The Capalaba Bulldogs' 7-1 thrashing of Taringa places an enormous weight on their shoulders when they host Peninsula Power at home on Saturday night.
The Rovers beat Power 1-0 before the Easter break, knocking them off the top of the table.
Power's weekend 2-2 draw with Logan Lightning dropped them to third, which means they will come here determined to restore their status.
Though the Kippa Ring side has long been a front runner, they accept Capalaba as a major threat and will be under no illusions of an easy match.
The Taringa win is one of the best the Bulldogs have achieved, and fans saw it as a return to the highly skilled play that made them one of the most exciting teams to watch in 2014.
Ball control was vastly improved, defence tight, and finishing was outstanding.
In addition to the three points, the massive goal tally wiped out the deficit, which may have an impact later in the season.
However, the loss of goalkeeper Jono Burrowes could be a decisive factor. His elbow was seriously injured early in the second half and he will be out for a minimum of six weeks.
The match began at a cracking pace, with Taringa stunned when Josh Sherwood slammed in a shot less than two minutes from kick-off. Marko Jankovic added another from a corner kick just moments later.
Jankovic had an outstanding match, with the Taringa attack finding him difficult to evade and his runs with the ball taking Capalaba deep into their territory.
Stuart Somerville pulled one back for the Rovers, but Jankovic initiated another move immediately afterwards and Red Rock Noodle Bar Man of the Match Sam Roper made the most of it when his shot from well out gave Taringa keeper Doug Blaikie no chance.
Roper and Jankovic combined in another promising move with Griff Mansfield-Taylor, and Mansfield-Taylor was unlucky soon after when Paul O'Brien put through a ball that was a touch too deep and the keeper got there first.
At the other end Burrowes did well to take the ball from the feet of a Taringa attacker when he looked certain to score.
Rovers had no intention of giving up, but solid defence from John Thompson and Jake Sherwood held them out well.
Billy Theodore used his height to break up another raid, setting Yuji Hirayama off on a great solo run only to be brought down at the last minute.
Josh Sherwood lived up to his reputation from the spot, taking the score to 4-1.
Sherwood was denied his hat-trick soon after when his accurate drive into the box was deflected into the net by a defender, the first of two own goals.
Just before the break another professional foul brought an end to a promising move when Mansfield-Taylor cleverly won the ball and set Hirayama off on what looked like a certain opportunity.
Taringa tightened up their defence after the restart, stopping a number of early attacks, and a raid initiated by Roper involving the Sherwood brothers ended with a shot to the keeper.
Roper was in action again with a pass to Ryan Faichnie who put it through to O'Brien, whose finish had too much class for the keeper.
The Rovers did have a couple of good chances but Geoff Hurford, who had replaced Burrowes in goal, made short work of their best efforts.
The expectation of a tight match in the reserves proved accurate: 1-1 at half-time, 2-2 at the finish.
Tim Dunn and Ben Newberry scored for the Bulldogs.
Power has won only two of six games, so the Bulldogs will have no excuses if they miss the three points at home.
Saturday's home matches against Peninsula Power kick off at 4.45pm and 7pm.
