Much has been made of the feats of goal-hoarding pair Matthew Walsh and Paul Smith, but the men in the midfield will be just as cruical to the cause when Saints and Souths battle for a grand final spot at Cazalys tomorrow afternoon.
The Saint Walsh (107) and Cutter Smith (104) finished 19th and 28th on Australia's top goal-kickers list for juniors and seniors combined thsi season, in a back-and-forth contest between the two.
Equally impressive have been both teams' midfield and defence.
The Saints did not give up a single goal against Centrals Trinity Beach in their clash on Saturday.
"It just shows how disciplined they are as a team," said South Cairns coach Dan Lock, who watched the romp first-hand.
"They are well-drilled, patient and don't just bomb it out."
Minor premiers Souths will need to counter that in tomorrow's qualifiying semi-final, Lock running through a list of threats all capable of breaking open the game in the Saints' favour.
"Rohan Couch has exploded this season, his brother Adam, Jesse Dixon, Rory Walton; they have so many good ball users in the middle," he said.
"I'd like to think we do as well, though."
Even without injured pair Billy English and Daniel Fry they just might. Zac Ewer, Luke Donohoe, Curtis Allen and Michael Markham have all good season.
"I'm jumping out of my skin and I know the boys have been thinking about September for a few weeks now," Lock said.
"We've just got to be disciplined and accountable, otherwise they will hurt us.
Last Modified on 21/01/2015 14:11