Traditional and fierce rivals clash when the Brisbane Tigers and Norths Devils meet on Sunday at the home of the Devils.
Since 1933, the Devils and Tigers have waged local warfare against each other, and Sunday will be another chapter in that storied rivalry.
It's safe to say both teams are not where they want to be in 2026. The Tigers are on the fringe of the top eight, while the Devils sit in 13th spot.
Both sides will be stinging from two-point defeats a fortnight ago.
The Devils lost 16-14 to the Wynnum Seagulls, while the Tigers fell 14-12 to the Falcons.
The Devils missed too many tackles and conceded too many penalties in their loss at BMD Kougari Oval.
They dominated possession and stayed with the Seagulls throughout, but even in a low-scoring, three-tries-each contest, the Devils couldn't land the decisive blow that would have secured their first win since round two.
The Tigers have already inflicted one defeat on the Devils in 2026, running out 22-12 winners in their earlier meeting.
Two things will be keeping the Devils up at night: 45 missed tackles, and the fact that they held 55 percent of the ball yet could only manage three tries.
Getting that missed tackle count down will be crucial.
The Tigers' two-point loss came about for similar reasons.
They started slowly, trailing 10-0 at half-time, and the Falcons' fast start meant they only needed to score one second-half try to clinch the win.
Esom Loka will be pivotal to the Tigers' attack.
He has scored the second-most tries in the Hostplus Cup with nine, one behind the Cutters' Jimmy Ngutlik.
Both sides are struggling to score, averaging only 20 points per game with both sides having only scored 31 tries this season, well behind the league-leading try scoring team, the Magpies who have scored 51 tries.
This match will require both teams to simplify their game and capitalise on the opportunities that present themselves.
Sunday's feature match, presented by National Storage, will be broadcast live and free on Qplus.tv, Kayo and 9Now.
