Those spots could be decided this weekend as fourth-placed Clutha travels to Clydevale to do battle with fifth-placed Clutha Valley.
Defending champion Valley has it all to do as it trails its opposition by four points.
If Clutha manages to take the win at Valley, the home side will be knocked out of finals contention after being the premium team in the South for the past two seasons.
The game will be tightly contested, and Valley will be confident after beating Clutha in round one.
However, Valley is on a three-game losing streak and will need a huge team effort to claim the points.
Heriot secured a spot in the semifinals last weekend with a strong win over Toko at home.
Heriot has not yet locked in a home semifinal and is still one point behind first-placed West Taieri in the battle for the Springbok Horns.
Heriot travels to Clinton this weekend to face off against a team coming off the bye and in a dogfight to avoid last place.
Clinton’s form has dropped off after a promising start to the season.
Toko hosts West Taieri at Milton, where a win will secure a semifinal spot for the home side.
West Taieri is assured of making the playoffs but cannot afford to rest on its laurels as Heriot is closing the gap.
A loss for Toko is not the end of the world but it would rather not have to rely on other teams to do the business.
Owaka travels to Lawrence in what will be a passionate bottom-four encounter.
The Swamp Hens are in a rich vein of form after dispatching two of last year’s finalists in the past fortnight. Lawrence will not be a pushover at home, but Owaka should go in a slight favourite.
Written by Francis Parker
