NEW England Nomads and Tamworth Kangaroos will reignite their finals rivalry when they clash for the Tamworth AFL grand final hosting rights at Bellevue Oval on Saturday.
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The two fought it out for the silverware last year with the Nomads triumphing to claim their fourth straight premiership.
The premiers have been unstoppable again this season, finishing undefeated minor premiers, but after watching the Roos dismantle Moree last week are expecting a tough challenge to secure the first spot in the grand final.
"They are looking pretty sharp,” Jed Ellis-Cluff told The Armidale Express’ Ellen Dunger.
"They are a quality team all over the park.
“They have really good players on every line so we will certainly have our work cut out for us.”
He said it is usually won through the midfield for them.
"We have the forward line. If we can get it in there we can kick the goals so as long as the mid-fielders are getting it in and stopping them getting too many entries in their forward 50, hopefully it will take care of itself,” he said.
The midfield battle will be decisive, and could see the enticing match-up of the joint Gillies medalists in Ellis-Cluff and Daniel Leon.
Ellis-Cluff also picked up the Griffiths medal as the competition's leading goal-scorer and looms as one of the biggest threats to the Roos hopes.
As Roos coach Tony Bishop remarked in he, Zac Economou and Dave Richards they have got a good avenue to goal.
The key for the Roos is to cut off the feed up to them.
“A win in the middle will see us going quite well,” Bishop said.
“I don't think their defence is as strong as other years.”
“So that's an opportunity for us,” he said.
That said, the Roos frontline is a bit depleted with Matt Hodge still a week or two away.
Bishop will be looking to them to replicate the intensity they played with against the Suns, and put top of the list for his side being disciplined.
“The boys keeping their mouths shut when calls go against us,” he said.
“It's hurt us in big games in the past.”
The last game against the Nomads they had players binned.
Their preparation hasn't been the best.
“It's been a bit of a disrupted week this week,” Bishop said.
“We can't get onto the field. We've had to train in the basketball court.”
In the minor semi-final Inverell Saints will host the Gunnedah Bulldogs.