IT might be new territory for most of his team-mates but Sunday’s Tier 2 grand final against Walcha will be a familiar stage for Inverell skipper Chad Makim.
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He was there in 2008 when the Highlanders won their second Central North premiership and then in 2010 when Pirates returned the favour.
On Sunday he’ll lead them out onto the grand final stage for the first time since then.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Makim said.
He is one of the only survivors of the Highlanders’ previous finals campaigns.
Back then he was the baby of the side.
Now at 26 he finds himself an elder statesman of what is a raw but talented side.
That rawness has taken a while to develop.
“We did it tough at the start of the year but we’ve come good at the right time,” he said.
They’ve come from eighth to make the decider, knocking off Barraba in the minor semi-final and then Gunnedah last weekend.
That looked a fair way off when they finished the first round with just two wins and 11 points behind the then seventh-placed Walcha.
Makim put the turnaround down to a few things.
“We’ve knuckled down and started training a lot harder,” he said.
As it often the way in the country, the farming life can make getting to training difficult.
“A bit of heart” also came back into it and their young players started to get a handle on what first grade was about.
Many of them were first- time first graders.
That heart was evident last Sunday.
They were down to 14 for the last 20 minutes of the game and then 13 for the last five, with Makim yellow-carded.
It made for a few nervous moments for him in the “naughty chair” with the Highlanders clinging to a seven-point lead and under the pump.
“Our defence won it for us,” Makim said.
“At times it was scrappy but we kept it together.”
“I thought we played a good 80 minutes.”
The forwards really provided good momentum for them.
“Our forwards have been setting a really good platform,” he said.
“They’ve come a long way in the last six or seven weeks.”
Their ability to spread the ball wide has also made a big difference.
“We’ve got some speed,” Makim said.
And some game-breakers in the likes of Dylan Lewis, Michael Schneider and Hunter Barnett.
Earlier in the season, they were struggling to get the ball out to them.
Makim said Sunday would be tough.
“Walcha are a good side,” he said.
“They’ve beaten us both times.
“We’ve just got to play our game.
“They’re going to be fast and try to run us around.”
