A final quarter rampage against Singapore has boosted the chances of newly promoted Cairns Taipans' development player Dwayne Vale for this weekend's doubleheader.

With injuries almost certainly sidelining Darnell Mee and Aaron Grabau for tomorrow's clash with Townsville and Saturday's home game against Perth, Taipans coach Alan Black said the Mt Isa born forward is in with a real chance of getting off the bench again this weekend.

"He will certainly be given an opportunity to play," coach Black told The Cairns Post yesterday.

"Dwayne certainly played well (against the Slingers) and we’re just seeing how it will go."

Vale’s chances are further improved by his magnificent showing against the Singapore Slingers on Sunday.

A poor opening made Cairns stage a fighting comeback against the Slingers last week and it was the development player who sealed the win for the Taipans, scoring 16 of the 18 points in the final quarter.

But with five games in the next 16 days to finish off the season, the Taipans will now be fighting a battle of attrition against mounting fatigue and injuries.

They are already locked in a clash for a slot in the NBL ladder’s top four and mounting injuries could easily upset their finals hopes.

Cairns coach Black acknowledged all that time on the road could soon start to take its toll.

"It's going to be a real dog fight, but we’re just going to have to play well and play our best," he said.

"We're facing two teams that are really fighting for positions in the eight, so we’re going to have to be smart about it and play smart."