Stepping on the field as opposing grand final captains, Lilydale's Corey Lockett and St Pats' Tom Hilder are remarkably alike.
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Both key defenders for their sides, young leaders at the ages of 21 and 25 respectively and playing their 100th game this season, there's more than meets the eye between these two.
Steering the Demons through their undefeated season, Lilydale Football Club runs through Lockett's veins, following in his father Rodney's footsteps and playing alongside his brother Sam.
"My father played 300 games and is a life member at Lilydale so then I started playing my junior footy there," he said.
"When I was 16, I played my first year there and this is my sixth year at the club. Playing with a bunch of my mates I went to school with is good and probably why it means more but it makes it hard sometimes being captain."
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Cruising through his first 100 games without missing any games through injury or suspension, Saturday marks game 110 in a row for the reliable defender, but as a young captain - he's not feeling too much pressure ahead of the grand final.
"There's less now as I was vice-captain for two-three years and that helped, playing a couple of grand finals as a vice-captain to see what it took to be at that next level.
"Obviously we've played some big games this year already in terms of finals and stuff so I think I'm pretty calm but game day is a completely different thing to on a Thursday I guess."
With both grand final sides selecting their composed back-line stalwarts as skipper, as opposed to a midfield speedster, the two captains have contrasting views as to why a defensive leader helps the side.
"Obviously with Colin [Lockhart] on the bench and Thane [Bardenhagen] in the midfield as the three leaders, it helps that I can see everything as it's unfolding on hopefully early so if there's something we have to fix I can get onto it quicker than what they can from the bench.
"I can see what we need to change before we probably can because I'm the last one half the time."
NTFA FINALS FEVER:
Focusing on Saturday's grand final, Hilder looks to apply the pressure through his defensive leadership to set his side up.
"If we can stop them putting goals on the board, obviously if they have scoring shots, try and prevent them kicking goals and kicking points is a positive for us," Hilder said.
"Stopping the ball coming in easy to their forwards is key for us stopping the ball getting into their hands and getting it into our hands."
Stepping onto Windsor Park for his 100th game in Saturday's deciding clash, the potential premiership win has the leader licking his lips.
"To win a flag at St Pats would probably be a massive career highlight for me as an ex-collegian. In my 100th game, what could be better than winning a flag?
"This is probably my fourth year now. I played school footy with St Pats, had a couple of years off and then came back and been at St Pats since."
As Hilder's legacy continues to grow through NTFA circles, the underdogs' leader is pleased with how his football club is growing and the community it is forming.
"One thing about St Pats as an ex-collegian club, on the weekend we will have 16-17 ex-schoolboys playing in our 22 so only five or six players that didn't actually go through the school are playing for the club which is a big achievement.
"It is tough [to discipline my mates] but yes, we've got an extra special bond by going through school together."
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