With two rounds remaining the Saints occupy third on the ladder, a position which would bring with it hosting rights in a minor semi-final.

That is something which coach Jaden Ekert is desperate to see his side earn, an away sudden-death match in Orange against either Confederates or Ex-Services not a situation he wants to be facing.

“It’s 100 per cent the goal, we can’t leave a stone unturned this weekend,” he said.

“The girls are really pumped up for it, they are ready to rock.

“It’s massively important. Local derbies always seem to produce somewhat ugly hockey and it comes down to who wants it more.

“We’ve got to understand that Souths have got nothing to play for in terms of finals, so for them this could be their grand final. We’ve got to make sure we stay focused to the end, we’ve got to make sure than we do those little things right.”

The Saints posted a 3-1 win over Souths when meeting earlier this season and since then have endured both good form and some disappointing afternoons.

However, an upset 4-0 away loss at the hands of Parkes at the start of the month has served to refocus Ekert’s players and he is confident they will produce in Saturday’s derby.

“After that Parkes game they were really disappointed, they took a good, hard look at themselves and realised it was not good enough. Since then they have really turned a corner,” he said.

“We have gone from conceding 10 goals in two games to scoring seven and having two shut out games. It’s just really an attitude changes.

“Sometimes you have to concentrate on the small things to help with the big picture.”

It has been a tougher run for Souths, who bowed out of the battle for a finals spot some time ago. 

Yet skipper Ali Stanford said the with pressure now off, she and her team-mates are enjoying their hockey and are eager to impress against St Pat’s.

“They’re a lovely bunch of girls and we get along with them on and off the field. But it’s always a real competitive game, we always put 120 percent in no matter what the circumstances are,” she said.

“The girls have not dropped off the pace, even though we are at the bottom of the table, the girls are still playing a high level of hockey.

“Is this our grand final? Yes and no. Yes because this is our last home game, but no because it’s not our last game.

“We are hoping to go out with a bang when we play Zig Zag [next week] and win down there and finish off our season happy and in good spirit.”

While the Saints will be at full strength on Saturday, Ekert even facing the prospect of having to sit players out, Souths’ stocks will receive a welcome boost after missing a host of regulars last weekend.

Emma Siejka returns to help bolster the attack, while the presence of the experienced Amelia Burke and Maddy Airey will strengthen Souths’ defence.

Saturday’s Bathurst derby at the Cooke Hockey Complex will commence at 4pm, and will be played on turf one.