After being pipped at the post in the past two deciders, Colbinabbin came out with a vengeance this season and has been the yardstick for the competition with an impeccable 17-0 record including its qualifying final win.
Conversley, it has been a hard road for the Mounts, who have a standing record of 13-5, having dropped a game to Elmore early in the season and lost to both White Hills and Colbinabbin twice in the home-and-away season.
While the Demons got the best of it again in the qualifying final, Mount Pleasant got the ultimate last laugh when the two sides met in the preliminary final last weekend, trumping the Demons 40-45 to book its place in the grand final.
In the pair’s two head-to-head encounters, the Grasshoppers defeated Mount Pleasant by a combined margin of 67 goals.
While it will certainly be an uphill climb to overcome the overwhelming favourite, Mount Pleasant A-grade coach Anthea McCleary believes she has the team to do it.
“I'm really proud of our season. We finished, I think, second bottom last year, so it's been a massive turnaround for us,” she said.
“Colbo have been the yardstick all year. It was obvious from the beginning of the season that they were going to be the team to beat.
“But I did think that we were capable of being the team that challenge them on grand final day.
“So, I'm really proud of the girls for their season so far and really looking forward to the challenge on Saturday.”
McCleary said the Mounts would stick to their guns, but would crank up the heat under the brightest lights the competition has to offer.
“I think at this time of the year we can't change up too much. It's really just about lifting our intensity,” she said.
“Finals are a different story from the home-and-away season and the grand final is a different ball game.
“Nerves and all sorts of things come into play on the day and we just have to work harder than we ever have to make Colbo uncomfortable for as long as possible and hope for the best.”
Despite the Herculean task the Mounts will have to overcome, McCleary, likes her team’s chances.
“While we know we're up against it, we don't want to stop now. We are going to give it a red-hot crack on the weekend,” she said.
“It's netball, you get handed the ball every second centre pass. If we protect it and if we put Colbo under enough pressure, stranger things have happened.
“We're excited about the opportunity and, look, at the end of the day, we’ve got absolutely nothing to lose.”
Colbinabbin A-grade coach Jen McIntyre reflected on her side’s astounding season while also noting the importance of sealing the deal in the grand final.
“We’ve had a pretty incredible season to go through so far undefeated and, you know, some pretty big wins as well,” she said.
“I don't think anyone's got within 30 goals of us, so it’s been fantastic, but we’ve still got to make sure we win on Saturday.”
McIntyre looked ahead to the meeting with Mount Pleasant and was expecting a good scrap to decide the flag.
“I think Mount Pleasant is a great club, Colbo and the Mounts do have a long-standing rivalry,” she said.
“They're a great team, So, we'll go into it expecting them to be dangerous and approach the game like that.
“We respect any opponent that we face and we've approached every game like it's a grand final this season.
“We have beaten them convincingly both times, but a grand final is a different matter.
“So, we'll approach them like we would any other opposition and just prepare.
“I don't want to give too much away with what we'll be looking to do, but, they're a really good, strong team, been building well, and they're well coached, so it should be a good game.”
McIntyre emphasised that the Grasshoppers would be doing all they could to get over the line to finally be crowned champions of the HDNL after recent disappointment.
“We will be doing whatever we have to do, we’ll just want to make sure that we leave no stone unturned,” she said.
“We'll certainly go into it with every intention of winning, but we know we have to do the hard work to get it done.
“It's no use having a perfect season and then dropping this one, so, let's hope we can bring it home.
“Third time lucky.”
The A-grade grand final will take place at Strauch Reserve on Saturday, September 13, with centre pass scheduled for 2.30pm.
