There are some rugby league statistics that make you sit up and take notice.
Then there is the Redcliffe-Central Queensland head-to-head record.
Redcliffe 43. Central Queensland 9. Three draws.
That's not a head-to-head record.
That's a family feud where one side has been keeping the receipts.
But if the Capras are looking at that number and feeling slightly queasy, they can take comfort from one very important fact:
None of those 43 wins will be running onto Kayo Stadium on Saturday.
What will be running onto Kayo is a Central Queensland side that has been absolutely flying.
The Capras have won their last five games and eight of their last nine, arriving in the finals with the sort of form that keeps opposing coaches locked in the film room.
Redcliffe, however, aren’t exactly limping into September.
The Dolphins have won their last four and five of their last six, while their home record has been particularly impressive.
Redcliffe has won its last five at home, losing just once in its last nine home games, with one draw.
So welcome to Kayo Stadium, Central Queensland.
Please enjoy the hospitality.
Just don't expect anyone to hand you the keys.
For Redcliffe, this is familiar territory.
The Dolphins are making their 24th finals appearance, and remarkably this is their 10th consecutive finals campaign.
Ten straight years.
Central Queensland is making its sixth finals appearance, but this is becoming a regular habit for the Capras too, being their fourth finals campaign in five years.
The Capras are no longer simply happy to be invited.
They've turned up wearing the good clothes.
The last meeting between these two clubs was back in Round 10, when Redcliffe won 36-16 at Aurizon Stadium.
And if Central Queensland is searching for a more recent source of inspiration, the last time these teams met at Kayo Stadium wasn't particularly encouraging either.
The 2024 Knockout Final finished with Redcliffe winning 36-18.
That was also the only finals meeting between the clubs.
The Dolphins have won the last three meetings overall, and they have also won two of the last three at Kayo Stadium.
More impressively — or depressingly, depending on which dressing room you're standing outside — Central Queensland has won only one of the last 13 games against Redcliffe at Kayo Stadium.
That victory came in 2024.
And somewhere in the middle of all that is Sheldon Pitama, who will bring up his 150th Hostplus Cup game.
The reward for winning is enormous.
A week off.
A Preliminary Final berth.
And the luxury of sitting back while someone else must do the nervous work.
Lose, however, and the safety net disappears.
This weekend’s broadcasted match is shaping to be anyone’s game and the only way to catch all the action live and free is via Qplus.tv.
