It's been almost a decade since Orange City claimed a T20 Royal Hotel Cup premiership as the men in green have continuously fallen short on the big stage, a tendency that skipper Ed Morrish described as 'frustrating' earlier in the campaign.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Well, the Warriors will finally have a chance to shake that money off their back during Friday night's decider against the red hot Rugby Union at Wade Park.
The men in green have had a decent campaign thus far but have been admittedly fortunate throughout the postseason as a superior run rate saw them move past St Pat's Old Boys in a rained out fixture.
And even though fast bowler Brett Causer understands there's an element of luck behind their grand final qualification, he still says the team is going to take the opportunity with both hands.
"We haven't been able to jump over that final hurdle," he said.
"But, if you can't get up for a grand final, you can't get up for anything. They [Rugby Union] would be the favourite coming into the game.
"But, T20 is a bit funny... sometimes the favoured side doesn't always do well."
He's on the mark suggesting the away side would probably be most pundits' picks as Ryan Peacock's men disposed of CYMS at this very venue just seven days ago.
After putting just 145 on the board in the opening innings, Rugby Union's sound bowling attack cut through the green and golds' line-up, something Causer paid close attention to.
"Their bowling attack is accurate and it makes you work for your runs," he said.
The likes of Jeremy Thackray, Jonah Ruzgas and Hugh McIntyre will certainly pose a threat, but Causer has his eyes fixed firmly on another duo.
"Marty Jeffrey and Ryan Peacock can hit the ball to all parts of the ground," he said.
"They're two guys you can really build an innings around. If we can get them out quickly and not let them settle, we'll be a good chance to build some momentum."
Causer is in charge of 'leading the fielding efforts' and says if Rugby Union bats first, he'd be wanting to restrict them to 150 or less.
"There's been a bit of rain about so you've got to take that into consideration," he said.
"We'll have to assess the conditions but anything around 150 would probably be competitive.
"If we bat first, we'd like to score more than that but even with a lower score, you'd be surprised what a bit of scoreboard pressure does... our bowling attack is pretty good too."
Wade Park will be the destination for the T20 Royal Hotel Cup final.
The game starts at 6.30pm.
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below
Jake Humphreys
Sports nut at the Central Western Daily.
Sports nut at the Central Western Daily.
