Leagues Panthers and Coro Cougars to face off in GDCA First Grade Grand Final

The Cougars were able to advance straight into the decider after seeing off the minor premiers, Leagues, in the Qualifying Final, but the Panthers were able to bounce back with a resounding win over Exies Eagles in the Preliminary Final.

For Coro captain Tim Rand, it is the best two sides in the decider.

"Third and fourth had a good chance of winning, but us and Leagues were out in front for most of the year," he said.

"I think the best two teams have made the grand final."

These two sides are familiar combatants for the final day of the season, with the finals in the late 2010s dominated by showdowns between the two sides.

Heading into the final, Rand is confident his side will be able to make it back-to-back, having won the title in the 2021/22 season.

"We are feeling as good as we can," he said.

"They had a game on Saturday and had a good win, so they will be ready to go, and we just need to make sure we can match that."

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The Panthers were able to rebound well from the defeat in the first round of finals to come away with a 73-run win over the Eagles.

The fact that Leagues were able to get themselves out of a hole has captain Jimmy Binks feeling good about his side's chances.

"A convincing win on Saturday when we were probably in the trenches for a little bit has me feeling somewhat promising," he said.

"We know we have the talent and the depth, and that really showed last Saturday. Pretty hopeful that at least a few of our players can fire, and we can make a go of it."

Binks had held concerns with how the bottom six would respond if there was pressure put on them but feels the efforts of Michael Cudmore and Noah Gaske with the bat shows the depth at their disposal.

"We knew 100 per cent they had the ability to do that," he said.

"Cuddy (Michael Cudmore) had been opening the batting for us for a while and only got dropped down the order due to misfortune, and with Noah, in any other side, his is a three or four batter, so we are pretty lucky to have him coming in where he does."

The meetings between the two sides point to the grand final being a close affair with two of their meetings decided by five runs and two wickets respectively.

There was a washout in their first encounter of the season, while the only one-sided clash between the two saw the Cougars able to come away with a nine-wicket win after bowling the Panthers out for just 44.

Binks said that game was an eye-opener for his side.

"That was a good learning curve for us," he said.

"We know what they are going to bring to the table and are under no illusion of the task ahead of us."

For Leagues, the ones to look out for are First Grade Player of the Year Rand, and Haydn Pascoe can also be dangerous on his day.

The one to watch out for as the Cougars will be Connor Matheson, while the inclusion of Daniel Bozic back into the side will be welcome for the Panthers.

The game is set to take place on Saturday, but in the event of rain, it can be moved to Sunday. First ball at 1pm at Exies No 1.

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