THERE’S something pure and proper about the last match of the season being fought out between two rival clubs.
For the fourth time this season, Rovers United Bruck and Wangaratta Magpies will face off in A grade cricket, this time for the Geoff Welch Shield in the final game of the year.
There are storylines to follow aplenty, most notably of course their last meeting in finals.
The one-day grand final back in early February went the way of the Hawks to the tune of seven wickets, but this is red ball cricket.
The two sides take to the batting-friendly deck at the Wangaratta Showgrounds across Saturday, 29 March and Sunday, 30 March, but with the work the outfield has received getting it ready for the football season, it will be hard to get value for shots on the lush ground.
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Wangaratta captain Cooper Matheson said it was always tough against Rovers United Bruck, but his team had what it takes to rewrite the history of their rivalry.
“We’re really going in as underdogs, I guess, we haven’t gotten anywhere near them this year, but we’re not too worried about that, we’ve got belief in ourselves so that’s all we really need,” he said.
“In the first game we played them, they pumped us, and we played them in the one-day final and they pumped us, and in the two-dayer a week after the one-day final, they had us again.
“We’ve struggled against them, but we’ve got to put it behind us, pretend it’s another normal team and a normal game.
“We hit the track hard this week, hopefully everything goes to plan on Saturday and Sunday.”
Matheson said runs would be at a premium at the Showgrounds.
“From what we’ve seen it’ll be similar to the weekend, it’s getting slower and slower every week.
“I reckon it’ll be a pretty low-scoring grand final, your runs are gold out there – you only hit ones and twos unless you go aerial, you’re not hitting any fours along the carpet.
“You’ve got [Charith] Perera with the bat, he’s very explosive for them, he’ll be one of the main dangers we need to get out because he can go aerial and that’s the only way to hit boundaries at the Showies.
“I think they’ve got Jezza [Jeremy Wilson] at seven, and I think Schona [Jacob Schonafinger] made 70-odd the other week, so they sure do know how to bat.
“They’re probably the best bowling side in the competition, that’s what’s gotten them there, really.
“You’ve got Paddy [McNamara], Schona and Jez, they all go at a low economy rate.”
Rovers United Bruck captain Paddy McNamara said he was confident the Hawks could reclaim the Geoff Welch Shield after losing it to Yarrawonga Mulwala last season.
“We’re really looking forward to the two days, it’s great to have it back at the Showgrounds, it’s the best ground in the comp wicket-wise, and it’s a great place to watch the cricket,” he said.
“Everyone’s raring to go, it’s exciting for us as a club.”
McNamara said it would come down to limiting the impact the Magpies’ star players have on the game.
“They’ve got a great side, they’ve got four or five really class players in there, and they’ve hit form at the perfect time,” he said.
“They’ve got some class all-rounders who bat in the top six and shoulder the bowling load.
“Fraser [Ellis] looks like he’s hit form at the right time, we haven’t seen a hell of a lot of [Kyle] Winter-Irving but he seems like an absolute class player, and Cooper’s having a terrific season.”
Of course, this is all predicated on the weather, and with 10mm of rain forecast for Saturday and the rules favouring the higher-placed Rovers in the event of a washout, players and fans will be watching the sky.
The A grade grand final between Rovers United Bruck and Wangaratta Magpies commences from 1pm on Saturday, 29 March and Sunday, 30 March at the Wangaratta Showgrounds.
In other senior grand finals, the Hawks take on Delatite in A reserve at Benalla Gardens, Yarrawonga Mulwala host Benalla Bushrangers at Stan Hargreaves Oval in the B grade decider, and Beechworth Wanderers Stanley play the Lakers at North Wangaratta in C grade.
