It would be a fairytale result if Makoura College upset Harcourts in Netball Wairarapa's premier one final at the Colombo Road courts in Masterton tomorrow.
At this time last season, Makoura College were preparing to play in the premier reserve final while Harcourts were about to confront Wairarapa College in the premier one decider.
As history shows, both Makoura College and Harcourts went on to win their respective titles but who would have thought then that some 12 months further on they would be contesting the premier one title.
For that to happen speaks volumes for the two teams. It shows the huge progress made by Makoura College in a relatively short space of time under the astute coaching of Dayle Clarkson and the ability of Harcourts to maintain a high level of performance from one season to the next.
The challenge for Makoura tomorrow is two fold; firstly they have to handle the pressure of the big occasion - and remember none of their squad have played in a premier one grand final before - and, secondly, they have to formulate a game plan which enables them to be competitive against a side as experienced and tactically sound as Harcourts.
Being the clear underdogs should be a huge assist in helping Makoura College overcome the nervous tension which goes with games of this magnitude. In that sense, they have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Just keeping the margin between the two sides to single figures would actually be seen as a moral victory by most observers, which is a fair reflection of the dominance of Harcourts on the premier one competition throughout 2012.
Nobody is more aware than coach Clarkson that if Makoura College are to stay in touch with Harcourts they must, in simple terms, be prepared to fight fire with fire. Harcourts know all the tricks of the trade when it comes to raising doubts in the minds of their opposition and if Makoura College lose focus - as Wairarapa College did in the corresponding match 12 months ago - they will assuredly be on the end of a decent beating.
It will be vital to the Makoura College cause too, that they start strongly, every bit as strongly as they did in their semifinal with Carterton New World Legends last weekend. Falling several goals behind a team like Harcourts by the end of the first quarter is tantamount to disaster as they are not the sort of side who will ease off. Clarkson will also be stressing the importance of Makoura College protecting possession.
The throwing of 50-50 passes will also be an absolute no-no against opposition which boasts several players with the speed and athleticism to pick up intercepts deep in their own territory and quickly turn them into goals at the other end of the court.
For their part, Harcourts won't be doing anything different from what they usually do. They like to play the game at pace and utilise subtle changes of direction to keep the opposition guessing and they will be assertive right through the court, on attack and defence.
The only slight worry for them is that a couple of their players are battling niggling injuries but they do have good depth should late changes need to be made.
The likely squads for the final, which will get under way at 1pm, are:
Harcourts: Geraldine Carroll, Astee Karaitiana, Danielle Gray, Emma Foote, Carlene Karaitiana, Susielle Blong, Lyn Mika, Katie Wyeth, Sarah Watson, Charlotte Greig.
Makoura College: Kata Matapuku, Ana Garnet, Madison Tufuga, Renee Hemara, Darien Walker, Bailey Pederson, Te Kapua Haira, Ngakita Matapuku, Kelly Highmarsh, Wikitoria Davidson.
Finals matches will also be played in several other grades and the draw is: Premier reserve: Hellz Hot Shots v Carterton New World Red at 11am. Premier two: Hiona v St Matthew's Junior A at noon. Premier three:Carterton New World Misfits v Pioneer Red at noon. Premier four: Wairarapa College B2 v Wairarapa College Red at 11am. Senior A: Greytown Gold v Masterton Flames at 10am. Senior reserve: St Matthew's Junior Red v Wairarapa College Intermediate B at 10am.