Oak Park and Strathmore will battle it out for a grand final spot in Saturday's preliminary final at Overland Reserve.
In a captivating elimination final victory last weekend, Strathmore came from behind against a strong Essendon Doutta Stars outfit.
Oak Park started slow against Aberfeldie in the qualifying final and its dominant final quarter performance wasn’t enough to see it sneak past the Two Blues.
The Kangaroos and Mores have met twice this season, with the Mores getting the job done on both occasions, winning Round 14’s most recent encounter by 12 points.
Oak Park will be hoping the result can finally swing its way on Saturday.
A fast, strong, and threatening side, the Kangaroos know finals footy well and are out to go all the way.
Standing above the pack, Holly McGregor and Maggie Styles are two great ruck options for the side, with McGregor also a strong Kangaroo to have in front of goal.
The duo joins Rhianna Nunn as some to watch, with Nunn a key staple in Oak Park’s backline.
Alexi Kasteliotis has been a late emerger out at JP Fawkner Reserve, scoring two goals in each of her Round 16 and qualifying final appearances.
Tayah Kelly will be itching to put the Sherrin through the big sticks after her 11-game streak of scoring big was doused last weekend.
Ellie Huggard works well with her teammates to move the ball forward and also has experience at converting strong play into goals.
Oak Park fields an outstanding side that’ll look to take control of the game on Saturday, but it’ll need to find goals beyond the half time siren, something it hasn’t done against Strathmore this season.
The Mores sit just one win away from a grand final date with Aberfeldie at Windy Hill next weekend.
The gold and navy blue’s perfect record against Oak Park will give them some confidence heading into Saturday’s preliminary final, but Strathmore won’t want to cut any corners.
Shaun Bannister’s side was tested against a hungry Douttas last Saturday, but a brilliant second half performance was needed to see the Mores move one step closer to premiership glory.
Taylah Gilcrist was the difference in the match, scoring five fantastic goals that single-handedly picked the Mores up and rerouted them into the right position.
Mabel-Jean Flannery also had a brilliant performance last weekend and was a star in running the ball into attack, something she’ll look to repeat against the Kangaroos.
The usual suspects in Talia Motta and Milla Murphy will look to continue their scoreboard attack, with Sarah McKinnon proving she too is someone who can fire in front of goal.
Strathmore’s number one ruck in Hollie Lawson will have her work cut out for her against Oak Park’s tall duo, but should be up for some exciting head-to-head battles.
Will the Mores make their debut on the Premier Division grand final stage and move to one win away from back-to-back premierships across different divisions, or will Oak Park have the last laugh against Strathmore and book its place in that one Sunday in August?
