Third time a charm?

While they’ve made it to the final game of the season, Deni are yet to claim the cup, suffering heavy losses against the Hawks and Cobram in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

When asked by the Pastoral Times what finally securing a premiership would mean for the club, Rhinos skipper Brad Todd simply answered with ‘‘everything’’.

‘‘We’re excited to be there again and are looking forward to getting another crack at it,’’ he said.

‘‘We will go into this game with the same 11 as the semi, unless something drastic happens between now and Saturday.

‘‘Losing the past two grand finals makes you realise that they (premierships) aren’t just handed out; we know if we are to come away with the win we will have earned it.’’

The stage is set for an absolute thriller of a grand final, with the last game between the Rhinos and Hawks going down to the wire.

Just two weeks ago it was the Rhinos scoring a one-wicket first innings win in what was a battle of the bowlers.

Deni managed to have Barooga all out for 123 after 55.3 overs before collapsing to 9/120 in their run chase.

The tail-end wagged for the Rhinos, with a 46 run final wicket partnership between Mandus Venter and Ben Irwin steering them to victory.

Deni again proved last week the importance of batting down the tail-end, after falling to 8/105 they managed to get the score to 174.

The Rhinos held on for a one run win in a thriller against Katamatite in that semi final, with Todd saying the experience of close games has helped the side’s confidence.

‘‘It gives us confidence that we were able to bowl Barooga out for 123 last time we played and that we were able to chase that total down in the end.

‘‘It comes down to batting as long as possible. Boddie (Arthur) showed that last week; the longer we spend at the crease the greater your chance of scoring runs.

‘‘We hope the middle order stands up this week and spends some time at the crease, adding runs to our tally.’’

While the Rhinos game last week went down to the wire, the Hawks come into the grand final in dominant form.

Barooga knocked off a previously undefeated Cobram in their semi final, tearing through the Tigers to have them all out for 66.

The Hawks cruised past the total without the loss of a wicket, finishing 5/154 before the match was called to an early finish.

Matt Jaensch was the star in that game, snaring 6/28 off 15 overs.

Todd said it was important for his side to stem the influence of Jaensch this weekend.

‘‘We know he (Jaensch) is going to bowl from one end all day no matter what, so we have to be up for that challenge.

‘‘We had a good look at him in the last round so we should know what to expect.

‘‘Barooga also have a couple of other bowlers who can take wickets, so we need to be switched on from the start.

‘‘Dan Ellis who opens the batting can score quickly and Riley Gow has shown he can score big too, so they have a few batsmen we need to be wary of.

‘‘They have a good couple of all-rounders too, in (Justin) Maley and (Kale) Watkins, as well as (Jamie) Stanyer who is another batsman. Both sides appear to be quite even.

‘‘For us obviously Hoges (Andrew Hogan) is one of the best bats in the comp so he’s one we will look to for runs.

‘‘Boddie (Arthur) showed last week he can score big for us, Brodie Bennett is another who has made a hundred this year against good opposition.

‘‘Then we have Edgy (Dean Edge) and Ash (Germano) up front as well as the lower order guys, Mandus, Sugar (Mick Barnett), Ev (Evan Pocock), Pittsy (Liam Pitts) and Benny (Irwin) who have helped get us out of jail the past couple of games.

‘‘With the ball we will look to Mandus to take some wickets up front with support from Hoges, Brodie and Evan.

‘‘The key to victory will all depend on what we do first, whether it’s batting or bowling to see how we will attack the match.

‘‘But as I’ve said in the past, we need to do the first part well.’’

The grand final clash will be held at Cobram Showgrounds, kicking off at midday both tomorrow and Sunday.