A LOSS to heavy rivals the Gungahlin Eagles has put the Queanbeyan Whites in danger of missing the top two and a second chance in the finals, with the side slipping to third with one round to go.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
While the Whites have all but secured a spot in the top four, their goal all season has been to go one better than their third place finish last season and make the top two, which will give them their best chance to win the competition since they last did in 2010.
They must beat a strong Western Districts Lions outfit this Saturday at Jamison Oval to do so, while also relying on Gungahlin to go down to the Canberra Royals.
The Tuggeranong Vikings have already secured the minor premiership.
White's skipper Dan Penca said the loss to Gungahlin was tough for his men as they knew a win over them was needed to lock second spot.
"All the boys are disappointed, but that's gone now, so we've just got to look forward to putting in a good performance against Wests, and if the cards fall our way, then we could still be playing in the major semi-final," he said.
"We've been making errors where we shouldn't have, especially in their [opponent's] side of the field, and we need to make sure we execute better this weekend, and nut out all those errors."
With six wins and five losses it has been an inconsistent year for the Whites, and Penca said feeling a winning culture again would go a long way in the finals.
"It's not doom and gloom for us at the moment, so we've just got to pick ourselves back up and get another win on the board against Wests this weekend," he said.
He said Wests would also be the most threatening opponents to the Whites in the finals as his men have a bad record against them in recent years.