By Michael Atkinson

“There’s something beautiful about being the underdog. Nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Those are the thoughts of GPS head coach, Todd Dammers, heading into the final round of the 2016 Premier Rugby regular season.

For the Gallopers’, the equation is simple. Win this weekend by three or more points and claim a four try bonus point and GPS make the finals.

The only thing standing in their way is a table-topping University side that hasn’t lost since round one.

Despite that, Dammers and his Gallopers don’t seem too concerned.

“We’ve beaten the other top four sides this year and if we want to be considered legitimate contenders, we have to beat Uni,” the coach said.

The Gallopers have been on the cusp of the top four all season, toppling the likes of Brothers (twice), Souths and Sunnybank – all teams who currently sit second, third and fourth respectively.

But when the opportunity has been in front of them to defeat one of the lower placed teams and step in to the top four, they’ve stumbled. The only thing that has saved them is that the teams above them have stumbled at the same time, always keeping the men from Yoku Road within reach.

“There’s probably a handful of opportunities that we let slip, which has stopped us from sitting higher on the ladder,” said Dammers.

“It’s been one of those seasons where we haven’t helped ourselves at times, but we haven’t been killed off either.”

In the last four rounds, GPS have suffered defeats to Bond (6^th), Easts (7^th) and Wests (9^th) before claiming a bonus-point victory over Norths (8^th) last weekend.

Normally, those losses – which left GPS nine points adrift of the top four – would be enough to end a side’s finals hopes.

But not in 2016.

Aiding the Gallopers’ charge, Sunnybank were beaten last weekend and have the bye in the last round meaning they can’t accrue any more competition points.

They did their best to seal fourth spot against University on the weekend, scoring four tries to collect a bonus point and draw within six of UQ with just minutes remaining.

However the Students scored after the buzzer to deny Sunnybank what would’ve been a finals-clinching losing bonus point, keeping GPS’ finals hopes alive.

“When we knew we were still alive after the Sunnybank result last weekend, everyone was really pumped,” revealed Dammers.

“I told the boys as they came off the field after beating Norths and the reaction was massive! They could’ve run out and played another game right then.”

Despite a season of ups and downs, the side has placed a lot of expectation on themselves to end a 20-year title drought for the club.

“There is a bigger expectation from the players themselves; they feel they are good enough,” said Dammers.

As a former Souths junior, Dammers remembers the last title GPS won because it was against his old club.

“I was 15 when GPS beat Souths in ’96. I remember how GPS looked when they won,” recalls Dammers.

“I’d love some of the guys in this team who have played their whole lives at GPS to experience the same thing.”

Players like captain James Herbert, Dan Gorman, Michael Richards and Cameron King have lived and breathed the blue and green for as long as they can remember.

Newer guys to the club, the Setu brothers – Waita and Lagi – and fly-half Somi Pulu have only been Gallopers for a few seasons but they have found a warm home in the back corner of Ashgrove.

“These are the guys who will step up this weekend,” proclaimed Dammers.

“Dan Gorman is the rock of our forward pack. Unfashionable and non-stop.”

“Cameron King is the prototype GPS player. Uncompromising, regardless of who is in front of him and the ultimate clubman. A hard edge and a never say die attitude.”

The Gallopers will need that hard edge this Saturday if they want to topple Uni and send a massive warning shot to the rest of the competition.

Can they do it? For everyone outside of the GPS community it’s a ‘no’, but for the guy in charge of the men in green and blue?

“Absolutely.”

In the other matches this weekend, Wests travel to the Gold Coast to take on Bond University, Norths and Souths will do battle at Hugh Courtney Oval and Easts can continue their late season form by upsetting second-placed Brothers.

The Brethren need just one competition point to secure a top-two finish, but the Tigers have been giant slayers in recent weeks toppling Souths, GPS and Sunnybank in the last three weeks.