The 2023 Grand Final is now just two sleeps away. For rugby league fans, this is better than Christmas!
We have been blessed this year by witnessing the two best sides rolling through finals to meet on the final day of the season.
Both sides are at full fitness, both sides are in top form and both sides have cruised into the Grand Final with relative ease.
Simply put, I am fully expecting both sides to rip in for the full 80 minutes on Sunday night in producing one of the all time finales!
The more I look at it, the closer it looks. The individual battles across the park are mouth watering.
With two sides so closely matched, the season could literally come down to one battle. One moment of magic.
With a plethora of brilliant battles, on and off the park, on Sunday night, we are going to look at the five most likely to decide the decider:
4. James Fisher-Harris vs Payne Haas
The aforementioned halfback clash will likely decide who ices the Grand Final, but this very clash is one that will help set that up.
Payne Haas had a monster season and walked into the Dally M Team of the Year. He was the game's elite prop this season, again.
James Fisher-Harris just came off one of the all time forward performances in the Preliminary Final and was arguably the next man up after Haas and Addin Fonua Blake.
You could not pay me enough to try and stop either of these rampaging bulls on Sunday night.
I would be shocked if one, or both of them, aren't involved in the first hit up of the game.
As good as Cleary and Reynolds are, and they are both oh so good, neither can truly thrive unless their number one prop lays the platform first.
Both forward packs are absolutely stacked but Haas and JFH are the jewels in their respective crowns.
Earlier I mentioned that Reynolds and Cleary would be targets in defense. Look for both Haas and JFH to shift the ball to their wider running forwards with this in mind.
Or they may just cut out the middle man and soften up their opposition number seven themselves.
Whoever gets the chocolates in this personal battle will be right in the running for the Clive Churchill medal come full time.