by Nicholas Duck
Eighteen rounds. Three weeks of finals. Finally, after all has been said and done, it's time for the grand final. 10 teams have been reduced to two, and now after almost three years since the last grand final it's time to finally crown a new premier in the Gippsland League.
Leongatha have been the near-undisputed best side in the league for just about the whole year. They did not lose a single game for the season, and are currently on a 27-game winning streak dating back to last year.
That's not to say it's all been smooth sailing for the Parrots, as four of those wins were by under 10 points, but like all the great teams do they have found a way every time they have been challenged. Their streak very nearly came to an end in their second semi final against Wonthaggi where a last-minute Power set shot to win the game went wide, but the fact is they have had their name stamped on a grand final spot since the early rounds of this season.
With bullish midfielders leading the charge like Tom Marriott and Aaron Heppell, as well as a balanced forward line led by Aaron Hillberg, the Parrots have rarely been left wanting for talent for a long time now.
They will be all too aware of falling into the trap of expecting it to happen though, as plenty of their senior heads will remember their 2016 season. That year, the Parrots similarly managed to get through the entire home-and-away season undefeated to make it an unforgettable year. Unfortunately, there was one thing they did forget. The premiership cup.
Yes, the Parrots were brought undone in the final weeks of the season, losing twice to Maffra in the finals, including on grand final day, to have a slice of history slip away from them.
Regardless, the Parrots will be raging favourites coming into this one, and that experience six year ago may just have hardened them mentally to get the job done this time.
On the other hand, we have the Sale Magpies. Sale come into this grand final in the rather unfamiliar position of being the underdogs on the big day.
The Magpies have enjoyed a wonderfully successful history in the league, and more often than not have been the clear favourite or at the very least an even money pick on the final day of the season. But this time, the odds will be against them as they look to cause one of the biggest grand final upsets in a long time.
Sale's strength also lies in the contest with league superstars like Shannen Lange at the forefront. But the area the Magpies can gain a clear advantage here through their big men. With the gigantic Jack Leslie in the ruck, the similarly sized Will Leslie down back and proven goalkicker Brad Dessent up forward, if Sale can control the aerial battle it will go a long way towards taking home the cup.
Leongatha and Sale met twice throughout the year. The first meeting was in round two before the Magpies truly got rolling, where the Parrots thumped them on their home turf by 67 points. The second came later in round 11, and Sale would consider themselves extremely unlucky for not getting the win that day. They managed to keep pace with the Parrots up until three quarter time before going down by three goals, but Leongatha had to tap into some incredible accuracy to deny the Magpies, kicking 13.4 for the game.
The two sides have never met on grand final day and both come into this on 10 senior premierships each, making this a historic game regardless of the outcome. The Parrots have played just one game over the last four weeks, while Sale's momentum is at an all-time high after knocking off Traralgon and Wonthaggi in successive weeks.
Can Leongatha complete their historic year and claim the only prize that matters? Or will Sale spring the surprise upset and rain on the Parrots' parade? We'll have to wait and see.