The business end of the Hostplus Cup is in full swing, with two competition points being worth their weight in gold for the Redcliffe Dolphins and Sunshine Coast Falcons.
The fifth-placed Falcons will host the sixth-placed Dolphins at Sunshine Coast Stadium this Saturday evening, as both sides look to secure their place in this year’s finals series.
The Dolphins enter this bout fresh off a heavy loss at the hands of the Bears, having failed to maintain scoreboard or territorial pressure against their opponents.
The Dolphins have promoted in-form BRL playmaker William Boland into five-eighth, as Dantoray Lui moves to halfback to accommodate the absence of star halfback Joshua James.
A lacklustre run of form has put them at risk of missing the top eight, pending a strong finish from the Brisbane Tigers and / or the Souths Logan Magpies.
Only three points removed from 9th position, the Dolphins can seldom afford a loss in their final three matches.
The Sunshine Coast Falcons' red-hot form has gone somewhat under the radar, winning four of their last five matches and sitting only one win away from the top four.
Star half Jonah Pezet’s return to the NRL stands as the biggest hurdle for the Falcons to overcome, though their recent victory against the Capras is a positive sign that they can win without Pezet.
Luckily for the Falcons, they still have Melbourne Storm enforcer Nelson Asofa-Solomona on board, providing them immense go forward through the middle.
Asofa-Solomona’s deadly partnership with Lazarus Vaalepu has left teams unable to stem the flow of Falcons’ metres, and this will no doubt be at the forefront of the Dolphins’ mind this Saturday evening.
Catch all the action from Saturday’s blockbuster clash live and exclusive on Qplus.tv.
