Usual suspects Warilla and Gerringong chasing Group Seven grand final triumph

There's certainly a sense of inevitability surrounding Sunday's Group Seven grand final at Centenary Field, the fifth time the great rivals have met in the decider in 11 seasons.

Should the Lions get the job done it will skipper Nathan Ford's sixth title and his fourth at the expense of the Gorillas.

It's quite logical to suggest, as he does, that there is extra sting in big games between the two perennial contenders.

"We always seem to be there or thereabouts, both teams, so for us to be in the grand final is nothing new for either team," Ford said.

"We've always had a rivalry and we've had the wood on them the last few times so they're going to be trying hard to get a win and we'll be trying just as hard.

"We know what to expect and I like that aspect of it. You know what's coming, you know it's going to be tough and that it'll come down to those effort areas and showing up for your mates.

"That's most important for us. It's about turning up in the right frame of mind and not switching off at any point of the 80 minutes."

It may be following a familiar script, but one of the major characters over the past decade won't be there, with the Lions looking to win their first premiership of the post-Mick Cronin era under Scott Stewart.

"It's not too different, we play the same we always did under Mick and not much has changed there," Ford said.

"It is the first one without Mick but Scott's been there pretty much the whole time. He's in his second year in charge now and we only lost one game last year before it was called off with COVID.

"We've got some new faces in the team this year but not much has changed."

While the Lions are currently 3-1 in the recent grand final stakes, the Gorillas boast the better ledger this season having won their second regular-season clash 32-10 and claimed the major semi-final at Gerringong a fortnight ago.

Read more: Warilla survive two send-offs to claim first berth in Group Seven decider

It came despite Warilla being reduced to just 11 men due to send-offs, with Ford admitting his side dropped the ball not seeing out the clash with a two-man advantage.

It saw them needing to go through the surging Stingrays in the prelim last week, with Ford suggesting the 34-16 win was a good lead-in to the big dance.

"The [major semi] at Gerringong was a massive opportunity missed and something we probably let go which was very disappointing," Ford said.

"A think a lot of people probably fancied the Stingrays the way they've been travelling. They've come through and beaten everyone they've needed to and had a massive season so to get over them last week was a really good win for us.

"I think the way we showed up there has put us in a good position going into this game."

The Gorillas have done it the hard way despite earning the week off and direct path to the grand final, with veteran leader Aaron Henry feeling the spell has left his side primed.

"Having the week off's really helped us freshen up for Sunday," Henry said.

"I think we needed it, a few of the boys were battling. We've battled hard all year, we've had a lot of injuries, and to key players as well.

"We had a bit of a lull in the middle of the season and dropped a couple of games but we got going again. Only time will tell but I think that week's done us good."

Read more: NRLW finals arrival an adrenaline shot for 'refreshed' Dragons

Despite the win, it's unsurprising that Henry pinpointed discipline as key factor after Paul Roberts and Guy Rosewarn both given their marching orders in the major semi.

"Getting that win gives us a lot of confidence but we need to reign it right in and actually finish a game with 13 blokes," Henry said.

"For most of the year we've been playing with 12 so our discipline needs to be on and if we can stick to 13 I'm confident we'll get the job done.

"We've had some good sides. but this one's right up there. There's a lot of X factor in this side and game-breakers.

"With some previous teams we've just had to work really hard to get to where we were, but these young kids we have are just brilliant.

"We've had some good [grand finals] against Gerringong, it's always a good contest, it's a good rivalry.

"They're always close and I'm sure it'll be the same on Sunday. They've had the wood on us and they've let us know about it so that's something that drives us."

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