Hobba and the Dandenong Rangers, favourites to claim back-to-back BigV titles in 2007, will tomorrow night take on the Hume City Broncos in a sudden death preliminary final.

On the back of a nine-point win over arch-rivals Sandringham last week, the Rangers enter the clash full of confidence.

But Hobba knows the in-form Broncos are one team with the potential to derail his Championship bid.

“They’ve been playing really well for the last six weeks and they beat us at their home three or four weeks ago, they’re one of the in-form teams,” he said.

“We played terribly last time we met with them but we’re still confident. I think it will be a good game and I think if we play how we know we can, things are looking good for us.”

But finals basketball is anyone’s game, and Hobba is not about to let the Rangers get ahead of themselves.

“I don’t think we’re on a roll yet, we had a flat patch towards the end of the season and I think we’re just working our way back to form,” he said.

Nor is he about to predict the outcome of this weekend.

“To tell you the truth I don’t know what will happen, the two in-form teams are really Waverley and Hume,” he said.

“They haven’t been on top of the ladder all year but in the last month to six weeks both those teams have been winning games convincingly, so I think anything could happen.”

For Hobba, one of the standout performers in the BigV all season, the pressure to see his team through to the grand final is now at an all-time high, but it’s a weight the entire team is ready to shoulder.

“I do feel a bit of pressure to perform at this level but the team we have at Dandenong is such a good team that anyone can step up on the night and I don’t have to be the focus,” Hobba said.

“We’ve got a good 10 in our team so if one guy doesn’t perform, other guys step up.”

For the Rangers, the dream scenario sees a third straight grand final showdown with Sandringham next week.

“It’s probably the biggest rivalry in the BigV and I know the coaches and players of both teams really look forward to playing each other,” Hobba said.

But there’s a big weekend of basketball ahead before the thought of a rival showdown can even be entertained.