High stakes in battle between Moama and Numurkah

The stakes are huge.

Second spot on the ladder, and with it a double chance in finals, is up for grabs, and both sides desperately want it.

Moama assistant coach Jye Warren is positive his side is ready to do battle.

“It's been an interesting one because obviously we're coming off some really consistent footy,” he said.

“The feeling is that the boys are really looking forward to the challenge. The way that Numurkah are going at the moment, that's definitely what it's going to be.

“It's going to be a massive challenge for the group, and they're looking forward to that."

Warren, who is sidelined with a meniscus injury, has pinpointed one area in particular where the game will be won or lost.

“I think all real close games are going to be won in the engine room, in the midfield,” he said.

“To Numurkah's credit, they've got a real genuine ruckman in Matty Smyth. They've got a great, young midfield and a couple of old nice heads in there to sort of balance it out.

“I think it's just whoever gets it out of there cleanly but consistently, and that's where, in my opinion, it's going to be won or lost.”

Teams were yet to be finalised at the time of writing, but Warren indicated there were some changes to be made, with a number of players returning this week.

“There's going to be some hard decisions to make at selection to make sure that we put our best foot forward and have the best possible team out there,” he said.