As the Super Rugby season winds down, so too does our first annual tipping competition.
With just two weeks of round robin left, followed by two weekends of payoff tips, rugby editor Ross Karl is the runaway leader.
And so he should be given - he is paid the big bucks to know little tidbits about every single player in the comp.
His safety-first policy has ultimately paid off, despite a sketchy few weeks thanks to the Blues, but the last thing Karl would want now is a choke job.
"I'm not keen to become Newshub's Jean Van de Velde [Google him - big time choke]," Karl said.
An 18-point lead would suggest that is unlikely, but there's still a maximum of 59 points to play for, so could we see a repeat of Team New Zealand 2013?
Karl has stuck to his guns and opted for all home teams this weekend, including the Crusaders by 13-plus against the Rebels. His home-side rule has paid dividends throughout, but backing against two New Zealand sides in one week is a bold strategy, Cotton... let's see if it pays off (Dodgeball reference).
John Day and Kristina Eddy are still neck and neck in pursuit of Karl, and given the contrast in their picks this week, we'll have a clear second place by Sunday.
Bringing up the rear is 'Canterbury Calamity' Ollie Ritchie and Newshub's own 'Guy Smiley', Andrew Gourdie.
'Gourds' had a bit of a shocker last week, raking in a doughnut, but luckily the form of our other punters was so bad, he only lost a point on the field.
The St Bede's College old boy is finding Super Rugby harder to pick than a broken nose.
As for Ritchie, well, the less said the better.
The rules are simple:
Pick the winner and margin of any Super Rugby game involving a New Zealand franchise, with points awarded in the following manner:
Pick the winner and margin (13-plus or 12-under) = three points.
Pick the winner only = one point.
Pick all results correctly including margin: five bonus points.
Super Rugby week 17
Highlanders vs Bulls, Reds vs Blues, Crusaders vs Rebels, Lions vs Hurricanes ,
*Margin is based on the classic 12-under or 13-plus format.
Newshub.