Last season's grand finalists, Valleys have moved to the top of the In Safe Hands Cup ladder, sitting alongside the team they defeated last weekend, Wynnum Manly.
The Diehards prevailed over the previously undefeated Seagulls, 32-24, to level both clubs on 19 competition points; however some big scores of late by the boys in blue has them ahead on for-and-against by 80.
West Brisbane are sitting equal-third with Carina on 17, Brighton and Pine Rivers are level on 11 points to round out the top six, leaving Normanby and Bulimba fighting for a finals berth together on nine points.
The Hounds and Bulldogs must win two of their last three to have any chance of playing in October when the 10-week regular season concludes.
The match of the round without doubt is the clash between Valleys and Wests.
Both sides produced a ding-dong footy game when they last met in Round 3, with the Panthers coming from behind to take the win 32-30 after trailing 30-16 with 20 minutes remaining at Frank Lind.
This time, however; the Panthers are at Emerson Park.
Valleys have the competition's leading point-scorer, Scott Prince - who has accumulated 90 points - as well as the leading try-scorer, Jayden Corrigan.
The Diehards' Simon Brittain-Snowden returned to his best last week, scoring a double, as did Wests’ fullback Gerard McCallum.
McCullum has worn the No. 1 jersey since the inclusion of Bryce Donovan and is having a ball at the back.
All but one of the Panthers' tries in their 35-10 win over Bulimba last week came from the backs after the forwards did their job.
It will be a similar game plan from the mud and bloods as they turn to their big men to get the all-important three points.
Valleys are humming along nicely and their solid hit-out against the Seagulls last week has this fixture result almost level.
The northerners will go at each other this week as Brighton and Pine Rivers look to consolidate their place in the top six.
The matchup between Joe Bond and Cameron Cullen in the halves from both sides will be the focal point as to who will come away with the win.
Both sides have plenty of points in them, so don’t be surprised if this isn’t a high-scoring encounter as both teams have mobile try-scoring packs.
With the starting 13 almost equal in ability, it may come down to the bench and guile of coaches Adrian Rouse and Dylan Slater.
Carina will be at home to Bulimba as the two Easts-affiliated clubs come together.
The Tigers are on the hunt for more competition points as they look to put four wins in a row on the board.
Bulimba have shown they can play quality football at times, but unless they put an entire 80 minutes together out on the field, the Tigers will get away.
Carina welcome back playmaker Brayden Torpy, while the Bulldogs will call on Adam Kambouris to lead the charge.
A win is vital for both sides... it will allow Carina to stay in touch with the vitally-important top two, whilst the Bulldogs need it to keep their season alive.
The injury-ravaged Normanby Hounds will come up against an angry flock of Seagulls as they head to Kitchener Park and for the first time this season, Wynnum Manly are not at the top of the table.
Normanby president Michael Crosby will line up for the Hounds and will call on the club's spirit and bravado in a mammoth task that awaits them.
The Seagulls will put last week's loss down to a hiccup and would have been reminded of that during the week.
This is an important game for the 'Gulls as they would like top spot back.
The match of the round between Valleys and West Brisbane will be broadcast live on the Brisbane Rugby League Facebook page.
In Safe Hands Cup Round 8 fixtures
Saturday, September 12
| Time | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 3pm | Valleys Diehards v West Brisbane Panthers | Emerson Park, Grange |
| 3pm | Wynnum Manly Seagulls v Normanby Hounds | Kitchener Park, Wynnum |
| 3pm | Carina Tigers v Bulimba Bulldogs | Leo Williams Oval, Carina |
| 4pm | Pine Rivers Bears v Brighton Roosters | Mathieson Oval, Petrie |
