![Riverside Cricket Club product and Tasmanian Tigers wicket-keeper/batter Emma Manix-Geeves is preparing for the WNCL final against Queensland. Picture by Rick Smith Riverside Cricket Club product and Tasmanian Tigers wicket-keeper/batter Emma Manix-Geeves is preparing for the WNCL final against Queensland. Picture by Rick Smith](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/brian.allen/7a88fe64-5c1a-40d4-b409-7ad3ae85d5e1.jpg/r0_179_4021_2493_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Trevallyn's Emma Manix-Geeves still doesn't know how see got that crucial stumping for the Tasmanian Tigers in last year's Women's National Cricket League one-day final.
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It was a great lesson in the cliché 'you're never out of the game'.
The Riverside Cricket Club product struck on the third ball of the final over which featured five wickets and finished with the Tigers beating South Australia by one run.
The 23-year-old said she was having an atrocious game with the gloves before a pep talk from coach Jude Coleman helped her focus for the final overs.
"It gives me some confidence that I know I can stand up in the big moments and trust all the work I've done," she said.
It's a performance she'll look to draw when the Tigers host Queensland Fire in this year's final at Bellerive Oval on Saturday starting at 2.05pm.
Tasmania are chasing a three-peat of WNCL titles after beating the Scorpions the past two years.
Manix-Geeves was outstanding in the first of those with 104 not out from 133 balls in her match-winning partnership with captain Elyse Villani.
But it was the last year's heart-stopping victory that will be talked about for decades and one the Tigers took belief from.
"(Since) that game we believe we can win from any position," Manix-Geeves said.
"We take a lot of confidence from that and we've got ourselves into some positions this year we probably shouldn't have won from."
She added the group was as hungry as ever, highlighting many hadn't tasted big success before the first title.
And she takes good form into the final after knocking an unbeaten 70 off 72 balls against Queensland at Bellerive earlier this season.
Her consistent summer has also included half-centuries for the Greater Northern Raiders including a 93 not out from 61 balls and 96 from 76.
The prolific run-scorer has won multiple Kim Fazackerley Medals as the Cricket Tasmania Premier League's best player in recent years.
Manix-Geeves and Longford's Sasha Moloney make up the Northern contingent in the team and it's something the right-handed batter takes great pride in.
"The girls call me the pride of the North (or) the queen of the North which I couldn't really help but I've rolled with it," she said with a laugh.
Something seen to have characterised the Tigers' success in recent years is their mix of international experience with young local talent.
It's a group that features former South Africa opener Lizelle Lee, Nicola Carey (NSW), Villani, Molly Strano (Vic) and Cricket Australia contract-holder Heather Graham (WA).
Manix-Geeves gave a nuanced perspective when talking about how many Tasmanians made up the side.
"(Former coach) Salliann (Beams) copped a lot of grief in the beginning when there were only two Tasmanians in the team but I think we've shown we needed to get external talent in and to build that pathway underneath us," she said.
"The under-16 national team this year placed the best they ever have so I think that shows the pathway is getting stronger and we're not many years away from having a Tasmanian side full of more Tasmanians."
The former Trevallyn Primary and Riverside High student is hoping for a big crowd on Saturday and will have her family in the crowd.
"They'll be rowdy as in Bay 19," she said with a smile.