Central Park-St Brendan’s will be hoping its shock final-round loss to Shepparton United was just a small blip on the radar as it gears up for a crunch Haisman Shield qualifying final against Kyabram at Deakin Reserve.
After sitting on top of the Cricket Shepparton ladder for almost the entirety of the 15-week home and away season, the Tigers were pipped at the post by a finely-tuned Waaia outfit, forcing them into a situation where they could be knocked out of the finals in the first week.
But if you ask the Tigers’ brainstrust, the squad isn’t fazed by the slip-up as it embarks on the finals series as the competition’s second seed.
“We had a bit of an off day more than anything, we played a few loose shots we usually wouldn’t play and they applied a bit of pressure on us and played well, so we are just going into this week with full confidence we can perform because for the best part of the season we’ve done that,” coach Tyler Larkin said.
“In some ways a loss like that can be a positive, it was probably a bit too close to finals to have that loss, but we are trying to take the positives out of it, and we will be coming into this week pretty fiery and determined to bounce back.”
He said the vibe among the group was one of confidence, as the Tigers sport a squad full of seasoned finals campaigners.
“We had a really good training session on Tuesday at the indoor centre and it was quite difficult to bat in there, so it was a great workout and something that gave us a lot of confidence,” he said.
“Having guys like ‘Ruma’ (Ramadan Yze), who have done it year after year in the finals, you could also throw in Rhiley (Lau) and myself, who have played in three premierships each and ‘Brenno’ (Brendan Scott), I think we have a really good mix of youth and experience which will give us an extra leg at this time of year.”
While Central Park is a team filled with finals experience, it comes up against a Kyabram team that boasts a similar mix of seasoned Cricket Shepparton superstars.
Falling in the semi-finals in each of the past four seasons, Jackson McLay and company will be desperate to take the next step in 2022 as they enter this do-or-die clash well rested and ready to roll.
“The vibe among the group is really good, having the bye last week we are well rested, have no injuries and just ready to get back out on the park for a big final,” McLay said.
“I am very confident in the group we have; our guys are very experienced when it comes to finals and I feel we have a very balanced line-up where we don’t have to rely on one or two guys to get the job done.”
In what is shaping up to be a heavyweight battle, memories of their last clash in round five will be heavily imprinted on both teams, as the Tigers prevailed by three wickets in a high-scoring thriller.
McLay said his team learnt a lot from that first meeting and was confident it could turn the tide this time around.
“We got a pretty good look at them early in the season and based off that game we know it is going to be another tight battle,” he said.
“To get over the line we will need to bring our absolute best cricket, our season is on the line this week and I’m confident if we bring our best we can come away with a win.”
Central Park-St Brendan’s v Kyabram
Saturday, March 5, Deakin Reserve, 12.30pm