Baldivis and Pinjarra will head into their round three blockbuster with a simple four points on the line, but the weight of scoring a win against each other isn’t lost on the two.
It’s an early crow but it’s a very real possibility round three presents us with a grand final preview, and given the winner of this clash walks out as the league’s only remaining unbeaten, it’s safe to say there’s a shade more than the four points at stake.
For Baldivis, a win gives them a clearer indication of where they’re at as a team.
They’ve beaten “potential finalists” in the first two rounds in Rockingham and Waroona, comprehensively, but a victory over the Tigers would be a small nudge to remind them their premiership aspirations are very much alive and real.
For Pinjarra, getting the desired result would be more consolidation that they remain the competition’s benchmark, an encouraging thought given the amount of young players that have hit the field for them in the opening two weeks.
Neither side will be at full strength when they meet, either, so it’s also a test to see which has the better depth.
Recent history suggests the game should be a cracker.
The last time the two met Pinjarra took home a semi final win, while the previous clash was a seven-point victory for the Brumbies in round 12 last year, which remains the Tigers’ most recent loss.
All of this makes for a tantalising battle between the two hottest starters of the 2018 season, a battle that Tigers coach Troy Vidovich said the reigning premiers would need to be ready for.
“I’m not sure there’s any harder task than beating Baldivis on their oval,” he said.
“It’s a lot smaller – one kick from the midfield and you’re just about at full forward – and they use that very well.
“Their speed and their skill becomes more of a factor on it, so we’re going to need to be on our game.”
His Baldivis counterpart Craig Hamersley accepted the top-two clash was going to be a fierce one, but was adamant his side only had eyes for the premiership points.
“We realise this isn’t just your average game, and we’re excited to have a crack at the top side and see how we measure up,” Hamersley said.
“At the end of the day it’s just round three, but it’s definitely a big game.”
The Brumbies and Tigers will meet at Baldivis Oval this Saturday, 2.30pm.