Moree Suns juniors will be looking to reclaim the AFL North West premiership trophy from their rivals Inverell Saints this Saturday when the two sides meet in the grand final for the third year straight.
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Saturday’s grand final match, to be held at Inverell’s Varley Oval at 10am, will be a decider for the two teams, both of whom have one premiership under their belts.
The Saints may have claimed this year’s minor premiership, but the Suns won the major semi-final to head straight through to this Saturday’s grand final.
Following the Suns’ impressive semi-final performance, Moree Suns secretary Annette Hadley is confident the boys have what it takes to beat the Saints on Saturday.
“I think our boys can do it,” she said.
“We went over there with not a full-strength side in the semis and came away with the win. The boys put in a good performance and worked very hard in trying conditions with the rain.
“If we can get an equally good, if not better, team this weekend and if they maintain their discipline and intensity like they did in the semi, I think we can win.”
The Suns also won the last general round match against the Saints, which was in good weather.
“That’s two from the last two over the Saints,” Hadley said.
“That’s the kind of momentum we want going in to the grand final. We know we can beat them in good and bad weather and we can beat them at home and away.”
Although the Suns have the upper hand, Hadley said it certainly won’t be an easy match, particularly as Inverell sees the return of at least two players who were missing from the semis, including ruckman Jordan Sue-Fong, who won this year’s Rising Star award.
At training this week, the Suns juniors have been working on hitting their marks, accuracy, timing and making sure their kicks go where they want them to. They also had a goal-kicking session on Saturday.
Hadley said the boys have worked hard all season and deserve this opportunity.
“It’s been a struggle at times and if we can get this win it’ll make everything worthwhile,” she said.
“Even if we don’t, they can be proud of everything they’ve done over the past year.”