It has been a rapid rise up the ladder for Cranbourne this season, from the bottom rungs in 2014 to the minor premiership this year and a chance now at winning the flag this Sunday against Knox in the Division 1 decider.
Currently on a 14 game winning streak, the Eagles last loss was in Round 4 to Seaford, before a draw to Knox in Round 5 which kick started the unbeaten run the following round.
In Round 13 Cranbourne moved to top spot as the door was closed to the top 4, with Knox re-entering the finals mix, staying there till seasons end.
Come finals time, the minor premiers turned the tables on Seaford in the semi final to claim a hard fought 12 point win, earning the week off.
Knox has made the Grand Final from fourth spot, winning eight of its last nine games. The Falcons last loss was to North Geelong in Round 16 – a result they reversed less than a month later in the semi final.
Team manager Emily Parks – an injured recruit at the start of the season - knows her side is playing the benchmark of the competition in the Grand Final.
- CLICK HERE to watch a live video stream of the game on Sunday from 12pm
“Cranbourne for us have been the measuring stick all season, they are fast and well skilled and play with a sense of flair the way they like to switch the play and kick a lot of their goals on the run,” Parks said.
“We had a draw early in the season at home and then in very windy conditions at Cranbourne they were far too good for us so we will need to be at our best to combat their run and carry.”
Cranbourne coach Kris Smith knows the current winning streak means nothing come Grand Final day, as his club strives for its first premiership.
“It's a great achievement making the Grand Final but it's a job half done, now it's about preparing as best we can and to set about playing the brand of footy that got us here,” Smith said.
“Cranbourne women's team has never won a premiership and only played in one Grand Final so it's a huge opportunity for this group to create a little piece of history.”
For Smith, it was no surprise that Knox was the team to make it through to the season decider, with his club developing a game style this year to combat the top teams, with Knox a finalist in 2014.
“Knox is a quality team and it's no surprise to us that were playing them - we drew with them earlier in the year and had a close hard fought win last time we met,” he said.
“We worked hard on developing our game style to stand up against the top sides, and it did late in the season with two great come from behind wins over Seaford and North Geelong at their home grounds.”
Knox overcame early season injuries to comp best and fairest Kristy Stratton as well as Parks herself, but have been able to show great depth to make Grand Final day.
“For a club in just its second year to make a Grand Final in the super competitive Division 1 is a remarkable effort and everyone involved should feel proud of what we have achieved in such a short period of time.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Cranbourne: Tess McEvoy, Cara Moody, Hayley Wides, Bianca Jacobsen
Knox: Chanelle Slater, Melissa Kuys, Jasmin Harrison, Cassandra Papadopoulos
PATH TO GRAND FINAL
Cranbourne:
Semi final: Cranbourne 5.10 40 d Seaford 3.10 28
Knox:
Semi final: Knox 2.12 24 d North Geelong 2.5 17
Preliminary final: Knox 7.6 48 d Seaford 6.8 44
HEAD TO HEAD
Round 5: Knox 9.5 59 dw Cranbourne 9.5 59
Round 11: Cranbourne 8.10 58 d Knox 3.2 20
Last Modified on 10/09/2015 18:37