THE ability to remain composed under pressure will be paramount for victory, both captains have declared ahead of this weekend’s SCA First Division Grand Final.
Defending champions Mildura Settlers will be aiming for a 10th title in 15 years when they meet Gol Gol, who are gunning for their first title in a decade, at Alcheringa Oval from Saturday afternoon.
Setts captain Braiden Turner said despite the team’s success in recent years, it did not take for granted the opportunity to win another title because year-to-year teams changed.
“Someone may move away for work; someone may decide to retire … (because) they’ve done what they need to do,” Turner said.
“A few of the boys aren’t the youngest, so you never know if you’re going to have this group of guys together (again).”
Although Setts’ core group, which includes Richie Wyld, Jason Morrison, Luke Stanbrook, Braedon Woods and Andrew Petrie, share several premierships, Turner said the side would have up to three grand final debutants.
“My job is to keep everyone’s confidence up and the nerves down,” he said.
“I’ve told the boys – you’ve got to remember the stuff that got you there is the reason why you’re there, and you just have got to keep persisting with those things.”
Turner said he anticipated challenges when in the field due to Gol Gol’s strong batting line-up but he is aiming to keep his side composed.
“There’ll come a time when the batter might get away, especially players like Shacaya, and they might have a big partnership, but you’ve got to remember that other teams are allowed to score runs and … have good batsmen who play good shots – it’s all about being patient.”
He said Settlers’ plan would not change from the one the team had applied throughout the year – to build “dot-ball pressure” and to restrict scoring from loose balls.
“The best thing when you’re batting is knowing that during (an) over you’re going to get two or three boundary balls or … balls you know you’re going to be able to score.”
While Turner would prefer to bat first, he said he had only won three tosses out of 12 this season and was resigned to following the choice of the opposing captain.
Gol Gol captain Adam Thomson said his preference was to bat first but said he hoped his side could chase a score if needed.
“We’ll have to bat really well,” Thomson said. “Looking at the wicket, it looks very hard and good for batting so I think it will be a fairly high scoring match.
“Wade Hancock and Shacaya Thomas are probably two of the top three or four batsmen in the competition, so having them is an advantage for us.”
Gol Gol played and lost in grand finals in 2015-16 and 2018-19, but will have Nick Jensen and Matt Cameron, who were part of the club’s 2011-12 title.
Thomson, who won two titles with Merbein South, said that premiership experience, along with Shacaya Thomas’ first class cricket experience, would stand the team in good stead.
“Experience will just allow us to stay calm if the game gets close,” he said.
Gol Gol scored the most runs as a team during the 2021-22 season but will need to remain calm when they face a Settlers’ attack which led the league for most wickets taken this season.
Thomson said Gol Gol would be hungry to get over the hump after five finals series without a premiership, especially with a younger group than the side which lost to Settlers in the 2018-19 grand final.
“We haven’t been lucky enough to win a premiership, so the drive to win one is definitely enough motivation for us.”
Although the stakes will be high, Turner said he hoped Settlers’ “weird” banter would help them concentrate and be ready to take wickets in the field.
“A few of us are big Star Wars fans so we talk about that but then some of the other blokes think it’s the stupidest thing ever.
“That banter between each that just keeps us on top.”
Mildura Settlers and Gol Gol will also meet in the 2nd Division final at Mildura Senior College. Settlers will hope for another strong performance from batting opener John Mensforth, who hit 88 in the semi-final win over Mildura East, but he’ll have to contend with Gol Gol’s Tony Hickey, who took his second five-wicket haul (5/10) last weekend.
Irymple and Merbein South will clash in the 3rd Division final at Henshilwood Reserve, while Mildura East Blue will aim to remain undefeated as they face Merbein South in the SCA 4th Division final at Chaffey Park.
