Round 13 of SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific saw the Aussie derbies take centre stage - with the Brumbies and Reds confirming their top four placings - likely at the expense of the finals hopes of the Western Force and Waratahs.
The West Australian and New South Wales sides now find themselves four points adrift of the top six, and will have to pull out all the stops if they hope to make the finals in the next three weeks.
Catch every game of SMARTECH Super Rugby Pacific live and on-demand via Stan Sport.
Meanwhile, the Reds sit five points adrift of the Blues in fourth, while the Brumbies overtook the Crusaders for a top-two placing, making their forthcoming clash in Round 16 even more tantalising.
Rugby.com.au selects its Team of the Week from the Australian teams in Round 13.
While Ryan Coxon did put in a solid shift for the Force with an impressive 21 tackles, Angus Bell is still the player to beat when it comes to the number one jersey.
The Wallaby incumbent managed 16 carries and 33 post-contact metres - by far the most of any Waratahs player.
Nic Dolly continues to knock on the door of Wallaby contention with a strong effort over the weekend, however, he'll be finishing up as runner-up again this week.
The Reds' Josh Nasser put in a fantastic shift off the bench, not only having a perfect night at the lineout and picking up a try for his efforts, but helping to galvanise the Reds pack into the ascendency in the second half - with his efforts contributing to a tough night for his opposite number, Mahe Vailanu.
The growing competition at tighthead prop is one of the most exciting to watch in Australian rugby, with Zane Nonggorr and Allan Alaalatoa both enjoying strong performances at the weekend.
However, the Force's Tom Robertson takes top spot for a consecutive week, thanks to a Herculean effort on the defensive front.
Across his 65-minute performance, the Force prop managed a perfect defensive record - a mammoth 29 tackles, the second highest across the whole competition for the weekend.
In singling out Robertson's efforts, there is one player who bettered him - his captain, Jeremy Williams.
Williams had plenty of competition across the weekend, with Nick Frost and Josh Canham (bar his yellow card) both performing well.
However, an astounding 31 tackles (with none missed) and five carries were capped off with a strong lineout performance, creating all sorts of headaches for the Brumbies.
If Williams has made the list, his running mate Darcy Swain isn't far behind, with the 17-capped Wallaby looking right at home in Perth.
In addition to making 20 tackles, the lock has set down a marker for the Force lineout, becoming one of the most effective set piece disrupters in the entire competition.
In a weekend where Seru Uru and Rob Leota also put in strong performances in Sydney, Rob Valetini's efforts against a strong Force defence sent a reminder to the rest of the competition why he is arguably the in-form Australian player coming into the Lions series.
Amassing 19 carries and busting three tackles in his performance against the Force, Valetini, alongside Tom Hooper, was a key driving force for the Brumbies in Perth.
Yep, one of the big surprises this week lands here - and in a week where Fraser McReight and Charlie Gamble went head to head, both players would be deserving of making the list.
However, Perth local Kane Koteka exceeded both this week, not only for scoring a try, but across his 80-minute performance pulling off a mammoth 25 tackles (with no misses) and a turnover.
It was a welcome return after a long stint on the sidelines for Koteka - and bodes well should he maintain his current form.
While Langi Gleeson also stood out for the Waratahs, Tom Hooper's sheer effort on attack warrants his selection this week - an encouraging sign that a blossoming contingent of loose forwards will be putting plenty of Wallaby selection pressure on the likes of Valetini, McReight, Wilson and Tizzano.
Hooper picked up a try for his efforts, had a perfect defensive game and capped it off with 21 carries against the Force - the most by any Australian player this week, and second only to Wallace Sititi (22) for the Chiefs across the whole weekend.
The Reds co-captain is back in the team this week, and his performance against the Waratahs serves as another marker as to whether he should be starting for the Wallabies.
Not only did he pick up a try and bust three tackles, but his combination with Harry McLaughlin-Phillips in the second half lit up the Reds' attacking potency in the backline.
It was a tough weekend for the Australian flyhalves, with Noah Lolesio picking up a nasty injury, Ben Donaldson struggling to get any ball, Tom Lynagh picking up a knock and Tane Edmed trying to regain form.
It's what made Harry McLaughlin-Phillips' second-half performance off the bench even more of a delight, with the flyhalf not only getting the Reds go-forward, but himself managing three tackle busts, two line breaks and a perfect night with the boot.
It will be a much-needed confidence booster following the loss in Fiji - and a reminder that competition for positions remains fierce at the Reds.
It was not a perfect performance from Corey Toole on the weekend, with questions around his defence still persisting - something his competitors Tim Ryan and Mac Grealy bested him at this weekend.
However, when it comes to attack, Toole is on a whole other level right now.
Three line breaks, three tackle busts, a try and two offloads - with one leading to the Ollie Sapford try that clinched the match in the west for the Brumbies - it's more a matter of when he gets called into the Wallabies, not if.
The Reds' Dre Pakeho also enjoyed a strong 80-minute performance against the Waratahs, but his opposite number Joey Walton takes top spot again this week, with his sheer work rate suggesting big things lie ahead for this talented Waratah.
On top of a strong 20 tackles, seven carries, and one tackle bust, Walton's work rate off the ball has been just as impressive as on it.
Filipo Daugunu is asking a lot of selection questions of the outside centre position following his performance against the Waratahs, with the Reds star and Len Ikitau head-to-head in terms of attacking go-forward and defenders beaten.
Ikitau retains his spot, however, thanks to a better defensive record and a try for his efforts against a strong Force defence. With 19 carries across his 80-minute performance, he sent another reminder as to why he is the incumbent Wallaby outside centre.
The right wing position was a two-way horse race between Lachie Anderson and Brumby star Andy Muirhead, with both players matching up in terms of metres made, defenders beaten and a perfect defensive record.
However, Anderson takes the top spot for the only thing that could separate them: the perfectly executed try in the 76th minute that proved the difference between the Reds and Waratahs.
With 16 carries, a linebreak and four tackles broken, Tom Wright might not have scored against the Force, but he certainly caused the most defensive headaches.
It served as another reminder of why he is the incumbent Wallaby fullback - but it bodes well for Joe Schmidt to have so many promising fullbacks at his disposal, with Jock Campbell also starting to rediscover his form, alongside Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii.
