OFA 2023: Lake Grace-Pingrup look to go one better, Newdegate sweating on star’s fitness ahead of grand final

The Ongerup Football Association are gearing up for a historic grand final between Lake Grace-Pingrup and Newdegate on Saturday in Newdegate. It will be the first time the two sides have faced off in a grand final in the league’s history. The last time they met was the qualifying final two weeks ago, where the Bombers defeated the Lions in a 10-point thriller. The Bombers finished the season as minor premiers and coach Kelvin Holmes said the achievement has given his side extra motivation to prove they were the competition’s best. It has been a tough run for the Bombers, losing their last three grand finals and 15 players who played in last year’s grand final loss to Gnowangerup will pull on the jersey on Saturday. “We play to make finals, so we probably have more to prove because of what we want to achieve, which is winning the flag,” Holmes said. “We are super hungry and all year we have had our eye on this. “They had a taste of it last year and didn’t quite get there, so they are ready to go.” After overcoming a slow start in the qualifying final two weeks ago to book a spot in the grand final, Holmes said starting strong was a key focus for his side. “We don’t want to give them too much early and want to have a hot start ourselves,” he said. “We don’t want to be in a position like we were two weeks ago where we are playing catch-up.” The Lions will enter the match after making light work of Boxwood Hill on Saturday cruising to a 61-point victory and coach Harvey Lynch said the team was ready for another fierce encounter with the minor premiers. “The transition style was really good on the weekend and has been a huge talking point for us all season,” he said. “I don’t think the home grand final plays much of a part in the game at all. “It’s the team’s football style in general that’s building our confidence.” The Lions are sweating on the fitness of some of their key contributors, including midfield star and 2023 Ganzer Medal runner-up Dean Rintoul. “Dean has a hamstring injury and we are waiting to see if he’s at least 80 per cent fit come Thursday’s training.” While Lynch said he would give some attention to Bombers players, his main focus lay with the team that pulled on the Lions jumper. “There’s certainly a couple of players that we need to keep an eye on, but I will be trying to improve on our game across all aspects,” he said. “We’ve got a few a bunch young local boys that have come on board this year and it’s probably been the most enjoyable year to coach those younger guys.” The Lions’ last premiership came in 2016 and Lynch said the ageing team was hoping to send some of their veterans off with the ultimate success. “We’ve still got our older guys playing and I’m expecting some of them to drop off in the next year or two. So it would be nice for them to go out on a high,” Lynch added. The highly anticipated league grand final will bounce down at 2.10pm at Newdegate.