The Border outfit hosts the grand finalists, who sit a point ahead.

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"You want to finish as high as you can, especially creeping towards finals time, and get that home final," five-eighth Robbie Byatt said.

But the Bulls will start favourites after smashing Thunder by 26 points in round five.

"They move the ball around really well, they're a very quick and mobile side, that's where we fell behind them when we played them last time," Byatt said.

"We weren't getting up quickly enough and cutting them down, that's where they did a lot of damage to us."

The Bulls boast the league's leading try-scorer in Jake Dooley, who's raced to 20 after only 13 rounds.

"We've just got to be enthusiastic getting up off our line to contain them," Byatt said.

"You really have to work hard to get off the line and out wide get up quick, they like to pass the ball out wide quickly.

"Even their forwards can move the ball around quite well, Nick Skinner, they've got a good isolation pass."

But Thunder forward Liam Wiscombe can also play an attacking brand as he sits equal third in tries scored with team-mate and pacy winger Keanau Wighton on 13.

The Bulls have been a perennial power for much of the past decade and will be determined not to allow the home team into the match as they look to preserve a proud record of finishing top three.

The visitors also haven't lost two many games in succession during their successful run, adding another reason to bounce back after the 16-10 loss to Tumut.

Both teams are still in the hunt for the minor premiership with Gundagai (21), the Bulls (20), Tumut (20) and Thunder (19) comprising the top four.

Albury faces a brutal fortnight, travelling to Tumut in round 15.

But if Thunder can sneak a win against the duo, it will be ideally suited to nail the double chance in the final three weeks.

The club hosts three teams out of the top five, starting with Cootamundra and followed by Young and Wagga Kangaroos.

Thunder played superbly in horrible conditions last week to oust Junee, so it has shown the ability to claim the winnable games.

And in a further boost, coach Adrian Purtell will return to centre after missing a number of games with a leg injury.

In the run home, Southcity hosts Gundagai in round 17, while the premiers face neighbours Tumut in a final round blockbuster.