Warren-Marmo switched camps in the off-season to take up a position as captain-coach of Cricket Albury-Wodonga outfit Albury.

Mallichan and Warren-Marmo played alongside each other in last year’s grand final loss to Wodonga and Mallichan, who captained the Hoppers earlier in the season in the absence of David Farrell, said while there was no bad blood, he couldn’t wait to renew acquaintances in today’s one-dayer.

“It’s a bit of a grudge match with Marmo,” Mallichan said.

“He’s the key for them and a very handy player.

“He still comes over to the club and hangs out a bit.

“There will be a few words said, no doubt.

“A bit of banter, but we are looking forward to it.”

Albury hasn’t had the season Warren-Marmo would have liked in his first year in charge at Albury.

It is yet to win a match, settling for four draws and three losses to sit ninth on the ladder, just 0.59 points above bottom-placed Dederang.

But Albury is safe from relegation, with the system scrapped for a year due to a rain-marred season.

All-rounder Mallichan is still expecting a tough encounter for the second-placed Hoppers, who will be severely weakened by the unavailability of top-order batsman Rhys Jones.

“It would be nice to play them in a two-dayer but hopefully the weather is nice for us,” Mallichan said.

“They are a completely different outfit from what we sore last year.

“We tend to try and worry about our own game rather than who we play against.

“If we play our best we should win.

“We need to hit some form coming into the finals.”

Just two games out from finals, North Albury is guaranteed of a top-three finish.

It faces Tallangatta away next round and is scheduled to face Wodonga in the Twenty20 Commercial Club Big Bash grand final on March 15 at Lavington Oval.