Top spot is on the line when Swifts Bluebirds host Brothers Ipswich in Round 14 of the Rugby League Ipswich A Grade competition.
The Bluebirds have charged up the ladder into second position on the back of four straight wins and six wins in their last seven appearances.
Last week, they fended off a spirited Norths Tigers 24-20, while Brothers cruised to a 38-10 win over the Fassifern Bombers.
Jordan Elisaia was the star of the day scoring three tries, while Fine Faingaa contributed two of his own in the eight tries to two victory.
Brothers have led the competition all season and have wins in four of their last five games but will slip to second if they cannot beat Bluebirds on Sunday.
In fact, the Bluebirds are the only team in the competition Brothers have not defeated so far this season, with Swifts picking up a 28-24 win in their Round 7 clash.
That win was somewhat of an upset as Brothers were undefeated until that point, but the continued good form of the Bluebirds means the second contest is evenly matched and even more anticipated.
With the semi-finals just two months away, Sunday’s winner will take first place and a psychological edge into the back end of the season.
Also in Round 14, Northern Suburbs Ipswich Tigers look to keep their finals hope alive when they take on the West End Bulldogs.
A strong month saw them push into finals calculations, but their hopes took a blow with last week’s loss to the Bluebirds.
They will start favourites against the sixth-placed Bulldogs, but they are now five points adrift of the top four and can’t afford many more losses with time starting to slip away.
Finally, the Redbank Plains Bears take on Fassifern Bombers. Goodna & District Eagles have the bye.
Rugby League Ipswich A Grade competition Round 14
West End Bulldogs v Northern Suburbs Ipswich Tigers – Saturday, June 29 at Daniel’s Park, 5pm
Fassifern Bombers v Redbank Plains Bears – Sunday, June 30 at Hayes Oval, 3pm
Swifts Bluebirds v Brothers Ipswich – Sunday, June 30 at Swifts Rugby League Football Club, 3pm
Goodna & Districts Eagles - bye
Ladder
| Pos | Team | +/- | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brothers Ipswich | 247 | 35 |
| 2 | Swifts Bluebirds | 110 | 34 |
| 3 | Redbank Plains Bears | 52 | 32 |
| 4 | Goodna & Districts Eagles | 251 | 30 |
| 5 | Northern Suburbs Ipswich Tigers | -98 | 25 |
| 6 | West End Bulldogs | -290 | 20 |
| 7 | Fassifern Bombers | -272 | 19 |
