South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill has campaigned hard to win Labor an historic fifth straight term in office but Liberal Leader Steven Marshall looks more likely to be the state's next leader.
This weekend's election is shaping up to have a classic "too close to call" on the night result but there could be enough working in Mr Marshall's favour to get him across the line.
If not on Saturday night, then in the days that follow he could well become the state's 46th leader after the results in a number of key seats are decided.
First and probably foremost pointing to a narrow Liberal win is the "it's time" factor.
Many undecided voters might not be that impressed by what the opposition has to offer but just feel it's time for a change.
This plays into the old adage that governments lose elections rather than oppositions win them.
In that vein, working against a Labor victory, Weatherill has the state's problems over energy security and power prices in recent years and scandals over the Oakden nursing home and the abuse of children in state care.
The Liberals will also benefit from the state's new electoral boundaries that have left Labor needing to increase its vote just to retain some seats.
University of Adelaide visiting research fellow Dr Jenis Stock said Marshall had been looking more confident in recent days and "notionally" should be able to win the 24 seats the Liberals need to govern in their own right.
"There is a feeling that it's time to change," she told AAP.
But her confidence in picking the Liberals was tempered by what she said was Marshall's lack of impact since taking over as leader more than four years ago.
She's also wary of the challenge posed by Nick Xenophon and his SA-BEST party though, like many others, believes he may have "fizzled out".
"His main failing as far as I can see is that he's tried to spread himself way too thinly," she said.
"His ambitions exceed his resources."
Working in Labor's favour on Saturday night will be its infrastructure projects such as the new Royal Adelaide Hospital and the redeveloped Adelaide Oval.
"Labor has had 16 years in which to do an amazing amount," Stock said.
"If you visited Adelaide 16 years ago and came back now you'd hardly recognise the place."
Labor has backed that up with promises of more to come. More trams and road upgrades, better hospitals, school upgrades and renewed public housing.
But at the end of the day the promises may not be enough to sway a large pool of undecided voters Labor's way.
Mr Xenophon will get some of them, but just enough will likely opt for Mr Marshall to give SA its first Liberal government since 2002.
