BARBARIANS will tackle St Alberts for the right to play them again next week when they clash at Alcatraz on Saturday to headline a blockbuster New England final round.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The top four all play each other and with only top spot settled.
Baa Baas are in the box seat for second and will finish there if they can upset the minor premiers.
"We definitely want to get the win and get two bites of the cherry," Baa Baas coach Tom Bower said.
"Everyone's pretty excited."
He indicated they would be looking to try to implement a few different things they've been working on and feel might help them turn things around against the students, who have won both encounters so far.
"If you don't change the way you played last time you'll get the same result," Bower said.
That said, it is hard to pinpoint a weak area.
One thing he will be stressing to them is they can't afford to switch off, even for a few minutes.
"When you play Albies, especially this year, you have to play for 80 minutes," he said.
"They're a team that really takes advantage of any opportunity teams provide them with."
Getting the fundamentals right will also be important.
"We've focused a lot on the set piece and making sure that is strong and our handling is good," he said.
"We've (also) focused on trying to win the defensive battle and making sure we win that ruck possession."
They go in with a "pretty full complement" after picking up a few injuries against Glen Innes and being without a couple of players.
For Albies, with no pressure on the result, it's about nutting out their game ahead of the finals.
"It's about trying a couple of little things and settling on a few combinations and trying to be a bit more precise in what we do," Albies co-coach Tom Newsome said.
They are coming off a good win over college rivals Robb and don't really need to improve too much.
"We played very well against Robb," Newsome said.
"We need to match that and really maintain that and really just improve our execution.
"It's really just about being able to finish off."
They probably left a few points out there and were guilty of a few lapses in concentration.
"We'd like to see them maintain their effort and concentration," he said.
He expects Baa Baas to be tough in the forwards and is also wary of the strikepower they have in the backs.
Robb host Armidale in the other game at Bellevue Oval.
The Blues are only three points adrift of Baa Baas and can jump to second if Baa Baas slip up.