Auckland managed to negate the Stags' various weapons when the sides met in last weekend's major semifinal, but, as Colin Munro explained, little could be gleaned in a game offering an extra life.
"It wasn't really a must-win game," Munro said of his side's 45-run win. "It was a matter of going out there and expressing yourself - if it came off, we'd have the week off, and if not, we'd have another couple of games.
"You can take a little bit of momentum but that's the first time we've beaten them this year. They'd beaten us earlier in the season, and in the T20 and also the four-dayer, so they probably have the wood over us."
One way to change that, on a pitch promising pace and bounce, will be repeating last weekend's efforts with the ball, when Worker and Jamie How were dismissed within six overs.
"Jamie will have no fear - it's going to be his last game for CD and he's been playing as though he doesn't really care, which is a dangerous Jamie," Munro said.
"If we can get a couple of breakthroughs and put them under pressure, it showed in the last game that their middle to lower order might not deal with the pressure too well. "
And with the bat in their hands, Auckland will be attempting to achieve something they have failed to accomplish since Martin Guptill joined the national side.
"We haven't fired at the top since Guptill's left, so if we can do that it'll dishearten their bowlers a bit, then you've got the likes of [Colin] de Grandhomme coming in," Munro said. "If we can hold them for the last 10-15 overs, then we'll probably be looking at a big total."
