It took a bit of prying, but East Ballarat captain Josh Brown admits it's likely his team will bowl first if it happens to win the toss against Napoleons-Sebastopol on Saturday.
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The Hawks sit fifth on the Ballarat Cricket Association first grade ladder heading into the second last round of the season and need some luck to climb back inside the top four.
Brown knows an outright victory against the bottom team in the competition would be hugely valuable for the reigning premiers' finals chances and believed bowling first would give the Hawks the best chance of obtaining all 10 points.
"We most likely will (have a go at an outright) and I guess firstly try win the game, but if we have a chance to win outright, then go for it," he said.
East Ballarat is three points behind the fourth-placed Golden Point and after the battle with Naps-Sebas has a difficult encounter against Mt Clear.
Meanwhile, Danza Hyatt is preparing for his last first grade game of the season for Darley.
News has only just emerged that Hyatt will miss the last round and the entire finals series after being picked for a West Indies team that will play in a masters world cup tournament in India.
The Lions are well clear at the top of the table and look almost certain to claim the minor premiership.
They will take on a Wendouree outfit that is only percentage ahead of the Pointies in third spot on the ladder.
Elsewhere in round 14, Ballarat-Redan comes up against Mt Clear looking to stretch its winning sequence to four matches.
The Two Swords have beaten Naps-Sebas, Buninyong and North Ballarat in recent clashes, but will find it tough against a powerful Mounties side that went down to Darley last weekend. That result left the unbeaten Lions 18 points clear of Mt Clear in second.
Golden Point is out to keep East Ballarat at bay when it comes up against the Roosters at the Northern Oval.
The Pointies were beaten by the Red Caps last Saturday, while North went down to Ballarat-Redan.
The other two-day game starting on Saturday pits Buninyong against Brown Hill at St Patrick's College 2.
Both teams are almost certain to miss the upcoming finals series, but will be looking to finish the campaign with a bang.
