Border prop Tietie Tuimauga makes a welcome return in time to play Taihape this Saturday.
While they have been watching developments from the top, Waverley Harvesting Border know they are only one bad game away from being swept down into the Tasman Tanning Premier whirlpool as they prepare for PGG Wrightson/Balance Taihape's arrival tomorrow.
Some topsy-turvy results in a nine team competition, which currently has six teams in solid form, means there is only a five-point spread between first and fifth on the table - a trend that could continue right throughout June and July towards the finals.
Defending champions Border are now coming off their bye week after a satisfactory start with five straight victories, yet coach Justin Lock is mindful of Taihape's "little bit unexpected" comeback to upend McCarthy's Transport Ruapehu 30-24 at Memorial Park last Saturday.
Having only just eked past Ruapehu themselves in Ohakune in late March, Border figured the mountain men would possibly go undefeated in their other games, especially as Taihape were coming off their last-gasp away loss to Settler's Honey Ngamatapouri the previous weekend.
Taihape have therefore closed within a point of Border, although they have yet to take a bye, and will be also be eager to regain the Grand Hotel Challenge Shield.
It is the first time the sides have met since last year's thrilling Premier final at Cooks Gardens, where Border barely clung on 17-16.
"I have no doubt they're the fittest team in the competition. They've been training a long time," said Lock.
"They might have been run over a couple of times late [in games], but that's the other teams hanging in there to do something good.
"They'll be in the game for the whole 80, we expect a big battle."
While awaiting signoff on some delicate paperwork to bring a noted lock forward from Fiji, Border were pleased to welcome back one big name this week as incumbent Steelform Wanganui prop Tietie Tuimauga rejoined the side at training.
Lock said Tuimauga is looking more "streamlined" from his impressive bulk when he anchored the Wanganui scrum last season, and could be slightly short of a gallop since his last hit-outs for the Samoa A squad.
More worrying is the status of respected captain Fraser Middleton, whose ankle injury appears worse than initially thought and will now be x-rayed.
To compensate, James Forsyth remains at second-five while talented utility back Grayson Tihema keeps the starting No10 jumper, with Lock noting his confidence continuing to grow in the position.
The team also loses nothing in leadership with experienced hooker Cole Baldwin taking over the captaincy.
While Border have the form backline of the competition, even without Middleton's guiding hand, Taihape will test them with tactical nous - as first-five Tom Wells and fullback Dane Whale will look to use the width of the park to play the percentages and deny Border field position.
Athletic lock Hamish Bennett knows how to find the tryline as the lighter Taihape pack will want quick cleanout ball to keep moving their bigger opponents around the park.
The other major game with Top 4 implications is Dave Hoskin Carriers Marist looking to stay at the sharp end of the competition when they make the journey up to Ohakune to face a hurting Ruapehu, who have swapped places with them on the table over consecutive weekends.
However, with Marist coach Jason Hamlin dealing with injury and unavailablity issues, the matchup bears eerie resemblance to their last trip to Rochfort Park in 2016 - a 43-19 hammering with signalled Ruapehu's comeback from the bottom end of the table to eventually reach the semifinals.
Newcomers Ngamatapouri will be looking to get their nose into the playoffs race as they hunt a third win in a row travelling to the Pa to face Harvey Round Motors Ratana.
Meanwhile, Wanganui Car Centre Kaierau will want to execute more of the second half attacking nous and offloading they showed in their loss to Black Bull Liquor Pirates when they trek over to Memorial Park to meet Utiku Old Boys.