PNG born Ipswich Jets player Rod Griffin holds the Sun Engineering Cup shadowed by Rance Tero and Ray Pundi from the Western Highland Tribal Dancers. The Jets and the Papua New Guinea rugby league team will go head to head this Sunday (06.04.14) at North Ipswich Reserve. Photo: Claudia Baxter / The Queensland Times

PNG born Ipswich Jets player Rod Griffin holds the Sun Engineering Cup shadowed by Rance Tero and Ray Pundi from the Western Highland Tribal Dancers. The Jets and the Papua New Guinea rugby league team will go head to head this Sunday (06.04.14) at North Ipswich Reserve. Photo: Claudia Baxter / The Queensland Times Claudia Baxter

IT IS set to be the biggest rugby league game in recent Ipswich Jets history in more ways than one.

When the PNG Hunters do battle with the Jets at North Ipswich Reserve today, a crowd of between 4000 and 5000 is expected to be on hand.

On top of that, the Jets must win to have any hope of finishing in a vital top-two position in the lead-up to the Intrust Super Cup finals.

Jets CEO Wayne Wendt said excitement ahead of today's 3pm clash was at fever pitch.

"It is our most popular day of the year," he said.

"The fans just go crazy over it and we have a whole new range of people who attend... and that is the PNG community.

Ipswich Jets player Rod Griffin poses with Ray Pundi from the Western Highlands Tribal Dancers. The Jets with take on the PNG Hunters this weekend at North Ipswich Reserve. Photo: Claudia Baxter / The Queensland Times Claudia Baxter

"We are expecting a crowd of 4000 to 5000.

"The PNG fans follow their team all over south-east Queensland but they particularly like coming to the Jets ground because there is plenty of room and they are treated like royalty in a lot of respects."

Adding to the anticipation on the day is the fact that the Jets are in third position on 32 points and trail joint competition leaders the Townsville Hunters and PNG Hunters, both of whom are on 35 points.

There is a massive carrot for finishing in the top two, with both sides having the first weekend of the finals off and then playing for the right to go straight into the grand final.

Third to sixth place face sudden death each week of the finals series, so the Jets must not drop a game for the rest of the season and hope the Hunters or Blackhawks lose twice in order to snare a coveted top-two spot.

"We need to win all four of our remaining matches to finish in the top two," Wendt said.

"We are sitting second. They are sitting third. We are both vying for home semi-finals.

"The last thing we want is to head back to PNG for a semi-final.

"After this week we play the Blackhawks away and then we take on Tweed Heads at Piggabeen which is always tough.

"Then we round the season off at home on our Old Boys day against the Sunshine Coast, who have turned their season around as well."

There is a genuine affinity between the Jets and the Hunters.

Jets players Rod Griffin and Richard Pandia were both born in PNG and Wendt said the two clubs were close off the field.

"We supported them when they were involved in getting their team ready for the Intrust Super Cup competition and it has just flowed from there," Wendt said.

"Hosting PNG is also good for our commercial component.

"They have been really good for all clubs, and they are always our biggest gates. Going forward, we want to do more work up there with the PNG community."

The Jets are virtually giving away 200 game day T-Shirts at the ground which can be purchased for a $2 donation.

"It is a black T-shirt with sponsors Nautilus Minerals on the front and Sun Engineering on the back and includes the words Ipswich Jets v PNG Hunters 2015," Wendt said.

"We will have a sausage sizzle in the corporate centre for 500 people after the game where people can get to meet the Hunters and Jets players. It is going to be a huge day."