SENIORS
What a mouth-watering contest we have for the league’s showpiece event.
The league’s two best teams are facing off to be crowned the champion.
Merrigum has the opportunity to write the wrongs of last season while Stanhope will be aiming to make up for the disappointment of two years ago.
Neither team has lost for a long time, so they don’t know what it feels like to lose.
And they won’t want to know either.
Both teams are littered with big stage performers.
Merrigum has Linc Wellington, Ramadan Yze, Tom Sullivan and Tom Durward while the Lions have Matt “Fonzi” Forys, Jarrod Mason, Nathan Gemmill and coach, Brenton Gray.
All of these guys have tasted success over their long and distinguished careers.
The Bulldogs have some other match winners in the form of Chris Kilmartin, Josh Pell and Bryce Wellington.
The ruck duel will see the two best ruckman in Klint Wagstaff and Josh Stammers go head to head.
This battle will go a long way to deciding who wins the premiership.
Forys has been the star for the Lions with 110 goals in the home and away season and a further 22 goals during the finals.
Luke Trevena, Jarrad Mason, Lachlan Whitling and Thomas Hepburn have all contributed goals to support Forys while Adam Auld, Seamus Herrick and Craig Emmett have been other good players for the Lions during the finals.
Down back Michael Coad for Stanhope will be important as will Jonno Barnett for Merrigum.
Their experience will help provide the stability and guidance to the back six.
For me the start will be important. Stanhope has been getting off to really quick starts in their finals and if they can do it again it may sow the seed of doubt for some of the Merrigum boys.
I can see the game going the distance, with Merrigum to break its long standing drought and win by three goals.
LAST FLAG: Merrigum, 1990. Stanhope 2007-08.
RESERVES
Lancaster will be eager to complete the fairy-tale season by going through undefeated to be declared premiers and champions.
The Wombats know that premierships aren’t put on a plate and that they will need to play well.
They reached the grand final last year and a number of players who played on that day certainly won’t want the feeling they experienced 12 months ago when beaten by Rushworth.
Stanhope has been outstanding during the finals, winning all three games.
The Lions will look to the experience of Jason Norman to steer them while the shining lights from last week’s win - Jonathan Calvert, Brayden Keck, Jacob Gillie, Jesse Olsen, Wade Foley and Timothy Britton will all need to fire.
Lancaster’s team is littered with plenty of experience.
Some of the guys have played senior footy this year and that should help late in the game if it gets tight.
Shaun Rennie, Ricky Busch, Brad Tinning, Dean Sing, Cal Herrick, Matt James and Aaron Gill will be some of the key Wombats that need to perform to help them avoid a second straight grand final loss.
LAST GRAND FINAL MEETING: 2011. Lancaster 11.12.78 d Stanhope 10.10.70
STANHOPE’S LAST FLAG: 2010.
THIRDS
The match between Lancaster and Ardmona kicks off our showpiece day.
And let me tell you this is a contest that is likely to go down to the wire.
Ardmona is aiming for back-to-back premierships while Lancaster is chasing a second title in three seasons.
But the Cats will take some solace from their second semi-final effort that they can take it up to the unconquered Wombats.
They will need to stick to the game plan and be disciplined under pressure if the game gets tight like it did a fortnight ago.
Ethan Moor, Jake Dryden, Jordan Gladman, Brodie Sanders, century goal-kicker Sam Woodward, and Jesse Babarovich will be vital cogs for the Cats.
Lancaster showed great character when challenged by the Cats in the second semi-final.
They know the Cats will give them a run for the money and the responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Jake Gascoyne and Colby McDonald to kick the goals while Tanner Cerrone, Austin Bizzotto, Jack Elliott and Steven Phillips were other key playmakers in the second semi-final win.
LAST FLAG: Ardmona, 2014 and Lancaster, 2013.
Last Modified on 07/12/2015 14:50