The Panthers looked certainties to finish in the top six midway through the season, but they’ve lost both games since Christmas, followed by the last-round bye.

“If we can get this one over ‘Yack’ and hopefully go into finals on the right note, I think we can push a lot of sides there,” paceman Jaydon Wright said.

Wright, who turns 22 on Tuesday, is playing alongside his father Steve, who’s come out of retirement after being one of provincial’s top players.

“It’s awesome, he’s always wanted to try and stick around as long as he could, so he could play in the same team as me,” he said.

“It’s great, I get to learn from him on the field rather than off the field as I would in the juniors.

“When I’m bowling, he’s in my ear after every over, telling me what we need to do.

“He knows the game so well, he’s just reminding me of what the plans are.”

And Steve, who’s just turned 40, is loving his comeback.

“Now that I’ve come back, I realise just how much I did miss it,” he said.

“I had seven years when I wasn’t playing and it gives me a chance to play with Jaydon.”

Jaydon spent the winter in England, playing for Haywards Heath in Sussex.

“I loved it, it was really good,” he said.

“It was all limited overs stuff, obviously when you were bowling, you had to use all your change-ups for longer than what you have to down here.”

He’s played just the eight district first grade games, taking 10 wickets at 22.5.

The Panthers will need the opening bowler to have an immediate impact against Yackandandah, which is coming off a strong performance against Baranduda.

Wodonga has top spot, but it has the bye, so second-placed Dederang will be desperate to seal the minor premiership.

It will never have a better chance either as it’s away to bottom-placed Bethanga.

Baranduda’s hopes of a home final will rest on a home win over Mount Beauty and Yackandandah falling.

Mt Beauty sits 1.21 points out of the top six.

There’s not one game in the round which won’t impact on finals.

Sixth-placed Corowa is determined to hold off Mt Beauty and claim a finals berth in its inaugural season in CAW, while seventh-placed Eskdale could still force its way in, with a win over Kiewa, as well as favourable results.

The ladder is: Wodonga 78.03, Dederang 77.45, Yackandandah 75.38, Baranduda 67.08, Lavington 65.08, Corowa 63.01, Mt Beauty 61.80, Eskdale 55.93. Howlong 52.92, Kiewa 51.57, Bethanga 44.17.