So what better way to wet your whistle ahead of the three deciders than to take a look at our team of the season (inclusive of semi-finals) across the lower grades.

We've got a 12-man roster which, when historians look back at the 2021/22 archives, the omission of any would be seen as a crime of the highest order.

We've certainly got a lot of wicket-taking ability, with some power hitting mixed in amongst the batters.

So without further adieu, let's look at who made the cut and what they did to deserve this prestigious honour.

In our theoretical batting-order we have:

Talk about your consistent performers. Throughout the second grade campaign, Appadurai has not missed a single match, all while opening the batting and keeping wicket.

But while you get brownie points for showing up, it's his play on the field that truly cemented his place in the side.

Just three times in 17 innings has he failed to make it to a score of 15. This may seem a small feat, but for an opening bat to get his side off to a strong start week in and week out takes grit and determination. He also scored 30 or more seven times, with his 127 against CYMS in round 11 rounding out what was a stellar year.

To round out our right-handed Gilchrist-Hayden opening combo is the heavy hitter from the red and blacks.

Caughlan feasted during his three games in third grade and continued to batter bowling line-ups from round eight onwards.

While the average is far from the best among the top run getters, it is the pace at which he scores them and the consistency with which he pulls off these totals that captured my eye.

Playing the task of lone ranger more often than not on Saturdays, Harvey has had the arduous task of not just scoring runs, but scoring them under pressure.

Should Harvey and teammate Luke Bingham find themselves unable to put runs on the board, then their trip back to Spring Hill will come a lot quicker than hoped.

Combine all of that with his all-round ability and his knack to pick up crucial wickets and it made this selection a no-brainer.

And because he doesn't have enough on his plate already, we've decided to put his leadership qualities to task and have appointed him captain as well.

If you can find me a player who hits the ball further than McAlpine, then I'll call you a liar.

After promotion to second grade this season, there was a lot of interest in seeing whether Gladdy would be up to the task. After narrowly missing out on a spot in the semi-finals, it's fair to say they put any doubts to bed.

A monster 135 not out against Centrals back in round 12 was the pinnacle of a season which saw him smash 49 4s and ten 6s...good for 63 per cent of his runs.

McAlpine's style of see-ball-hit-ball will compliment Harvey's well and this is a top four that bowlers will fear for years to come.

On any given day, Prowse could find himself easing into an innings at the top spot in the order, or steadying the ship throughout the middle overs. That versatility combined with his bowling chops made him a good player to slot into the middle of what is already a very strong batting attack.

When the students made the step back from first grade this year, many wondered if this would spark a decline in play.

But with a second place finish and a grand final berth, those thoughts have been put to rest, and Prowse has played a key role in achieving this.

His stats won't jump off the page to some, but once again it is that consistency to keep his side in games which has proved more valuable above all else.

McKenzie is the lone Centenary Cup player to make the cut and it's easy to see why.

He finished as the league's leading run scorer, and second in wickets behind only CYMS' Darcy Kelly. An overall showing of this calibre deserves to be recognised, despite a lack of team success.

When you take 19 wickets across a four game stretch - including back to back six-wicket hauls - you can pretty much guarantee a place in the bowling line-up.

He got off to a sluggish start to the season, with a pair of first grade call-ups mixed in there, but once Mann settled into his role in second grade he excelled.

Combine those bowling chops with a proficiency to hit some quick runs at the end of innings and he is the perfect number seven.

A power-hitting all-rounder with line and length bowling...the Shane Watson of Orange.

The green and golds finished top of third grade largely due to their bowling depth (more on that later) and Fernando was a big reason for their late-season resurgence.

After playing just one match through the first five rounds, he picked up 13 wickets through his next four matches.

Throw in the odd entertaining innings here or there and you've got yourself a much-needed commodity.

You would be hard-pressed to find a player who had a bigger impact across both second and third grade than what Wasil did with the Warriors.

You can often find a player promoted up a grade won't be able to cut the mustard, but that was anything but the case here as he finished the year with bowling averages of 6.1 in thirds and 12.2 in seconds. Those performances helped both sides make the finals and not many can say they've been able to do that.

While the Cavaliers batters received the bulk of the credit for their success this season, if you don't take wickets, you won't win a lot of games.

Jarick had a job to pick up scalps this year and although he went for 4.6 runs an over, the wickets came in bunches to compensate for that.

He will no doubt be one to watch for years to come.

Not once was the ball thrown Eleftheriou's way and he failed to take a wicket throughout the season, quite the feat if you ask us.

Combine that with the fact that he went for slim to no runs each time and you've got exactly the type of partnership-breaking player who has a knack of stealing the show...think of it as Andrew Symonds if he dedicated himself to bowling seamers.

Walker may feel a little unlucky not to crack the first XI, but his wicket-taking ability was too much to overlook and we're sure he'll have the ball thrown to him at some point...just don't ask him to put on the pads.

He was a workhorse for City's third grade side and was a big reason for their grand final push. Should any of our hypothetical attack pull up sore, there is no doubt that Walker would be able to step in and bowl a large chunk of overs.

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