I HAD a massive case of déjà vu on Sunday.

For the second time this season, a classy brace from Eugene Dadi helped Perth triumph over Melbourne at Members Equity.

As Dadi slammed home the winner (a well-taken right footed volley from a set piece), it felt like a dagger to the heart for Melbourne’s Premiership aspirations.

Well, that’s what Ernie reckons but he said it a little less dramatically…"I think it's a very difficult position to be in (to win the Premiership Plate)."

We’re definitely still in the hunt but while mathematically still possible, the equation becomes a lot tougher when you start relying on other results going your way (and still winning your own games to boot).

Ernie knows his sums (and he might be playing a little mind game too), "I'm saying once, as a team, you start relying on (other) teams losing, then you're not in a good position." The draw between Adelaide and Queensland on Wednesday night wasn’t the worst result for us.

We’ve only got ourselves to blame though really. Over the course of the regular season we’ve shown patches of Premiership form but haven’t been able to put away the cellar dwellers.

It wasn’t just Perth last week but it was also Newcastle; Wellington; and Perth (again) and it's cost us dearly.

Obviously it would be magnificent to win the Premiership Plate and in doing so, lock in that coveted ACL spot early and then go on to have a crack at the double...But if push came to shove, which would you really prefer – the Premiership or Championship?

I suspect some of the football purists out there might prefer the Premiership. To be crowned the best performed team over the home and away season is a fantastic effort. Especially when you consider all the football (and in our case, non-football related) matters a club has to manage week in week out: form, travel, injuries, suspensions, etc.

For me, I love the excitement of a finals campaign. Maybe it’s because I grew up on AFL where finals footy is really seen as the business end of the season. To perform when the pressure is on speaks volumes about your team and makes holding aloft that Championship trophy so much sweeter.

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The boys are back at home this Friday and face a Mariners outfit looking to claim a finals berth.

The Mariners are coming off an exciting but disappointing loss at home against Queensland. Prior to that though, Lawrie’s team were showing some decent form – having lost only once in their last five outings.

When we met last time around at the Dome, the Mariners opened the scoring but we came back to take the chocolates 2-1, before heading off on that horror away stretch.

Both teams have a lot to play for. A win for us keeps our slim Premiership hopes alive but also puts us in the box seat for a double chance come finals time. The Mariners desperately need a win to help claim that last finals spot over Wellington or Sydney.

I fancy us to take the points at home though. Clearly it’s where we play our best and most confident football and I feel our attack will do enough on the night (despite our defensive frailties).

Tristram is a Victory fan and wishes he could say that a knee injury curtailed his promising football career.