Gunnedah has done the hard yards to make the Connolly Cup final but captain Blake Small has a simple message to his side: the job’s not done yet.
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Gunnedah will host Pilliga at Wolseley Park on Sunday.
The pitch at Wolseley has been tough to bat on at times this year – in Gunnedah’s last Connolly Cup match at the ground, the home side lost 6-8 at one point before coming back to win – which could add another dimension to Sunday’s final.
“It’s a final, you have to concentrate as hard as you can. If you don’t come out there and give it 110 per cent there’s no point turning up really. It’s a game you’ve been playing for all year,” Small said.
“We’ve got the right boys there to do it. We’ve just got to take it as a normal game, go in there and play our best really.”
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Not that Small was worried any of his players were heading into the game with the wrong mindset.
“Everyone’s got the right attitude. We’ve got players in form at the moment which is really good, too,” Small said.
“They’ve all peaked at the right time.”
Those in form players include young guns Oscar King, Adam McGuirk and Kaleb McIlveen who were all amongst the runs for the under 16s representative side on the weekend.
The elder statesmen have also been playing their part including Darrin Cameron who’s claimed six wickets with an economy rate of two for Gunnedah this season.
“He’s been a big help this year,” Small said.
“He’s taken some early wickets and hasn't gone for many runs either.”
Gunnedah looks likely to be without Ryan Cooper which Small described as a “big loss”.
“He’s one of those players that can walk out there and change the game within a five to 10-over period,” he said.
Small will decide on a final team for the final in the coming days.
The match starts at 10am on Sunday at Wolseley Park.
