The Miners have been in fine touch over recent weeks, but will need to be at its best if it is to take down fellow top performer in a “hostile” environment.

Hobart is third on the ladder, one rung above Ballarat, and coach Nathan Cooper-Brown said his side will have its “work cut out” against the Chargers.

The Miners will be met with a familiar face in Craig Moller. The former Miner leads the competition in rebounds and will take some stopping on the defensive boards. Cooper-Brown said his side was building towards its best basketball.

“We’re pleased to be getting closer to the brand of basketball that we want to play – fun, fast and unselfish,” Cooper-Brown said.

“Defensively we’ve got a few areas we need to tighten up, but overall we’re really pleased to be moving on an upward trend.”

Meanwhile, Rush also takes on Hobart on Friday night as it searches for its fourth win of the season.

Rush is well aware of the weapons Hobart possess.

Brittany Smart and Kathleen Scheer boast some of the top points averages in the league, scoring 22.7 and 19.1 points respectively.

Coach Eric Hayes said while a one-on-one match-up would be important, a team defence would be the key factor in quelling their influence.

“They’ve got some dangerous players,” Hayes said.

“They’re both very athletic and pretty high-power players, they’re their main leaders and we’re going to have to try and do a few things to slow them down.

“We’ll look to put some better defenders on them, but it’s certainly going to be a team defence – it always is.

“Defence has been the area where we can make the most improvement.

“Everybody has to be in a position to help out.”

Hayes felt its best basketball was in front of it after settling as a team and overcoming key injuries.

“There’s been a settling in period with the group...just trying to make sure we’re all on the same page, there’s been a few challenges that have come about that we’ve got to work through and I feel like we’re doing a bit better working as a team.”

Rush will then face Launceston on Saturday night while the Miners take on North West Tasmania.