One of the fiercest sporting rivalries in the Central West is set to reignite following the Geurie Goats preliminary final win over the Molong Magpies.
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The win will ensure that the Goats will meet the Wellington Redbacks in the Grand Final for the second year in a row to decide the best side in the Oilsplus Cup.
Last year, the Goats ran out the premiers after downing the Redbacks 28 - 12 in order to secure the club's first title in sixteen years.
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"I went down and watched that game on Saturday, it was a very good, even game; good hard bush footy, Molong made a few too many mistakes, a few passes didn't stick and they didn't find touch," Brien said.
Brien might have been expecting Molong to break away in their final game of the season, but he's not letting the prospect of facing down Geurie again give him any pause.
"It's a bit of a repeat of last year, but this time we have the home-ground advantage."
But even the Goats somewhat spotty recent form hasn't done much to shift Brien's confidence either way, he's expecting the best from both sides when they meet for the Grand Final in Bicentennial Park.
"I wouldn't say it looks any better for us, I don't think the previous games are much of an indication what will happen in the final, it's a lot of pressure and nerves and you have to take those chances when they're on offer."
The Redbacks also won't be making many changes ahead of the final given their recent form, although Brien will be looking for his side to put together a consistent performance across the full depth of the game.
"We're going to stick to our structure and our game-plan and make sure we're playing a whole game rather than just a half, the last few we've executed in the first half and let ourselves down in the second half, it's a matter of converting that across the whole game."
Brien says the Redbacks will be relishing the chance to host a final in Wellington.
"We're very blessed that we have a junior base and supporters who travel for us and now we'll get to pay them back a bit and have them cheer us on at home."
"If they can get down and support us in the last game of the season, we're looking forward to a good crowd of rugby supporters," Brien said.
"Thank you to everyone who's followed us through the year, and especially to our major sponsor the Lion of Waterloo, where we'll be headed after the game."