Whoever wins the individual battle between the two Greater Northern Tigers representatives could go a long way to deciding the outcome of the match at the Tingha Sport and Recreation Ground. The Rams head into the match desperate for a win after slipping out of the top four for the first time this season.

Once considered one of the easy beats of the competition, the Tigers will be out to cause another upset like the one they inflicted on the Inverell Hawks two weekends ago.

It’s not just Mepham Armidale have to shut down they will also need a solid defensive effort to slow down the slick Tingha outside backs. The Rams will head to Tingha full strength, but club president Terry Carson insists the Tigers will not be push overs.

“They are going to be very tough at home,” he said.

With a win at Tingha, Armidale will likely reclaim fourth place as the Moree Boars, who currently hold fourth spot, have to face competition leaders the Moree Boomerangs.

Three of Armidale’s remaining matches this season are at home, with Saturday’s match at Tingha and a trip to Glen Innes the only two away fixtures left on their schedule. “We need to win four of our last five games,” Carson said.

“That makes this one at Tingha very important.

“If we can win this one, we don’t have to rely on beating Glen Innes up there.”

The Rams should also be fresh for the match against the Tigers after having the bye last weekend.

“The bye week was really good, it gave us time to get over some niggling injuries” Carson said.