That’s the situation according to GJ Gardner Tigers senior coach Terry Simpson, who says he will give the Central Highlands Football League leading goal-kicker until Friday to prove his fitness.

McMahon injured his quadriceps during last weekend’s victory over Skipton, but was named in the selected side submitted to The Courier on Thursday night.

“It’s probably 50-50 at the moment,” Simpson said.

“It’s not a real bad one, it’s just whether to risk it. He’s got to be confident himself."

The former North Ballarat Rooster has been in red-hot form this season and leads the competition in attack, where he has booted 59 majors from 13 matches. He is 10 goals clear of Hepburn ace Lee Cox in the league standings.

While McMahon remains under a cloud, strong backman Peter Lewis is one player that is certain to miss this weekend. Lewis, who was recruited to the club this year, is unavailable and will be replaced in defence by Marty Anderson, who comes back in from the reserves.

The Tigers are in the midst of an impressive charge to the finals, which has included seven-straight wins to climb to third place on the ladder.

And they have the recent edge over Waubra, which will be looking to overturn the preliminary final result from last year. On this occasion, the Tigers thrashed the Roos en route to their place in the grand final.

The ledger was set at one win apiece in 2014, with Waubra keeping Springbank goalless during the home and away campaign in a wet afternoon at Wallace.

Roos coach Grant Luscombe wasn’t in charge during those fixtures, but knows how big this encounter is for his charges against an in-form Tigers outfit.

“I reckon it’s a massive game for us in terms of securing a place in the top four,” Luscombe said.

Luscombe said big forward Mark Nunn was likely to miss another game with his quadriceps injury, as was fellow forward Tim Boyle, who is struggling with a back complaint. However, Luscombe is pleased to get back a trio of important players, with onballers Tim Mullane and Matt Dawson and defender Stuart Oliver set to return.

Waubra sits second on the ladder, just two points clear of the Tigers with four games of the home and away season to play.

PREDICTION: Springbank by 15 points.

BEAUFORT (8th) v BUNGAREE (1st)

at Beaufort, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Bungaree 20.8 (128) d Beaufort 5.7 (37), round 17, 2014

BEAUFORT: Graintech Crows coach Dale Power is hoping captain Damien Day may play again before finals, despite his finger injury in the weekend's win over Creswick.

Day suffered an exposed dislocation of the little finger and is one of the team's key outs for this clash against the reigning premiers.

Dangerous winger/forward Jack Duke rolled an ankle, but is expected to play, while top midfielder Michael Foster is hoping to secure a return flight from Bali and take his place in the side.

BUNGAREE: Explosive defender Mitch Bruns returns to the Demons team for the big trip to Beaufort.

Bruns was absent for Bungaree's triumph over Dunnstown last weekend, but bolsters a side looking forward to its first serious test since the round nine loss to Waubra.

Also returning is defender Luke Mangan, who coach Heath Pyke said has recovered from a foot issue.

PREDICTION: Bungaree by a goal

BUNINYONG (4th) v CRESWICK (9th)

at Buninyong, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Buninyong 9.8 (62) d Creswick 2.6 (18), round 11, 2014

BUNINYONG: The Bombers continue with a cautious approach to spearhead Glen Phelps' hamstring.

Joint-coach Jarrod Morgan told The Courier Phelps was again no certainty to play against the Wickers this weekend, in what would be his first match since the win over Smythesdale in late June.

The Bombers are in a great run of form at present and sit a game clear in fourth after seven straight victories.

CRESWICK: The Wickers' finals hopes are all but gone, with the remaining four games of the home and away season left to conjure some momentum heading into next year.

Creswick is still ninth, but last weekend's loss to Beaufort leaves the team 10 points adrift of the eighth-placed Crows.

The Wickers would need a minor miracle to make it, particularly with tough games against Buninyong, Hepburn, Gordon and Bungaree still to come.

PREDICTION: Buninyong by 30 points

DUNNSTOWN (11th) v BALLAN (7th)

at Dunnstown, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Ballan 15.7 (97) d Dunnstown 6.7 (43), round 9, 2014

DUNNSTOWN: The Daville Building Surveying Towners welcome back assistant coach Scott Henning as they look to break through for a long-awaited victory.

Henning has been absent with work commitments - not playing since round nine - but returns to boost a team that will be missing winger Aaron Mullane, who injured an AC joint in last Saturday's loss to Bungaree.

Coach Justin Abrams said Mullane was likely to be out for the remainder of season 2015.

BALLAN: The Blues appear just one week away from locking in their first finals series in more than 10 years.

Ballan sits seventh on the table after a string of six-straight wins, 12 points and percentage clear of ninth-placed Creswick with four games to play.

Coach Mark Williams said defender Justin Fenwick and ruckman Dan Christie were likely to be the two inclusions for this encounter at Dunnstown.

PREDICTION: Ballan just

HEPBURN (5th) v GORDON (6th)

at Hepburn, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Gordon 19.13 (127) d Hepburn 13.6 (84), qualifying final, 2014

HEPBURN: Burras coach Clive Raak has declared stars Lee Cox and Andy McKay "will play" in this weekend's game against Gordon.

Cox didn't feature in last Saturday's loss to Buninyong with a rib injury, while McKay has been sidelined with a shoulder issue since the game against Waubra in round seven.

The Burras have slipped to fifth and have a tough task to get back into the top four with games against Gordon, Creswick, Bungaree and Ballan still to come.

GORDON: The Hyundai Eagles are chasing a third-straight win over spa country powerhouse Hepburn.

Gordon landed back-to-back victories over the Burras last season - including a brilliant qualifying final success - and desperately need another to enhance their top four chances.

The Eagles left out key players Steve Patterson, Mick Nolan and Sam Turmine at selection on Thursday night.

PREDICTION: Hepburn by a few goals

ROKEWOOD-CORINDHAP (14th) v LEARMONTH (12th)

at Rokewood, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Learmonth 19.9 (123) d Rokewood-Corindhap 4.5 (29), round 5, 2014

ROKEWOOD-CORINDHAP: The Emerald Grain Grasshoppers go in search of their fourth win of the year here.

And to help the cause is the return of midfielder Dylan Bourke.

Bourke missed Rokewood-Corindhap's loss to Clunes last Saturday, but is a handy addition this weekend.

Missing this clash will be small forward Jake Carr, who coach Michael Hynes reports has an injured shoulder.

LEARMONTH: With finals beyond them, the Hotondo Homes Lakies will be hoping for a late surge and finish with a respectable win-loss ratio at the end of the year.

Learmonth, which has won four matches, will be confident against the Grasshoppers, Smythesdale and Dunnstown before a clash against Beaufort to complete the campaign.

The Lakies have named defenders Will Simpson and Edward Sinnott to return from injury this Saturday, among three selected additions to the line-up.

PREDICTION: Learmonth by a couple of goals

SKIPTON (15th) v NEWLYN (10th)

at Skipton, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Newlyn 6.10 (46) d Skipton 2.9 (21), round 10, 2014

SKIPTON: The Emus get just the two more realistic chances to land another win in 2015. And one of them comes this weekend.

Now under the care of interim coaches Tyrone Ross and Kiernan Molloy, Skipton then has difficult games against Gordon and Waubra before a winnable fixture with Carngham-Linton in the last round of the year.

The important Cam Postlethwaite and Nick Stevenson are among those returning to the team on Saturday.

NEWLYN: With their coaching panel secured, the Cats can really start building for 2016.

Newlyn has locked in Kal Young as senior coach, with his brother Will and Dan Wehrung on board for another year as his assistants.

This Saturday, the Cats will debut another youngster from the under-18s, with Cormac Prendergast getting the call-up for the trip to Skipton.

Club president Simon Dwyer said Prendergast will become the fifth current junior to be blooded into the seniors this year.

PREDICTION: Newlyn by 29 points

SMYTHESDALE (18th) v CLUNES (13th)

at Smythesdale, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Clunes 26.18 (174) d Smythesdale 1.4 (10), round 17, 2014

SMYTHESDALE: Tom Nankivel is back!

The Bulldogs' big recruit is set to play his first game since breaking his leg in the team's loss to Rokewood-Corindhap in May.

Coach Stephen Frys has also named himself to play, with the Bulldogs looking to build off their 134-point loss to Ballan in the heavy conditions on Saturday.

CLUNES: The Magpies are set to promote two more junior players to the seniors on Saturday.

Joint-coach Jason Hill said Liam Newton and Will Parker would get the call-up for the clash with Smythesdale, which would take the total number of under-18s to debut this season to 12.

Clunes is chasing its third win in succession after getting the results against Carngham-Linton and Rokewood-Corindhap in recent weeks.

PREDICTION: Clunes without too many worries

CARNGHAM-LINTON (17th) v DAYLESFORD (16th)

at Snake Valley, Saturday, 2.30pm

LAST TIME THEY MET: Daylesford 13.18 (96) d Carngham-Linton 14.10 (94), round 16, 2014

CARNGHAM-LINTON: It has been a tough year for the Saints, but here's a little period coach Glenn Treacy hopes can return one or two wins.

Carngham-Linton will love to start the ball rolling against the struggling Daylesford, which it lost to in a thriller by two points late last season.

Treacy said defender Josh White was likely to be rested to get over a groin injury, but was excited by the rucking prospects of Sam Cosgriff, who he said showed good promise when thrown into the position during last weekend's strong second half against Learmonth.

DAYLESFORD: Important utility Toby Hughes is expected to make his way back into the side after a bad cut to his knee kept him sidelined for the Bulldogs' defeat from Waubra last round.

Hughes is a big in for the close-to-full strength Daylesford, which has won just the two games during a disappointing 2015 campaign.

PREDICTION: Daylesford by 19 points