Adelaide looked certain to force their way into the top four by season's end largely on the back of Randle’s form that has seen the diminutive star already penciled in for league MVP honours.

However, they now appear at long odds after losing their past two games without Randle who left the court with a knee injury in the 36rs 104-90 win over the Hawks two weeks ago.

It’s allowed New Zealand to storm back into fourth place and leaves Adelaide with the arduous task of beating Illawarra and Perth on the road to sneak into the post-season.

Adelaide remained coy on Monday saying a final decision will likely come just hours before tip-off but Hawks captain Oscar Forman said his side are preparing for Randle to play.

“Any time I hear that they’re going to make a last-minute decision I think they’re going to play,” Forman said.

“It’s a very different look for Adelaide whether he plays or not because he’s so ball-dominant for them. He’s a guy that has the ball in his hands and makes a lot of plays for them.

“If he plays it’s very different for us so we need to make sure we have two game-plans going forward.”

The injury kept Randle to just four points the last time the two sides met but the 36rs still managed to humble the Hawks with a 20-2 run in the fourth to claim the win and a 2-1 series lead heading into Friday.

Forman said the Hawks will need to match the intensity of what’s sure to be a desperate outfit.

“They’re style will be very similar to that game in Adelaide. They’ll come out, try and bring the biffo a bit and be really physical,” he said.

“When we played them at their joint they really upped the intensity, upped the physicality and we struggled with that. 

“That’s exactly what they’re going to bring again. Their season’s on the line and they’ve figured out that’s a way they can match up an beat us.

“We need to match that to get a win and take momentum into the play-offs.”