PERENNIAL powerhouse St Mary’s Tyntynder and new kids on the block Wandella will face off in the SHDCA’s A Grade grand final on Saturday at the Showgrounds.
The Saints have been bridesmaid and never the bride the past decade – consistently making finals but never finding a way to get the job done.
In the COVID-affected 2019-20, they were given the flag when the season ended with them on top of the ladder.
Even by Saints skipper Nathaniel Holmes-Brown’s own admission, that felt like a “default”.
If you discount that year, the Saints – while being a white ball powerhouse – haven’t won a red ball premiership since 2005.
This had driven the Saints to within a game of the ultimate success, Holmes-Brown said.
“Everyone’s really hungry – we’ve been saying it all year, this is our goal and what we want to achieve – all our guys have been in finals the past couple of years, so we know how hard it is to win it,” he said.
Wandella have taken the SHDCA by storm, making the big dance only two seasons after joining.
Bombers skipper Greg Dickson was urging his charges to embrace the occasion.
“I’m telling them not to take it for granted, because even I am pinching myself a bit that we’re here,” he said.
“You don’t go into a grand final thinking it’s just going to happen for you – there are going to be times in the game where it looks like it’s going away from you, but I believe whatever position we find ourselves in, we’ll find a way out.”
Both captains said they weren’t feeling the pressure.
“I think it’s on them,” Dickson said.
“Any grand final, you’ve always got pressure, but they’ve been the best team all year.”
Holmes-Brown responded: “We’re not feeling like we’ve got pressure on us – the boys are excited and in a good place for it.
“I feel our team is very good and that if there ever was a time to win one, this is the year to do it.”
The Australia Day Kookaburra Cup final has turned out to be the season’s most important game thus far.
While the Bombers were smashed by the Saints to the tune of 109 runs, it was a needed wake-up call.
Dickson highlighted that day as the turning point in their season.
“That was a low point for the club,” he said.
“The game following it, I told the boys we can either let this destroy us and just be mediocre for the rest of the season or actually play to the level of talent we have.”
His players certainly listened – since that point, they have won six in a row and defeated the Saints at home by 54 runs.
Now it was on the Saints to take lessons from a loss where they got rolled within 39 overs.
“You don’t realise how long 50 overs actually is,” Holmes-Brown said.
“We didn’t realise that when we lost a couple of quick wickets that day and we kept trying to blast away.
“So, we identified that if we do get on the back foot again, there’s always plenty of time to get back in the game.”
All up, the Saints have a 2-1 record over their opponents in 2022-23, but the Bombers’ win three weeks ago ensured a great game was on the cards.
It is a big weekend for the Saints, with their B Grade hosting Nyah District in the grand final.
Balranald take on Lakers for the C Grade flag, while in juniors Murray Raiders and Nyah will fight it out for the under 16s title, with the Raiders and Lakers rounding out the grand final action in the under 13s.
