An off-season recruitment blitz fuelled the Illawarra Stingrays' meteoric rise from league newcomers to grand finalists, according to club mainstay Michelle Carney.The Stingrays tackle Macarthur in the decider at Balls Paddock tomorrow, and victory would cap a historic season in which they unseated the Campbelltown-based club as premiers after being promoted to the top flight.Carney, who has played with the Stingrays throughout their roller-coaster four-year history, said the injection of some new faces helped the club become an instant powerhouse.Midfielder Trudy Camilleri, striker Ash Connor and centre-backs Caitlyn Cooper and Sam Spackman are the quartet Carney credits with propelling the Stingrays' rise to the top of the mountain.Testament to the foursome's quality is that they, along with keeper Rachael Cooper and striker Michelle Heyman, have signed with Central Coast for season two of the W-League, which kicks off next month.Carney will play for Sydney FC, meaning she will take on her sister Stingrays in round one on October 5."We recruited really well," Carney said of the Stingrays' off-season signings."We knew we had to get some more quality players to do as well as we have, because of the increased competition."The recruitment drive offset the loss of defenders Caitlyn and Courtney Danyi, boom under 16 recruit Lily Dillinger and Rebecca Garland to season-ending knee injuries, while Jess Cooper has only just returned after surgery."I was confident we could do well at the start of the season, but a few weeks in I wasn't so sure because of all the injuries. But the reserve grade players stepped up," Carney said.Meantime, Carney predicted grand final success could attract more emerging talent to the Stingrays. "If we win the grand final, it might help attract more players here," she said. First grade will kick off at 3.45pm, while the Stingrays' reserve grade side will tackle Manly from 1.15pm.The day will kick off with the under 12 clash between Manly and NWS at 8.45am, followed by the NWS-Marconi under 14 tussle at 10am and the under 16 grand final between Marconi and Sydney University at 11.30am.