Home Building Society Competition Grand Final - Wests Subiaco vs Nedlands
Wests Subiaco will attempt to win a fourth consecutive First Grade title when they take on Minor Premiers Nedlands in the Home Building Society Competition Grand Final at Rugby Park, Perry Lakes on Sunday.
Wests have come from fourth position to make the Grand Final, knocking out Associates in the Minor Semi Final and Palmyra in the Preliminary Final on their way to the big game. Well known for exceptional backline play, Wests have made the final on the back of a string of good performances by their forward pack. The victory over Palmyra was an instant classic, as Wests fought back from a 21-12 deficit with five minutes to go before two late tries stole a 22-21 victory.
Nedlands’ road to the Grand Final was somewhat more straightforward. A 30-22 win over Palmyra in the Major Semi Final saw the Minor Premiers advance straight through to the Grand Final with minimal fuss.
Emirates Western Force prop Pek Cowan will start for Nedlands, while Luke Holmes has overcome a calf injury and will start on the bench. Wests will be without the services of their professional players, as Jimmy Hilgendorf (hand) and Angus Scott (knee) have been declared unavailable for this weekend.
The teams have met twice so far, with Nedlands claiming victory on both occasions. The Foreshore side demolished Wests 37-0 in their round one encounter and backed that up with a 29-19 triumph in round 10.
“Wests are a proven team that is capable of getting the result on the day when it's required, as we at Nedlands know well from our experience of the 2004 grand final” Nedlands coach Dave McKnight said.
"They'll be a very tough and dangerous team, a very confident team, and will be hard to beat on the weekend.”
Wests coach Tony Ladbrook was expecting an exciting game as his all-star backline is set to shine.
“We haven’t quite hit our straps this year as we’ve constantly had to reshuffle the team. We’ll be at full strength for the first time this season on Sunday, which seems to happen at Wests. We probably have 10 backs who are capable and ready; we just can’t fit them all in,” Ladbrook said.
“Neddies have a strong forward pack, and we expect a challenge from them. Our pack has been a little underrated this year, but they are performing well.”
The First Grade Grand Final kicks off at 3.30pm on Sunday.
