They share top spot on the AFL Cairns ladder but Port Douglas coach Brad Cooper says his side must make big strides to stay in touch with North Cairns, whom he has labelled the yardstick of the competition.
It should be a fair fight though, with both teams fielding strong, big bodies at either end of the park and a nippy midfield to match.
Cooper's men fell seven goals short of the Tigers in their earlier clash this year, but have had some big wins away from Port.
Despite missing Cairns representative star Kurt Bradshaw (shoulder, four-to-six weeks), they will present a solid challenge for the home team.
The coach said player retention and the ability to train for longer under their ground's new lights had helped them surge back into premiership contention after a few seasons of occuping the middle of the table.
"Having a bit of stability; you can build off it,"he said. "And with the lights we are now getting two-hour sessions twice or three times a week where we can work on fitness and skill levels."
Luring back Lucas Teasdale has helped too, with former Crocs coach and current Cairns coach Andy Viola labelling him their biggest "in" this season.
He has helped the club build a reputation as the enforcers of the league, but Cooper argued Norths presented a similar case. "They are equally as big as us; they've got big targets and good movers up front, some good stoppers down the back and fast midfield," he said.
"We probably got a bit flattered by the scoreline last time; we'll have to improve."
While Bradshaw's absence will hurt the side, they will welcome back fellow rep stars Ben McCartney, Adam Boone, Mark Nuggin and Dylan Wearmouth.
"From what I've heard and saw they all went well," Cooper said. "What's good about that is, if we get that far this year, they've already been exposed to that finals-type intensity and can deal with it."
Norths host Port from 3pm tomorrow at Watsons Oval.
Last Modified on 31/07/2013 15:50