Currently in second place on the ladder, Roar are four points adrift of Lawrie McKinna’s troops but the Mariners have one game in hand after their scheduled match with Sydney FC last Sunday was postponed.

A win for Central Coast will put them seven points clear of Frank Farina’s men and surely out of reach with only five rounds remaining after this weekend.

But should Roar take all three points then the Premiership race is wide open once again with several sides having a chance to take out the title.

Roar should be able to welcome back influential skipper Craig Moore providing he can complete Saturday morning’s training session, but will definitely be without injured winger Michael Zullo whose return is pencilled in for round 18 in Perth.

Moore will likely face good friend and fellow Socceroo, John Aloisi, who will spearhead the Mariners’ attack.

In a bizarre trend between the two sides, the home side has never won this fixture in the three years of the Hyundai A-League.

This season, the Mariners won at Suncorp Stadium in round 3 (1-0) and Roar took the points at Bluetongue Stadium in round 8 (1-0). Last week’s 1-0 home defeat to the Newcastle Jets was Roar’s only loss in their last nine games.

Prior to Sunday’s game there will be a curtain-raiser game between Queensland Roar Women and Newcastle Jets Women, kicking off at 3.25pm. The match features the stars of Australia’s recent successful FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign.

The game will showcase Australia’s finest female football talent with Australian captain Cheryl Salisbury, as well as other big names such as Melissa Barbieri and Sally Shipard featured in the tournament which comprises of three matches and three teams; Queensland Roar Women, Newcastle Jets Women and Sydney FC Women.