Perhaps it's fitting rain forced the scheduled Wollongong v Keira one-day Illawarra cricket fixture to be called off last Saturday.
The two teams would surely have kept their cards close to their chest ahead of their much anticipated clash in the final of the T20 competition this Friday night at North Dalton Park.
Not so according to experienced Lions bowler Rhys Voysey, who said the two sides had played each other enough over the years to know what to expect from each other.
"We're at the stage where we've played each other quite a bit over the last year or so and they always have the same group of guys and we always have the same sort of 11, so I think we are kind of aware of what each team brings and what each player brings.
"It would however have been interesting playing them so soon after," he said.
"We have though already played them once this year as it is, so we're used to them."
Voysey though said Keira would have to play better than they did earlier this season to get the better of Wollongong this time around.
"T20 is a weird one," he said.
"I think it's one of those games where if you get a decent total on the board chasing is always pretty hard because as soon as you're sort of a few steps behind pressure can really build quickly.
"It can also sort of swing the other way if one guy gets a good start and goes on with it.
"If one or two guys really get going, it'll be hard to beat them.
"I think our problem last time we played them was the fact that we bowled well for about 15 overs sort of across the game but we had probably four or five overs where we just leaked too many runs and that's where they really got their total up around the 150 mark.
"So bowling wise we need to make sure that we just really keep it pretty simple, bowl one side of the wicket, set decent fields and bowl to them.
"But in saying that they definitely have a few guys, three or four guys that can pretty easily take the game away pretty quick. So we got to be smart about the way we bowl to them."
The players Voysey is referring to include Ethan de Bono and Cooper Maddinson, who have already smashed quickfire centuries for Wollongong this season.
Keira also have their threats with the bat, with Voysey nominating openers Eddie Marning and James Chappell as key players for the Lions.
"They're a new opening partnership that we've got this year. They have been good for us to date," he said.
"Both guys look to go pretty hard pretty early and back themselves to sort of clear the fielders and then hopefully sort of get the runs from there.
"Middle order wise Mitch Hearn has been looking pretty good as has Zach Churchill.
"So we've got guys at the top of the order who are definitely in form and a couple of guys who really work hard at making sure that dot balls are very, very limited, so I think we've got a good balance in the batting order, particularly at the top."
Our news app has had a makeover, making it faster and giving you access to even more great content.
Download The Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store and Google Play
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
