After a season of hard knocks, ticker and strong performances, it all comes down to this.
Clutha will play West Taieri in the southern region premier club final in Balclutha tomorrow afternoon.
It is the final most pundits predicted at the start of the season, but both teams have had to move heaven and earth to get the opportunity for glory.
Clutha have been powerhouse performers all year.
They have fast, physical forwards and electric backs, and their ability to play well for the full 80 minutes has separated them from most teams.
Clutha’s forward pack has been extremely reliable and very rarely goes backwards.
The two pack leaders, hooker Josh Turnbull and lock Tate Colley, have been in outstanding form and will be crucial to Clutha’s chances.
Clutha’s backline is full of hard workers who do not mind putting themselves into dark spaces.
Their key weapons are their outside backs, who can thrive in open space.
With home support behind them, Clutha will be fired up to defend their pride and finish what they started.
West Taieri were defeated in the 2024 final and vowed that this year would be a story of redemption.
The perennial finalists have had another strong season built on a forward pack that thrives on the front foot.
West Taieri take pride in their scrummaging and, at times, that has proved to be a huge attacking weapon.
Their backline will be marshalled by the mercurial Callum Smeaton, who has the ability to put West Taieri into the right areas of the field.
Clutha’s only loss of the season came at the hands of West Taieri at Outram.
Clutha did win the corresponding fixture at home, both sides carrying momentum into this clash from recent wins.
In the curtain-raiser, there is a replay of the 2024 Balclutha Nissan Trophy game between Owaka and Lawrence.
