Cardiff coach Danny Priest hopes a week off gives his side an edge over Killarney Vale, but with seven players out he isn't banking on too much of an advantage against the undefeated Black Diamond Cup leaders.
Cardiff have lost to Killarney Vale twice already this season, including an 89-35 away loss last month.
But the Hawks head into today's game at Pasterfield Spots Complex after a week off, while the Bombers fought a muddy battle with Terrigal Avoca last week, scraping a 23-16 win to extend their unbeaten run to nine matches.
Priest said his side wouldn't be counting on the Bombers pulling up lame from their arduous contest last week but he hopes the break benefits his side.
"They've got to drop one every now and then, you'd hope," he said. "To be the first to beat them would be nice. But we had nine out against Singleton in the last game we played and were only a point up at halftime.That's a team that last time we beat by 140-odd points. So anything can happen on any sort of day. When you're not expected to win, the pressure is off and you can try a few different things."
Cardiff are equal on points with Terrigal Avoca, three wins behind Killarney Vale, but placed third on for and against. A win could allow them to move into outright second should Terrigal Avoca fall to fourth-placed Newcastle City at Hawkins Oval today. The top three sides all have six games left to play, while City have seven.
Singleton and Warners Bay's clash at Rose Point Park has been postponed due to flooding, also killing the club's planned 40th anniversary celebrations.
"We were going to have a pink-round as well," Singleton coach Neil Barton said. "The biggest event of the year and it's all under water."
Barton expects the field to be out of action for the rest of the season given the inundation, impacting the team's ability to train, but he said the players remained committed to finishing off the year. The side's remaining fixtures will be away games. Most of the club's gear had been shifted off the ground, but the clubhouse had been partially submerged and was yet to be inspected on Friday. He thanked Cardiff and City for offering support.
