The Burleigh Bears will have minor premiership dreams at the front of their mind when they head north to take on the Sunshine Coast Falcons who will be determined to secure a top four finish.
Final round matchups don’t get better than this.
The Bears currently occupy first position, while the Sunshine Coast Falcons have won five consecutive matches and find themselves on the cusp of a top four berth.
The equation is simple for the Bears – win and secure the minor premiership for the second time in three seasons.
For the Falcons, a win will go a long way to a top four finish, though they will require the Wynnum Manly Seagulls to lose their match against the Brisbane Tigers.
A loss for the Bears can see them drop as low as third if both the Blackhawks and Devils can win their respective matches.
The Bears enter this match on the heels of seven straight wins, with their last win against the Norths Devils perhaps the most impressive of their win streak.
Entering the match without many of their star players, the Bears lowered the colours of their fiercest rivals, winning 30-22.
The Bears refrained from hibernation, scoring twice in the opening twelve minutes through centre Nicholas O’Meley, with both tries being assisted by their general, Guy Hamilton.
In the middle, the Bears were led by the ever-impassioned Kurt De Luis and the imposing Matthew Koellner, both of whom sit in the top 50 for metres gained within the Hostplus Cup.
Though entering the top 50 of any statistical category is impressive, Josh Rogers currently sits in the top 1 for points scorers this season, with the Burleigh five-eighth leading the competition with his 164 points this season.
Rogers only requires an additional 15 points to achieve 1000 points in his Hostplus Cup career.
Rogers will find it tough to add to his points tally against the Falcons, however, as the Sunshine Coast boast the second-best defensive record in the competition.
Whether it be Danny Heenan at hooker, Cooper Page-Wilson in the front row or Flynn Camilleri in the centres, the Falcons have proved to be a tough nut to crack in attack.
Their last match saw them make easy work of an Ipswich Jets team boosted by the return of Harley Smith-Shields, Carter Gordon and Arama Hau – dispatching Ipswich 30-12 away from home.
The Falcons punished any ineffective tackles, offloading 24 times and never letting up in attack.
The Falcons will enjoy the return of Sualauvi Faalogo, who will start at fullback this week, providing plenty of x-factor from the back.
This bout will be a true finals preview, with both teams having plenty to lose and gain depending on the final result.
Catch all of Sunday’s action live and free via Qplus.tv, Kayo or 9Now.
