‘May the best team win’: Brothers and Sarina prepare for battle in the MDRL grand final
Brothers and Sarina have been arguably the two best sides in the MDRL all season and they’re now set to face off in a fitting end to the 2024 campaign.
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The stage is set for an explosive finale to the Mackay and District Rugby League 2024 season, as Sarina and Brothers will go head-to-head in Saturday’s grand final.
Both clubs have been at the top of their game all season long, with Brothers taking the minor premiership with just one loss on the home and away season.
However, the Crocs are a force to be reckoned with in their own right, finishing the season third on the ladder before defeating both Mackay Magpies and Brothers in consecutive finals to book their spot in the Big Dance.
“There’s a combination of a few emotions at the moment, but mostly we’re just excited for the game,” Sarina captain-coach Kane Linnett said.
“We’ve put in the hard work these last few weeks, and now we’ve got one more job to do this weekend.”
Brothers had to do it the hard way despite finishing on top of the ladder.
After losing to Sarina in the major semi-final they had to go to battle with the Magpies again in the preliminary final to earn their place.
“Winning in that type of scenario of a close finals game has given the boys a lot of confidence. It shows that when the time comes or when necessary we can come up with a big effort or a big play to get ourselves back in the game,” coach Tom Heggie said.
“The lead up has been good, we kept it pretty relaxed during the week and we’ve looked to build into it across our last two training sessions.”
Both clubs know what the other is capable of, with both of their last two matches coming down to the wire.
Brothers won their more recent home and away matchup while Sarina got the best of them in extra-time in the semi-final.
“Brothers obviously had a really good win on the weekend and we know we’re going to have to put in an even better performance again to get the win this time,” Linnett said.
“The big thing for us is our discipline has to improve, we can’t afford to have players in the sin bin or give away any silly penalties.
“Brothers are a quality team and I do believe this is a matchup between the two best teams all year, and I’m glad we get to go to battle with them. May the best team win.”
Heggie said his team is coming into this game expecting a close battle between two top-tier sides.
“The margins in finals games are rarely very big, we’re expecting this to be another very close game,” he said.
“We know that Sarina are here for a reason, there’s a lot of NRL and Cup experience in that side, so we’re expecting a physical encounter between two good sides.
“They’ve got strike right across their back five and they can score points from anywhere on the field, so we need to be prepared for them to try to make a big play out there.
“They love to offload the footy and they have a big strong front pack. There’s a lot there that we have to be aware of about how they like to play.”
Brothers will be carrying a full strength side into the game, while Sarina may have to make up for the absence of Brayden Dunbar should he not recover from a shoulder injury in time for the game.
The MDRL A grade grand final gets underway at 4pm.
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