Hobbs said rewarding the previous summer's best local Challenge Cup performer with the NCC match will likely be the format going forward, especially if the Whanganui vs Taranaki game keeps getting scheduled for the last weekend before Christmas.
"It's just easier, it's hard to get games in locally.
"It's a tough weekend, to be fair, I'd expect [NPOB] to have a couple of guys out – holidays and such."
The last time the NCC game was played at Victoria Park was the 2016-17 season, and United pulled off an extraordinary upset by beating NPOB by 75 runs.
Having narrowly beaten Tech in the local NCC final the day before on a very green pitch, United raised a fighting 197 through good innings by Greg Smith (56), Simon Badger (34), Robbie Power (26) and Tom Lance (21).
They then shocked NPOB, who with the exception of a good knock by opening batsman Jackson Braddock-Pajo (39), were laid to waste for 122, with bowlers Ryan Slight (3-30), Power (2-1), Ritesh Verma (2-8) and Brendon Walker (2-39) clearing them out.
United travelled last season to play New Plymouth Marist United at Pukekura Park for the NCC game, but faltered in their batting chase, with key wickets costing them as they were dismissed for 180 when chasing just 214.
This year, they will be without key batsman Tom Lance, who has a wedding to attend, along with their sole incumbent Air Chathams Wanganui player Chris Sharrock, who also missed their previous game last Saturday – a narrow three wicket win over Kapiti Old Boys at Paraparaumu Domain.
United should have the other 10 players from the Kapiti game, and Hobbs was going to wait until tonight to decide who will be the other two squad members, given NCC rules allow teams to use an extra player to either bat exclusively, or bowl and field exclusively.
"It really depends on the weather and the pitch as to who we get in," he said.
"We're going in knowing we can beat them, because we beat them before.
"As long as we give it everything – that's all that matters to me."
It's likely the added players would be some combination of club veteran Stephen Holloway, Marton Saracens import Scott Oliver, or Verma, who has just played Twenty20 matches this summer.
NPOB beat Marist United by six wickets at Pukekura Park in the Taranaki Premier 1 final last Sunday, in another bowler-dominated match.
Marist United were wiped out for 101 in 43 overs, with bowler Ross Bryans taking an excellent 7-32 from his ten overs.
NPOB had a disastrous start with their top three batsman all dismissed for ducks, before the very talented Kaylum Boshier steadied the ship with a match-winning 66 not out from 100 balls.
The 19-year-old allrounder Boshier is nothing less than a sporting freak, with both Central Districts cricket and the Taranaki Rugby Union eager to secure his fulltime commitment.
Boshier captained New Zealand at the ICC Under-19 World Cup and made his Mitre 10 Cup debut for Taranaki this season, scoring a try in a Ranfurly Shield defence.
In a bygone era, he could perhaps have become a 'Double' All Black, representing his country in both codes, but modern professional realities make that impossible.
Fellow multi-talented athletes like Hawke Bay's Israel Dagg and Whanganui's own Brett Cameron turned away from cricket to pursue the winter code and earned an All Black jersey.
Other than Bryans and Boshier, NPOB's other noteworthy players include Braddock-Pajo and talented spinner Mattie Thomas.
But Hobbs says the locals cannot be concerned with reputation.
"Our philosophy is we worry about what we've got to do," he said.
"We can't stop what they're doing, so just get the bowling on proper length.
"They're only a club side, not like they're a rep side.
"We back ourselves, always."
As well as the 2016 upset, Hobbs can remember playing in United team's of the late 1990's who were able to defeat Manawatu club sides with Blacks Caps like Glen Sulzberger, Michael Mason and Jacob Oram.
Play is scheduled to start at 11am.
