From a neutral perspective, tomorrow's Stafford Choat Memorial final between holders Kamo and challengers Onerahi should be a cracker and provide plenty of what everyone wants in a final - goals.
A repeat of last year's League Cup final would provide a memorable end to the season. Then the two teams battled out a pulsating 4-4 draw after extra time and it took a penalty shootout to separate the two teams, Kamo proving triumphant.
Kamo's attacking prowess has never been in question with a potent strike force that includes Steve Schimmel, Keegan Baddeley and Sammy Oso.
Held 0-0 at halftime by FC Whangarei in last Saturday's semifinal, the strikers scored four unanswered goals in the second half to grab a final place.
Kamo co-coach Paul Cross said they were unbeaten against Onerahi this season but ever since the North Force players had returned to their respective clubs, for the end-of-year knockout competition, the gap between the two sides had narrowed.
"Early on in the year we beat Onerahi fairly easily, although I got the feeling they had a fairly good defensive unit, because they weren't easy to break down but they lacked a bit of quality going forward.
"So I guess when you throw attacking players like Scott Burgess and Jason Teal into the mix, then that will make them a lot more threatening.
"I think it will be a fitting final with the two best teams fronting up with their best players and playing good football, so may the best team win."
The two teams met in the League Cup final a few weeks ago and Kamo scraped through that encounter with a close 1-0 win. Now Onerahi are looking to even up the ledger.
"We're sick of being the bridesmaids and we're reasonably confident we can do the business this week in the final," coach Dave Alabaster said.
He said Kamo's strengths were obvious.
"Both teams are in the same boat really.
"They're both getting good players back for this game, so it should be a good quality match," he said.
The final starts at 2pm at Morningside Park.
Kamo-Onerahi final shaping up to be a cracker
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