Form teams meet in Luisetti Seeds Ellesmere Division 1 Final

As the top two teams in the Luisetti Seeds Ellesmere Division 1 competition, Waihora and Prebbleton will have the chance to meet for the final time this season, with the Coleman Shield the prized possession for the victor.

Meeting twice already this season, Waihora will be hoping it will be third times a charm on home turf, with Ellesmere Senior Finals to be held at Rhodes Park in Tai Tapu.

“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to play a home final.” said Waihora Head Coach Ross Soper.

“We broke it down at the start of the season and the Coleman Shield was our priority. To make the final is the first goal achieved and to have the luxury of having it at home is great, from the home support to the familiarity of the ground will hopefully be a good bonus for us, but at the end of the day, Prebbleton are a really good team so we just need to knuckle down and play good footy.” said Soper.

“We’ve got a bit of experience from the last few times we have been in the finals, but it’s been great this year to see the progression of our club and to see eight of our Colts players from last year stepping up to be a key part of the culture we’re growing here at Waihora.”

Prebbleton have already experienced finals rugby this season with a trip to the Luisetti Seeds Combined Country Final, and will be looking to go one better in the search for the club’s first Coleman Shield since 1974.

In the same vain to Soper, Prebbleton captain Tom Brand talked to the excitement amongst the Prebbleton side.

“We’re really excited to be back in the final. The end goal we set at the start of the season in pre-season focused on the Coleman, so we’re pretty keen to tick it off this year.” said Brand.

“We’ve gained some good experience from our past few finals. We haven’t done a lot wrong in either performance but it’s slipped away, so Saturday will be about putting our heads down and realising that those little moments mean a lot in the finals.”

Prebbleton will feature in almost every final on the day, with the club developing a great environment and culture that has shown with results on the field too.

“The club’s been tracking well over the last few years, creating a great environment. I think everyone that plays out at Preb just enjoys it which helps with the keeping good numbers and people around.” Brand said.

Hayden Cook will referee his first Coleman Shield Final, with Rob Goodman and Sam O’Reilly in support. Andrew Brosnahan and Daryl Sullivan will act as sub controllers.

Kick off is set for 3pm at Rhodes Park, Tai Tapu.