South Australia can make a big leap towards a Ford Ranger Cup final with a win over Western Australia on Saturday at the WACA, but the bottom-placed Warriors haven't given up hope either.
The Redbacks are currently equal on 17 points with Victoria and New South Wales, and four points behind runaway leaders Queensland with every team in the one-day competition having played eight matches, with two remaining.
A win on Saturday at the WACA could take the Redbacks into outright second ahead of their final match of the season against NSW.
They have lost fast bowler Shaun Tait to national duties with Peter George replacing him. Mark Cosgrove returns from injury, Kane Richardson comes into the squad after a successful performance at the Under-19 World Cup and Tim Ludeman maintains the gloves with captain Graham Manou still out.
The Warriors currently have just 13 points with only three wins and one bonus point, but victories over South Australia and Tasmania at home to close out the season, particularly with bonus points, could give them a slight chance to make a final.
That is the way coach Tom Moody is seeing things anyway and he's made four changes to the team that lost in Adelaide last week.
Fast bowlers Ben Edmondson and Steve Magoffin return at the expense of Ashley Noffke and Brad Knowles, with Mitch Marsh and Adam Voges also coming back in for Drew Porter and Michael Swart.
"There's a lot to play for. If we win two home games and one of them particularly well then we are still in the hunt," Moody said.
"We know that's a tall task, but it's not impossible and we are striving towards that. All we are doing is using the depth of our bowling resources which is as good as it's been in many years."
Noffke and Knowles have combined for 18 wickets in the Ford Ranger Cup so far this season, but Moody and the Warriors want them fresh for the Sheffield Shield game starting Monday.
"With both Noffke and Knowles we are very aware at this stage of the season of the wear and tear, so we just wanted to make sure they are absolutely 100 percent ready for Monday," Moody said.
"Given that we've got the depth in the bowling attack in our squad we thought we'd use it on this occasion to bring in both Magoffin and Edmondson."
Edmondson has returned well from injury and good performances in the Futures League and in grade cricket are behind his call-up.
"He's been the standout performer in grade cricket over the past month. He's taken three five-fors in-a-row, bowled very well in a second XI game a week ago and has just come back from one in Adelaide," he said.
"He's shown that he's standing up to bowling volume and he's also taking wickets. A fit Ben Edmondson is a great asset to have in your team and squad."
Moody is also pleased to have both Voges and Mitch Marsh back to strengthen the Warriors' middle-order and he hopes they can support captain Marcus North this time around better than in Adelaide last week.
"With Vogesy it gives us a player with a lot of experience and one who is in good form and is an Australian standard middle-order player, which is what we desperately need," he said.
"Marcus was left high and dry in Adelaide in a situation where we should have got 275 or 280. Mitch is obviously in his first year, but has shown a lot of good signs, particularly in the Ford Ranger Cup."
Squads:
Western Australia: Marcus North (captain), Wes Robinson, Liam Davis, Adam Voges, Mitch Marsh, Luke Pomersbach, Luke Ronchi, Aaron Heal, Steve Magoffin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ben Edmondson, Michael Hogan.
South Australia: Daniel Harris (captain), Michael Klinger, Mark Cosgrove, Tom Cooper, Cameron Borgas, Aaron O'Brien, Dan Christian, Tim Ludeman, Gary Putland, Jake Haberfield, Peter George, Kane Richardson.