After 64 regular season matches, the distribution of 384 MVP votes and eight finals matches, we are down to the final two teams.
The Dazzlers Dingoes and Grubs, the two teams left standing after all is said and done, are left to fight it out for the FCFL premiership this weekend.
While the Dingoes have been the most consistent club since the FCFL was formed in 2018, with back to back grand final appearances, it is the second time they will meet the Grubs in the finals, and will be the first time the two clubs have met in the showpiece match.
They then scored impressive victories over the Grubs and B!tches by 801-745 and 813-728 respectively, with defence the forefront of the latter win as they were able to keep the B!tches, the highest-scoring team in the competition, to just under 730.
But while HOK/2RF Jazz Tevaga remains in serious doubt after suffering a shoulder injury in the win over the B!tches, they’ll be boosted by the return of Villiame Kikau from suspension.
Villiame Kikau returns from suspension in the Grand Final.
If Tevaga is ruled out of the showdown, the Dingoes have their Plan B – with Kikau and Isaiah Papali’i potential replacements for the 2RF.
He and Brent Naden were brought to the club late as they sought to gather some momentum into the finals, which had seen them lose their last regular season game to the Piranhas convincingly. This followed their premiership success in 2018, from which only Kikau, Cody Walker, Jake Trbojevic, Jordan Rapana and Martin Taupau remain.
Dingoes will have their work cut out for them and they will have to overcome a Grubs side keen to send their FLB/5-8 Gareth Widdop out a winner. The Englishman overcame injury in beating a dislocated shoulder.
Widdop, a one time supercoach stud, has struggled in recent seasons with injuries and poor form which saw his out and performance drop significantly.
The news that Robbie Farah will also retire after the Grand Final regardless of if the Dingoes take out their second premiership and in the process become the first club ever to win back-to-back flags in a unified competition.
Now that you’ve got the info, it’s time to crunch all the important numbers below.
Gareth Widdop
Dazzlers Dingoes (1) vs Grubs (4)
Thursday, August 08
7:50pm
Edmund Thornton Reserve
This season: Dingoes 573 defeated Grubs 479 at Kirrawee Oval in round 11; Dingoes 898 defeated Grubs 733 at Edmund Thornton Reserve in round 4.
Last meeting in a finals match: Dingoes 801-745 at Edmund Thornton Reserve in the first qualifying final, 2019.
The stats that matter
* This is the Dingoes’ 2nd Grand Final, while for the Grubs this is their first. They are going for their 2nd and first premierships respectively.
* No team has managed to successfully defend their premiership in the FCFL ever.
* After the Dingoes 2018 title win, only Villiame Kikau, Cody Walker, Jake Trbojevic, Jordan Rapana and Martin Taupau remain.
Cameron Munster of the Dingoes
Predictions
Match: Grubs by 22 points.
FCFL Grand Final MVP: Mitchell Moses (if the Grubs win), Robbie Farah (if the Dingoes win).