Round 5 Preview: Dingle leads charge for Chopperoos selection

Third-generation axeman Brodie Dingle admits he is yet to hit his straps in the 2016 STIHL Timbersports Australian Championship.

But with one round remaining, in Bathurst on October 8, the Queenslander knows exactly what he must do.

"I had a pretty good run in the standing block at Sandown but there are a few areas I need to work on like my singlebuck, which is an area that has slipped," Dingle said.

"The old man has picked up a few little technique things that won't take too much to change but will hopefully have an impact on my results.

"I need a better all-round performance in Bathurst and hopefully I am on track to do that."

Dingle climbed into 5th on the Championship ladder with a consistent performance in the penultimate round in Sandown, including second in the stocksaw and fourth in the standing block.

The top five competitors earn Australian selection for the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS World Championship in Stuttgart, Germany.

Series leader Laurence O'Toole (VIC) has already made the cut, along with Brad De Losa (NSW), Jamie Head (QLD) and Brayden Meyer (VIC), leaving Dingle in prime position to seize the last remaining spot.

He will have a tough fight on his hands, however, with just three points separating fifth and eighth position.

"I would have liked to have been a little bit higher up but my whole objective all year has been to make it to Worlds," Dingle said.

"But Kody Steers had a rough day at Sandown, Matthew Gurr is never going to go away and Mitch Argent has had few unlucky wood draws.

"It is a high pressure environment and those guys are good competitors so they are going to throw everything they can to get to that final spot."

At the top of the ladder, O'Toole needs a top-two finish in Bathurst to be named Australian Champion.

It will all be decided in the fifth and final round of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Australia, in Bathurst, NSW on October 7-9.