Final clash of league giants

By Mark Gullick
AFTER 21 weeks of football, the two giants of the Casey Cardinia league remain.
Cranbourne went through the season undefeated and cruised into the grand final via a 112-point demolition of Berwick.
Narre Warren did it the hard way, having to play every week of the finals to qualify.
Each team is buoyant about their chances, but respectful of their opponents.
“They’re a super team, a super club, fifth grand final in six years, they know how to get the business done,” Cranbourne coach Doug Koop said of Narre Warren.
“People are saying, Cranbourne, no worries, but we’re expecting a really, really tough game from an outstanding competitor.
“They’ve proven over the last two weeks that they’re a very, very good side and you’ve got to play well to beat them.”
The Eagles, spurned by last year’s disappointment, have played stunning football.
“We learnt from last year’s debacle that you have to show intensity early in the game, and (against Berwick) we topped off that intensity with accuracy in front of goals, which gave us the start we were looking for.
“Hopefully, we can replicate that this weekend. Last year has got a bit of motivation for our blokes about how we finished (the season).
“We base our game on team effort and everyone making a contribution.”
Cranbourne smashed Narre Warren by 71 points in round three and by 57 points in round 14, but that final margin was misleading.
The Magpies held a five-goal lead midway through the third term before the Eagles stormed home – and each coach gleaned a lot of intelligence about their players that day.
“That gave us belief that our game plan works,” Narre Warren coach Chris Toner said.
“Up to halfway through the third quarter, we were doing individual things and the guys started to knuckle down and do the things we need to do to win.”
While there are plenty of big names on show, each club is proud that their team is composed of local players.
“Apart from (Caleb) Tiller, we’ve got pretty much the same side as last year when Narre whopped us,” Koop said.
“They’re a finals experienced side and they play with a lot of passion and desire and they never, ever lie down.”