RUGBY LEAGUE
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Nowra-Bomaderry veteran Mick Blattner has warned grand final opponents Warilla about the Jets' knack for launching hot-potato attacking raids from their own danger zone.
The Jets were the competition's only team to surpass 600 points in the regular season and plan to keep the Gorillas guessing in Sunday's premiership decider at Collegians Sports Centre.
"The thing I like with our side is that we can score long-range tries and we can score tries from close range, so they're going to have to be really switched on all the time," Blattner said.
"We've scored that many tries from 80 or 90 metres. Anything can happen with the unpredictability of our players."
Blattner has racked up 20-plus years of top-grade football, winning a premiership with Shellharbour in 2001.
The 40-year-old prop will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility against Warilla's big forwards on Sunday.
"There's no secret what they're going to try to do," he said.
"They've got a huge pack and they've probably got 20 kilos on every one of us. We know they're going to try to come through our middle."
The Jets drew 30-30 with the Gorillas when they clashed at Nowra Showground in round 11. Warilla beat the Jets 38-24 at home in round 20, though Nowra-Bomaderry stayed in the hunt well into the second half.
The Gorillas finished on top of the ladder and went straight through to the grand final with a 22-4 defeat of Shellharbour in the major semi-final.
"On paper, and the way Warilla's gone this year, they definitely deserve to be favourites, but I know they wouldn't like that favourites' tag," Blattner said.
"I've gone into big games being favourites and you get your pants pulled down.
"Warilla are really well coached and they won't be going into the game thinking they're favourites."
The Gorillas are contesting their fourth grand final in five years, while Nowra-Bomaderry are in their first premiership decider after the two clubs merged two years ago.
Nowra haven't reached a grand final since winning the 1996 title. Bomaderry appeared in the '93 grand final, losing to Nowra.
"It's new territory for Warilla at Collegians," Blattner said of Group Seven's first grand final at the Figtree complex.
"It's not like they're playing at home or Albion Park or somewhere they're familiar with.
"It's a very neutral venue and we've got a lot of support coming up.
"The town's buzzing. Anything can happen in a grand final."