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Some great match ups in this Sunday's grand final.
The battle between the halfbacks will be crucial, Palmyra's Dave Serakai, a tough, hard hitting ex Sydney comp first grader will be up against young Swanepoel, a talented Academy player whose main tools of trade are a fast accurate pass from the base of the scrum and a highly honed sense of self preservation. The kid is terrific behind a dominant scrum, but was found wanting under pressure, as was evident against Nedlands.
Palmyra and Academy player Flippa Manu will be matched against the best number 8 in the competition in Matt Aitken. It will be interesting to see whether Manu's ferocious strength while driving forward can be countered by the lighter Aitken, or whether Aitkens superior distribution of the ball in attack will swing things Cottesloe's way.
The battle between the two in form first fives of the comp will also have a great bearing. Both Cottesloe's Cloete and Palmyra's Austin have deadly accurate kicking boots, and their distribution of the ball is superb. The difference between the two, which may give Palmyra a slight edge, is Austin's higher work rate in defence.
At second five Tajhon Malatai will be a handful for Cottesloe to counter, and their utility back Ryan Westaway will have to be at his best to negate Malatai's scoring capabilities. Westaway is an experienced campaigner and tactician however, and the task will certainly not be beyond him.
An out of form, disinterested, and dispirited flanker in Richard Brown will probably not do Cottesloe any favours by being there, and Palmyra's Jerry Viriki has the talent and experience to negate any possible influence Brown may try to exert.
Over all, Cottesloe's pack will be focused, heavy, and professional, but without any standout players in the tight five. Palmyra's performances have been more erratic over the season in that department, but they do have the competition's standout utility forward in Kitti Fulani, and he could prove to be the wild card in Palmyra's tight five to turn things in their favour.
While I am hoping for a Palmyra victory, this is one game I would not be prepared to bet on, and either team on the day is capable of winning, and winning handsomely.
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