.
Even though long serving champion front rower and former triple premiership winning captain Kevin Sherriff is unavailable, Brothers will field their strongest team of the season so far in the 6pm clash, with dual BRL A Grade Player of the Year Matt Craven returning from a broken hand for his first match since May 20.
Former Queensland Cup Player of the Year Pat Templeman has returned from his stint in France and will return to the side for the first time since their loss in last year’s grand final, and his cousin and club president Mat Templeman said they are up for the challenge.
But Waves coach Antonio Kaufusi also has his side firing after refreshing and recharging during the bye weekend.
“We have a host of players coming back into the team this week, and it will be great to have captain Ty Priestley and Matt Craven back,” Templeman said.
“Luke Stilinovich is able to move back to the back row which is very important - Luke has been somewhat of our Mr Fix-it this season, playing back row, lock, front row, and centre - he is just a hard-working player who gets through 80 minutes each and every week and leaves everything out on the field.
“The lads are confident that they can turn in a good performance if they just focus on their own game and start getting some cohesion together coming in to the last three games of the season.
"The results will come if we can get our one per-centers right. Things have been very difficult having so many changes each week but the positive out of that is that we have still been winning games.”
At 4.15pm, there is much at stake in the battle between Wests and Easts, with the Panthers also needing to win to stay on track for a tilt at the minor premiership, and the Magpies having to win to keep in the race for a top-three finish and a double-chance in the finals.
The score is also one-all between Wests and Easts this season, with the Magpies flying high 36-24 in their first meeting of the season on May 6, but the Panthers purring 42-28 when they last faced off on June 10.
Wests are on a six-match winning streak, while Easts have lost at three of their past four outings.
At Eskdale Park, Maryborough at 5pm, it should be a matter of by how far for Wallaroos, who are out of top three contention, against Hervey Bay after humiliating the beleaguered Seagulls 84-6 and 116-0 in their two clashes to date.
