Court House may be ideally placed to finish atop the table and earn a berth in the grand final but the thought of Albion leapfrogging them is enough motivation to ensure the reigning premiers keep their foot down, says their veteran Brad Gander.
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The two sides meet in a final-round two-dayer at Wolseley Oval on Saturday.
The winner moves straight into the March 16-17 final, with the loser to face either Kookaburras or Mornington in the semi-final on March 9-10.
Court House, gunning for three straight premiership, have a lead of almost 15 points over second-placed Albion.
But Gander said an Albion outright win in the final round would result in them finishing the regular season No.1.
The sides have met three times this season, with Albion winning twice and Court House once.
"If Albion get an outright, they can certainly jump us into first position," Gander said.
"We'll be looking to hold on to the top spot, for sure, have the week off [before the final].
"We're obviously coming off an outright over Mornington, which was good - just try and keep that going."
Gander said he and his teammates never mentioned the attempt to win three straight premierships - focusing, instead, on what was immediately on the horizon.
He paid tribute to key Court House players Farran Lamb and Ben Irwin.
"With the likes of Farran Lamb and Ben Irwin in there - they certainly led from the front, both with the bat and and the ball," he said.
Despite Court House and Albion again occupying the top two spots on the ladder, 2018-19 has been the most competitive competition in a number of years - with Kookaburras and Mornington both notching victories against the big boys.
Gander, president of the cricket association, said the closer competition was more enjoyable for the players.
He also praised Kookaburras captain Cameron Milne for his "absolute blinder" of a season with the bat.
Milne has scored a competition-leading 498 runs at an average of 62.25.
"The competition has really evened out a lot," Gander said.
"There's not an easy win at all any week … They've [Albion] put together a really strong squad now. Right through from one to 11 - real quality players.
"We're certainly happy to be sitting in the position we are coming into the last week, because there's tough opposition."
At Kitchener Park on Saturday, an equally intriguing match will take place when third-placed Kookaburras and fourth-placed Mornington battle for a spot in the semi-final.
