When the two-time league tag champion Orange Hawks stormed out of the Group 10 gates in 2020 with a 44-4 win over Dubbo Macquarie, they probably didn't think they'd be facing the same side in the grand final three months later.
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But after a rapid improvement from the newly formed Raidettes side, that's exactly what's on the cards for Sunday's decider at Forbes' Spooner Oval.
It was somewhat of a last-minute decision for Dubbo to join the Group 10 ranks in 2020 as they only formed the team a couple of weeks before the start of the season.
And while the opening few rounds were tough for skipper Payton Reynolds and her teammates, gradual improvements have seen them move from the bottom of the ladder to a grand final berth.
"We slowly started to learn how to play with each other," Reynolds said.
"When we first played them [Hawks] it was the first game we'd played as a team and we were still getting to know each other.
"Since then we've all come together and become really close and we have learned how each other play."
Hawks' Courtney Morgan is well aware of the challenges the Raidettes will bring in Sunday's finale and a part of her wishes their 50-8 preliminary finals win over Bathurst Panthers was a little less routine.
"We wish it was a bit closer so we could have practiced and executed some more of our moves," Morgan said.
"It's going to be close against Dubbo.. they've give us a run for our money."
It's been a fairly problem-free season for the Hawks but Lilly Baker knows there are are few areas where the girls can improve, starting with self-belief.
"The girls just need to pick up their confidence a bit and believe that they can do it," she said.
"We also need to get deeper in attack and hit our holes. Talking in defence is important for us too."
For the majority of the 2020 season, it felt as though CYMS and Hawks were on a collision course with each other but the improvements made by Dubbo Macquarie have been immense.
While the Raiderettes lost 44-4 in the opening round, the most recent clash between the two sides was 20-14, meaning Saturday's decider is trending to be razor close. Kick-off is at 12pm.
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