Extra bets riding on the outcome of this battle

The two coaches are staying mum about their tactical approach leading into the Wellington premier division secondary schoolgirls hockey final between St Matthew's Collegiate and Wairarapa College on Friday evening.
A task made more difficult by the fact they just happen to live under the same
roof.
St Matthew's Collegiate coach Abby Hill and her Wairarapa College counterpart Willie Schaefer are teachers at their respective schools and have been partners for five years but they are intent on keeping each other guessing leading into the competition decider.
"We're actually not saying a whole lot about how the game could go, "Hill said. " I did ask him once what they did at practise and didn't get an answer so I thought it might be wise to leave it at that!"
Schaefer was taking a more bullish stand, saying he wasn't interested in gleaning any information out of Hill because he was confident he had to the team to win the title no matter what sort of tricks of the mind she might try to play.
Hill said she had hinted at one stage that whoever coaches the losing side should shout dinner on Saturday night and that Schaefer 's reluctance to take up the offer suggested to her he wasn't as confident as he was trying to make out. "I think we've got him worried," she quipped.
There is one thing the two coaches do agree on, however, and that is that a close and exciting game is in prospect.
Which is hardly surprising when you consider the two sides have done battle twice in preliminary round games this season and on each occasion the end result has been a 2-2 draw.
Schaefer is quick to make the point though that Wairarapa College did go through the second round undefeated and therefore went into last weekend's semi-finals as top seeds but Hill quickly counters that it was St Matthew's who led the points table at the end of the first round.
And she also proffers the view that with St Matthew's having the more difficult semi-final assignment of the two they could be better prepared mentally for the big occasion, something which Schaefer disputes. "No way, our girls will be up for it, ready for anything they throw at us," he said.
Reflecting on those semis Hill said St Matthew's 2-1 win over a powerful Samuel Marsden College side was as tough a struggle as the closeness of the score would indicate and praised the character and resolve shown by her players under difficult circumstances.
Schaefer also admired the way his team ground out a 2-0 victory over Wellington East although he admitted they could have won by more had their finishing work been up to scratch. "I think they were wanting to keep something back for this weekend,"he said.
While they weren't prepared to say too much about their own sides for fears of dropping any secrets both Hill and Schaefer were happy to talk about how they saw their opposition.
Hill respects Wairarapa College as a side who like to impose their physical presence on a game by going hard at the ball while Schaefer likewise has respect for St Matthew's speed and their ability to do the basics well.
So who to win? Absolute disagreement there as you would imagine, Hill having no hesitation in picking St Matthew's and Schaefer equally certain Wairarapa College will come up trumps.
A detailed preview of the grand final -and hopefully certainty on the match venue-will feature in tomorrow's Times-Age.