It's knock-out time in the Lindroth Cup with Preliminary Finals action coming to Southern Districts Rugby Club.
Casey (2) and Northern (3) will battle it out for the final place in the 2019 Lindroth Cup Grand Final.
We caught up with both sides before their knock-out clash to hear their thoughts on their sides preparations and what they believe the opposition will bring game day.
Casey - Lin Felise
How do you feel the side performed against Power House in the Major-Semi Final?
It was definitely a game of two halves. We dominated in the first half and they dominated in the second half. But that's Finals rugby, you got to start strong and finish strong.
What learnings did you take out of your two regular season match-ups against Northern?
We are a new club with half of our team that have never played rugby union before with the other half that had played against Northern in previous years. In our first game we were able to see how Northern Panthers play, and they definitely showed us they are a strong team and they beat us but not by much. So we went back to the drawing board, and learned how to play together as a team, AND we did just that in the second round coming out with the win.
What do you expect Northern to bring to the match-up in Finals Footy?
Northern Panthers have been there and done that, they have played in a lot of Finals previously so they definitely know how to handle the pressure in Finals. Northern will come out firing but we have worked hard at training to match that.
Which players do you expect to fire for Northern this weekend?
I would be lying if I said one person. It's a Team Sport! The whole Northern team will turn up on the day. But our Casey Crusaders team will turn up and finish strong. So I am very excited, also our girls and of course all our supporters and families at Casey Crusaders.
Northern - Silei Poluleuligaga
How do you feel the side performed against Box Hill/Quins in the Minor-Semi Final?
Our team really stepped up in this game against Box Hill/Quins especially after a loss against them the weekend before, which pushed us from 2nd to 3rd on the ladder. We really worked hard during the week to ensure that the areas we needed to improve on the girls understood the consequences and the areas we had strength in, we had to ensure the execution went well. Overall, they performed better than I had expected and hopefully build on that this weekend.
What learnings did you take out of your two regular season match-ups against Casey?
Casey is a strong team from their forwards right through to their back line. We need to ensure that we play "our" game and that everything that we have worked hard for during the season up until now that we execute well. It doesn't matter how many players you have on or off the field, it's how you can change the dynamic of the game under pressure.
What do you expect Casey to bring to the match-up in Finals Footy?
Like any team, Casey is coming out for a win especially on their home soil. This is their second opportunity to make the Grand Final, although we also want to be there too. It should be a great physical game of rugby.
Which players do you expect to fire for Casey this weekend?
There young new players have definitely stepped up to the plate this season, but they are also led by some great experience too. Everyone is going to be fired up this weekend, it's a matter of who wants it the most and I know we definitely will be putting up a fight.
