Season form means nothing in decider
USQ and Willowburn prepare for Toowoomba Football League grand final
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FOOTBALL: They've led rival teams all season, but Nick Rundle and Matt Proctor can agree on two things.
Regular season form means nothing in a grand final, and mental strength counts for a lot.
"Grand finals are a mental game,” Willowburn coach Nick Rundle said.
"It's about having the mental strength to push yourself that bit extra.
"To take that chance, make that tackle or sprint that 15m to shut someone down.
"Having the mental strength to make those type of plays can be the difference.”
Willowburn booked its place in the grand final after a determined 4-2 extra time win over Rockville last weekend - a result that could be a double-edged sword for the Magpies.
"That win, coming from 2-0 down with 15 minutes remaining to draw level and then win in extra time can do two things for us,” Rundle said.
"Firstly it can give us a lot of self-belief. A confidence that they game is never over that we're always in with chance.
"But we have to guard against that being our grand final.
"We need to be bigger and better mentally in this game (the grand final). We have to step up and be ready.”
On the other side of the halfway line, USQ coach Matt Proctor said his side would be wary of a potentially fired-up Willowburn.
"They'll be coming in to this game with their tails up after an emphatic win over Rockville,” Proctor said.
"We need to be prepared for that. We have to be switched on from the start.
"It's going to be a tight game.”
Off the back of a 2-1 semi-final win over Willowburn, Proctor said his team would stick with what's worked for them this year.
"We've played each other enough this season - we know all about each other,” Proctor said.
"Nothing changes for us, we stick with what has worked for us in the past.
"It's important we understand that is it though. All the other games mean nothing, this is the big one, the game defines everyone's season.”
FINALS Juniors (Saturday): 8.30am U13B: Wanderers Waratahs vs Gatton Black. 10am U13A: Gatton Red vs Wanderers Wedgetails. 11.30am U14/15B: Withcott Lions vs St Albans Warriors. 1pm U14/15A: Hawks Hammers vs Wanderers Wahoos. 2.30pm U16/17B: Highfields vs Withcott. 4pm U16/17A: Wanderers Wolves vs Garden City Zulus. Seniors (Sunday): 9am Men's Conference: Garden City vs Willowburn. 11am Men's Championship: Willowburn White vs South Burnett United. 1pm Premier Women: Willowburn vs Rockville. 3pm Premier Men: USQ FC vs Willowburn. All games played at Clive Berghofer Stadium.
Originally published as Season form means nothing in decider
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