Saturday's TCL Premier League decider is a clash of the top 2018-19 titans with both Longford and Hadspen possessing the firepower to topple each other.
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The Country Tigers will enter their fifth-straight Premier League grand final hoping to win its fourth-straight crown, while the Chieftains haven't won a top-flight flag since edging out Longford by one run in 2010-11.
There's a strong resolve amongst the boys to get this done.
- Longford captain-coach Josh Adams
Longford defeated Hadspen in the 2016-17 grand final by 151 runs.
Longford captain-coach Josh Adams said he hopes finals experience can shift the game in his team's favour.
"If we play to our potential, we'll be thereabouts. It's going to be a good even game of cricket, to be honest," Adams said.
"They've got some really good players and they beat us three weeks ago, so they're going to be up and about but I'm confident. There's a strong resolve amongst the boys to get this done."
Hadspen prevailed in the two sides' only clash this season in the final round, with the Chieftains chasing down Longford's 173 with five wickets in hand.
Adams, reigning league MVP Dilan Sandagirigoda and Jackson Blair have all scored more than 400 runs apiece this 40-over season, with Sandagirigoda, Max Magann and Jesse Arnol all Longford's most potent with the ball.
On the other side, Hadspen captain-coach Liam Reynolds has been well led his side's cartel alongside Sameera Vishwaranga and Nick Price, while Thanuka Dabare, Reynolds and Damien Woods have been the batting staples.
"If we do all facets right, I think we've got a really strong chance. We're up against a high-quality side," Reynolds said.
"If we stick to our style of cricket. Both teams are quite evenly balanced and cricket's a funny game, anything can happen on the day, but I believe we've done a lot of work through the year that'll hold us in good stead.
"We had a bit of success in A-Reserve last week, so hopefully we can continue that vibe."
Reynolds said a victory would be great rewards for the club as a whole.
"It'll pay dues to the committee who have done hard work over the past couple of years, and just a bit of a reward would be nice for the whole club in general," he said.
Longford is expected to enter the match unchanged from its semi-final triumph over Trevallyn, while Reynolds said batsman Nathan Balym would be included in Hadspen's squad of 12 having missed the first two finals.
He said it would be a tough decision on who misses out.
The match starts at 12.30pm.
Match winners - Longford v Hadspen
- Dilan Sandagirigoda (Longford) - 407 runs at 33.92 and 27 wickets at 9.33
- Jackson Blair (Longford) - 417 runs at 52.13
- Josh Adams (Longford) - 419 runs at 46.56
- Thanuka Dabare (Hadspen) - 715 runs at 59.58 and 19 wickets at 16.05
- Sameera Vishwaranga (Hadspen) - 28 wickets at 15.75
- Liam Reynolds (Hadspen) - 368 runs at 46 and 19 wickets at 13.84
PREMIERS SO FAR
- A-GRADE: Beaconsfield 6-232 def Bracknell 122
- A-RESERVE: Hadspen 0-160 def Trevallyn 159
- B-GRADE: Longford 156 def Perth 121
- C-GRADE: Longford 6-156 def Cressy 158
- FEMALE BOOM: Longford 3-174 def Bracknell 5-158
Corey Martin
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
Having started at The Examiner as a cadet in 2009, I have held various positions telling the stories of Northern Tasmanians in sport and news. I was appointed deputy editor in 2019 and became editor in September 2021.
