Saturday.

The Nomads are sitting fifth on the TAFL ladder but two wins behind equal second-placed Tamworth Kangaroos, Gunnedah Bulldogs and Inverell Saints.

Nomads coach Brendan Meehan is hoping a few of his players passed fitness tests at training last night.

“We’ve still got a few players with niggling injuries,” Meehan said of his side.

“Hopefully they will be right.

“It’s a huge game for us, we need to win.”

He said the side is coming off a “bad week” against the Saints.

“Hopefully we can put it all together against the Roos,” he said.

“The week before that we had our opportunities against the Swans.”

Equally as desperate for success will be the Roos, who snuck into second on percentages with their big win over Muswellbrook Cats last Saturday.

TAFL publicity officer Darrell Benfield said the last time these two teams met was in Tamworth and the Nomads could have beaten the Kangaroos had they kicked straight.

“The Kangaroos have had the best possible tune up for this game with last week’s confidence building win over the Cats,” Benfield said.

“I expected the Nomads to hold off the Saints last week and win for the first time in three years, how wrong I was. Going on form you have to pick the Kangaroos, especially as they seem to have found a third option to goal through Michael Filosi. And to have Filosi and Dan Overeem kick nine goals and young Ash Cruickshank kicking five the whole Kangaroos team will be brimming with the confidence that will take them to the next step.

“The Nomads should be starting to get some of their injured and unavailable players back in the coming weeks and they should not be taken lightly at home, but what they wouldn’t do for just one more Weston Whitby. Whitby is a winner in any position on the ground and if he was fully fit he would just be that much better.

“I can’t tip against form though and am going for the Kangaroos to win by 39 points.”

In other TAFL games winless Muswellbrook Cats host competition leaders Tamworth Swans and Gunnedah Bulldogs tackle the Inverell Saints in Gunnedah.

TABLE: Tamworth Swans 24 (160.21%), Tamworth Kangaroos 20 (162.35%), Gunnedah Bulldogs 20 (142.39%), Inverell Saints 20 (141.53%), New England Nomads 12 (111.95%), Muswellbrook Cats 0 (11.47%).