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Hopes remain high on Birchgrove's hill for a successful climax to season 2006. In this year's final home fixture on Saturday, Balmain swept aside Prospect in both grades to maintain pressure on league leaders UNSW. But, with three crunch clashes remaining, the season can still go either way.

The Under 20s made the worst possible start to their match, after some dismal defending from Balmain's veteran centre back allowed Prospect to race away to a 2-0 lead in just fifteen minutes. A bombardment of long throws and a tall visiting forward line were causing the diminutive Tigers' line up all kinds of problems.

As Kaltenegger considered adjusting his side though, a whipped corner from Tristan snaked through the Prospect box until Uri connected to sweep it home. 2-1 was the score, but with Frank shoring up the central defence, all the momentum was with the Tigers.

The half-time Grilling helped boost the Tigers ever more, and they started the second half surging with intent. The midfield was overpowering the tiring Prospect side and before long it was 2-2. An opportunistic cross from the right landed with Uri, who stabbed the ball home after a sharp first touch. From then on it was all Balmain, with two more goals, including a beautiful curling free kick from Bracewell, that took the Tigers to the top of the table.

In First Grade, a typically physical Birchgrove fixture saw the Tigers fully earn their 2-0 victory, built on a foundation of sturdy defence. Balmain went ahead early through an Ilias penalty after an unfortunate but obvious Prospect handball. Chances were rare at both ends, but as half-time came and went, the Tigers were suffocating their Prospect opposition. The second half began to open up, and the Tigers went close several times, including two nominations for miss of the season from Ilias.

It was Luis however who sealed the victory with a sharp finish on the turn after a half-cleared corner. 2-0 was a fair result for the Tigers, who skip to within four points of top spot. Despite the win, victories to fellow playoff contenders keep the team possibly as little as three points inside the top four. And with the final three fixtures against the teams currently third, fourth and fifth, the season remains finely poised.

Still, the Tigers can sleep soundly ahead of Tuesday night's epic Parklea fixture versus Fogolar, calm in the knowledge that they have their destiny in their own hands. This is where it gets interesting Tigers fans - stay tuned for plenty more action.