Hanwood take on Lake Albert for shot in Pascoe Cup final

The side has been ticking goals this season, and this weekend presents the club with another goal to reach, according to coach Jason Bertacco.

"We are pretty excited and can't wait to get going," he said.

"The first objective was to get the minor premiership sewn up we did that, and then we had the incentive to finish the regular season undefeated. We have had things we have been working towards, but everything has been leading up to this week.

"The boys can't wait for this part of the season."

Bertacco had held hopes that the first week of finals would be the first time all season that the side would be at full strength but with injuries sustained in the last couple of weeks mean that still won't be possible.

Jordan Dal Broi will miss the rest of the season with a broken collarbone, while Jordan Bellato will also miss the clash with the Sharks.

Dem Torino (back) and Anton Mancini (ankle) are also under injury clouds but will be given until Saturday afternoon to prove their fitness.

This isn't an unusual issue for Hanwood, and Bertacco said his side won't be using this as an excuse.

"We still don't know what our 11 will be, but we aren't walking into it as a surprise or with any excuses because we have had 17 rounds where we have done the exact same thing," he said.

"I think we have put the same team on the field once in 17 games. The boys aren't phased, and we have no excuses."

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The last time the two sides met, it was a convincing victory for Hanwood, but Bertacco knows they will be facing a different side this weekend.

"Finals are a different beast altogether, and the day we played them over here, they were missing a few of their key players," he said.

"It's us versus Lake Albert in all three grades, so we are the top three clubs in the league, so we know we are coming up against a very strong club."

A win this weekend will see the Hanwood side progress through to the grand final with a week off, which will give the Hanwood side a chance to get over the niggles.

"That is the beauty of a top two finish," he said.

"Everyone strives for it so that you have that shot at going straight through to the grand final because, at the end of the day, that is everyone's objective.

"We have put ourselves in a position now that with one positive result will get us there."

The first-grade game will kick off at around 4pm at Rawlings Park.

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