THERE are genuine claims that both Skipton and Carngham-Linton are the hunted teams in today's Lexton Plains Football League senior grand final.
The Emus have been the dominant team throughout 2009, with just one defeat from their 17 matches and head into the grand final unbeaten in their three clashes this season with today's rival.
And while two of these victories were convincing, Carngham-Linton can not be denied when it comes to finals.
The Saints have won the past three premierships and are always regarded as one of the league's prized scalps.
Skipton coach Tim McKay, who is expected to make his long-awaited return from a knee injury today, played down his team's dominance this year.
"We have finished on top and people have perceived our year as being a pretty strong year," McKay said.
"But during the course of it (season) there were probably three or four games that we won in the last five minutes of the last quarters and that probably blew out to a four or five goal margin, which shows it has been a stronger
year for us.
"But certainly we have been pushed all the way."
McKay knows that the Saints are masters when finals come around.
"Carngham-Linton is always going to be strong at this time of year, they have proved that in the last decade," he said.
"We know if we are not playing at our full capacity it is going to be a bit of a battle."
But Carngham-Linton knows it will have to lift its game to overcome Skipton today.
That's what will be firmly on the mind of Saints assistant coach Jake Pring, who believes the Emus' strength lies in their forward line.
"Throughout the year they have definitely been the standout side," Pring said.
The Emus have three players that have booted more than 40 goals this season - Tim McKay, Keirnan Molloy and Joel Riske.
McKay and Molloy kicked a total of nine goals each in their two clashes against the Saints this season, while Riske managed five in the Emus' round seven victory.
All three were missing from Skipton's narrow round 16 win, which allowed defender Cameron Postlethwaite to be thrown forward and boot six, his only majors of the season.
Matthew Hind has been another handy contributor up forward and also poses a threat today.
Despite this, Pring believes the Saints' backline is capable of containing the prolific Skipton forwards, who kicked in excess of 300 points more than any other team in the home and away season.
Today's LPFL senior grand final will be held at Learmonth from 2.45pm
Above photo courtesy of Ballarat Courier: Skipton coach Tim McKay, left, and Carngham-Linton coach Jason Hill with the coveted LPFL premiership cup. Picture: Zhenshi van der Klooster
Last Modified on 24/02/2010 23:19
