Illawarra have the chance to solidify their position in second on the ladder when they travel to Cromer Park and Wallin believes his in-form squad must be ready for one of their most difficult assignments in 2017. 

“I consider Manly, as well as next week’s opponents Blacktown, our toughest two opponents because they play a physical game and have a great work ethic,” he said.

“The trip to Manly this weekend is just about the toughest trip you can do in the Premier League.

“It is a big pitch, it’s artificial and it’s a long trip there.

“If we get the points on the weekend, I will be absolutely over the moon."

After starting the season with two losses, a mid-season surge has seen Illawarra skyrocket back into title contention over the past two months.

They’ve gone unbeaten through their past five matches heading into this weekend’s showdown, but have most recently had back-to-back 3-all draws against Sydney University and Football NSW Institute.

“The draws are killing us a bit at the moment,” Wallin said.

“We haven’t lost a game in weeks now, but we seem to be sliding down the table [because it’s so tight].”

If results go their way, Illawarra could jump Macarthur Rams to the top of the competition.

However, a loss could see them drop outside the top-four all together.

Kick-off is at 5pm.