Michael Minty has everything you need to know.
How they got there
Saints: Eased into the finals off the back of some very good squad depth at the expense of the dissolved St Clair Devils, with some filtering into the Saints side. Jake Bleach and Logan Clarke were welcome additions to the side that always held a top-two position through the round robin before easily securing the rights to host the final after beating Chisholm Links in last week’s semifinal.
Bombers: They again started slowly, being 0-2 after the first two rounds due to a combination of their draw and player availability. Once they were able to put their best side together, they climbed the table with ease, and while their depth is not as strong as the Saints’, a strong side sneaked past the B52s last week into another final for a shot at a fourth pennant flag in a row.
The matches
• No 1 Logan Clarke v Brandon Hodgson
• No 2 Cody McMullan v Duncan Croudis
• No 3 Parker Aluesi v Ryan Rosevear
• No 4 Jake Bleach v Callum Judkins
• No 5 Jacob Bellamy v Ben Patston
• No 6 Tony Giles v Luke Murdoch
How they stack up
On form, both sides have strong hopes but there are possibly up to four each-way chances that could swing the momentum.
The Saints have brought back the most experienced player in the competition in Tony Giles to lead out at the expense of Connor Howes, while the Bombers are unchanged with their best lineup.
Parker Aluesi and Jake Bleach would probably be St Clair’s strongest chances, while Duncan Croudis has been arguably the Bombers’ best alongside Ben Patston, who faces Jacob Bellamy at No 5 in a match that has all square written all over it.
Key match
Clarke v Hodgson. The No 1s look set to decide this. Clarke is a relative newcomer compared to others in this contest. His unorthodox approach and knack to stay in the grind around his home track against Hodgson, who has not been at his best this season, could be the difference for the Saints. But if Hodgson can keep it in play on a day that may be cold and wet, power may beat grind in a clash that looks set to go 18 holes on merit.
Prediction
Really tough to split. There will not be much in it. With three halves predicted, the score adds up to a narrow 3.5-2.5 win to the Saints, but this could easily be flipped on its head or even end in a playoff. Time to park up and let the decider play out.
