They are finally here.
After a dramatic last round of the Picola and District Football League’s regular season, finals football will begin this weekend.
Supporters will be treated to two exciting encounters across Saturday and Sunday, with the first and second elimination finals to be held.
The second elimination final will be held in Berrigan on Sunday, with Katamatite and Jerilderie preparing for battle for the second week in a row.
Last week it was the Demons who had the upper hand, producing a five-point win.
Coach Chris Marshall said the result had given his side confidence they could win again.
“I think they had a few out (last week) and the weather conditions really helped us,” Marshall said.
“It’s going to be a backs-against-the-wall sort of thing again and hopefully we can get the job done again.”
Marshall said his side was confident they could beat anyone on their day, with it all depending on whether the team “all show up” on the same day.
He explained that young gun Oliver Knight would miss out this weekend due to injury, with the rest of the list as healthy as could be.
“We’re just really looking forward to getting back to finals footy at Berrigan on Sunday,” he said.
“All the boys are as keen as mustard to have a crack and see how far we can go.”
Jerilderie’s opponents, Katamatite, will be aiming to bounce back from last week’s result and coach Jedd Wright said he was confident they could get over the line if they sustained a higher level of football for longer.
“We’ll head into the elimination final pretty confident that if we play our best footy we’ll get the job done,” Wright said.
“Obviously when you get to elimination final time you’re one week away from being out.
“I’m sure it’s a cliche but we’re just purely focussed on this week, we’ll start to get a couple of players back and look to build a squad that can win a couple, but we know we’ll be pushing it just to get over the line this weekend.”
The Tigers will have the returning John Woodcock, Pat Horsburgh, Josh Wheeler and Chris McKay all available for selection on Sunday, while Matt Hodge and Brad Parnell will miss after picking up injuries last week.
Sunday’s game in Berrigan will begin at 2.05pm.
If Sunday afternoon football does not tickle your fancy, Saturday afternoon’s first elimination final in Jerilderie is also sure to be a cracker.
The clash between Katandra and Picola United could go either way, with the Kats unlucky to miss out on a top four berth and United able to surprise teams on their day.
With coach Trent Herbert on the sidelines, Katandra’s talented brigade of Jonty Wardle, Luke Smith and Corey Hickford will all be ones to watch, while United’s Blake Jorgensen is coming off a six-goal haul.
Saturday’s action in Jerilderie will begin at 2.05pm.