IT all comes down to this, with the Portland and District Cricket Association to cap off its 2022-23 season with the A grade grand final this weekend, to be played between the two premier sides in the competition in Portland Colts and Tyrendarra.

These two sides have been a dominant force in the competition over the past decade and more, with the last grand final to not feature at least one of them dating all the way back to the 2006-07 season.

Colts, who last won the flag in the 2018-19 season, will come into it with plenty of confidence having finished on top of the ladder meaning they booked their ticket straight to the big dance under the competition’s new three-team finals format.

Their skipper Luke Evans commended his side on a great season, saying they’re in as good form as possible heading in.

“We’ve had a great season, finishing on top of the ladder and having the bye straight to the grand final, that was a key goal coming into the season,” Evans said.

“We lost our first couple of games to start off the season, and haven’t lost since, we’re in great shape coming into it.”

The only main cause for apprehension for Colts from their own perspective is a sub-optimal lead in to the match, as a washout in the final round means they won’t have played two-day cricket for a month coming in.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a cause for concern, it’s not an ideal lead-up but there’s not much anyone can do about a wash out,” Evans said.

“We’ve got some winning form coming into it, and at the end of the day we wanted that bye to ensure we made the final, so it’s worked out fine from our perspective.”

Meanwhile, Tyrendarra heads into this one searching for its third consecutive flag, having defeated Colts in the grand final last season while also winning in the 2020-21 season.

In saying that, their captain Cam Mather said his group is very much focused on the here and now.

“It’s not something we’re focusing on too much, we want to stay present in the moment… focus on the game at hand,” he said.

As for how the two teams will matchup, a lot seems to rest on how they perform with the ball, as both sides have found great success in that area of the game this season.

The Darras demonstrated how devastating they can be with the ball only last weekend as they bowled out Portland Tigers for just 57.

Colts have shown themselves to be formidable in that area of the game as well, with season highlights including claiming 10 wickets for just 25 runs to bowl out South Portland for 81, and bowling out this Tyrendarra side for 105 in their two-day clash earlier in the season.

“Bowling could be the deciding factor… from (the Darras) perspective they bat very deep and they’re proven finals performers, but I’ll back our bowling in against anyone,” Evans said.

Mather agreed with Evans’ outlook on the game, saying he’s confident in his side’s ability to perform with the bat.

“We expect them to bowl well, we know what they’re capable of at their best… it’s just simply a case of looking to put a competitive total on the board to bowl at if we bat first,” he said.

“We also know what they can do with the bat, Luke Evans and Glenn Hollis in particular have had a very good year on that side of things… hopefully we can limit their influence.”

With both sides having come out on top in numerous matches – including grand finals – in recent memory, here’s hoping for another enthralling encounter between two sides who have been the benchmark of the competition in recent history.

As with the semi-final, this match will be played across Saturday and Sunday this weekend at Cavalier Park, with play set for a 12.30pm start each day.