Ready, willing but only one will be able

SO WE MEET AGAIN: They have clashed four times this season but tomorrow is the one that counts the most — the Pak’nSave Premier Grade netball grand final between YMP Sunshine Brewery and Taste One High School Old Girls at the YMCA 1pm. YMP wing defence Sydney Rore (left) and HSOG wing attack Courtney Stubbins are pictured in 1 v 2 semifinal action. YMP won 44-41 and the final is expected to be another close encounter. Picture by Paul Rickard

There can be only one.

The two most consistent and best-performing teams in the Pak’nSave Premier Grade competition will decide who hoists the Jan Duncan Memorial Cup for Gisborne netball supremacy tomorrow.

YMP Sunshine Brewery and Taste One High School Old Girls take the YMCA court at 1pm for what promises to be a hard-fought championship decider.

For YMP, it is the opportunity to go back-to-back after beating Whangara Old Girls 50-45 in the 2017 final.

For HSOG, it is their first appearance in the final since 2011 — a 58-44 win over Whangara.

“Both teams like to move the ball at speed through the court, and work as a team on defence to pressure the ball carriers,” said commentator Sherrill Beale.

“I expect this to be close and the stadium will be packed with each side’s supporters.”

In their round 2 clash in June, YMP had a 64-54 win over a still-evolving HSOG.

But in their round 3 encounter earlier this month, YMP won 51-47 after the teams were separated by just one goal late in the final quarter.

And in their 1 v 2 top-four semifinal, there was only three goals in it, YMP winning 44-41.

YMP coach Ingrid Brown said her girls were ready to play in front of their whanau, hapu and iwi.

“That is something really special to us. There is a lot of belief in our squad and they are ready for the court on Saturday,” Brown said.

“Each individual has a role to play and they need to give 110 percent, but our strength is working for each other as part of a team.

Brown said they had “key leaders” with the ability to lift themselves and inspire their teammates to rise to the occasion. But it was vital they put in a solid 60 minutes and be “ready to grind” to the final whistle.

“Kia kaha, kia toa, kia manawanui,” she said.

HSOG coach Tanya Owen said her girls were “pumped”.

“This is why we play. We play to make finals and now we are one win away from taking that championship.”

The team had been working hard all season, with building a team culture their main focus.

“Having those connections on and off the court pay dividends to where we are now.”

While YMP had had the edge on them, she said felt HSOG had yet to produce a full 60-minute performance against them yet.

“They are defending champions,” noted Owen. “We come into this game as underdogs and we have nothing to lose. We are a team of 12 and it will take all 12 of the girls to get us across the line.”

The support they had received this season had been “incredible”, she said.

“It has lifted the spirits in the team.

“I am so proud of the girls — to see them come this far.

“They deserve to be in the final and it would be icing on the cake to end the season lifting the Jan Duncan Memorial Cup.

“The ‘Sisters in Blue’ are ready.”

Other senior grade champions will be decided tomorrow at the Victoria Domain courts —

A-Grade: 10.30am, IMS HSOG Masters v Old Girls Whangara.

A Reserve: 9.30am, Farmlands Ngatapa v YMP 2.

1st Grade: 9.30am, Lytton B v Uawa.

1st Reserve: 10.30am, Thistle Storm v Matawai United.

2nd Grade: 9.30am, Rovers v GGHS 3.

The prize-giving for these grades will follow the 10.30am round. The Premier Grade prize-giving and presentation of umpire awards will follow the 1pm grand final in the YMCA.