Wagga Tigers' forward Jim Grills is banking on the experience of his Albury premiership team-mates playing a pivotal role in Saturday's inaugural AFL Riverina Championship grand final.
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Grills, Brayden O'Hara and Jake Gaynor have won eight premierships between them during their time with the Ovens and Murray-based Albury Tigers.
The O and M season was cancelled in late June due to COVID-19, so the trio made the 130km trek to Gaynor's home club.
The Tigers will now look to topple Leeton Whitton at Wagga's Robertson Oval in what is hoped to be the only AFL Riverina Championship in history.
AFL Riverina comprises five Riverina Football League outfits, along with the Hume League's Osborne.
The teams played a shortened six-round regular season and while it has been a success, everyone hopes 'normality' returns next year and clubs contest their regular competitions.
"It's still a grand final, it doesn't matter what league you're playing," Grills said.
"All the boys have been really welcoming and we'll do whatever we can to help them get a flag."
Grills joined Albury in 2014, but missed that flag after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament.
He bounced back to claim successive premierships and followed with another in 2018.
O'Hara has the four flags from Albury's decade of dominance, along with three from SANFL outfit Central District, while Gaynor was pipped by team-mate Dean Polo for the Did Simpson Medal in Albury's 2018 title.
"It's just about trying to get used to big games, early on in the week you want to play the game on the Tuesday night at training and then the Thursday night at training, but not much really matters what happens at training during the week, it's all about getting set for Saturday," Grills said.
"There's obviously the unknown for the boys who haven't won, but it's a pretty relaxed group at training and we don't want to play the game before we get there."
Wagga will start slight favourites after edging out the Crows by three points in the second semi-final.
The underdogs will be the sentimental favourites though after claiming the RFL wooden spoon last year, while the Tigers won the flag.
Because COVID forced the cancellation of various competitions around the country, therefore leading to an injection of class players into the league, the teams are different to last year, but the Crows still promise to be a 'Cinderalla' story, of sorts.
"Leeton's a cracking side, they're a very good marking side and they transition the ball really well," Grills said.
The Crows boast a number of superb players in the midfield, including Canberra Demons' Lucas Meline and Jeromy Lucas, while one-time draft prospect Cooper Sharman won the league's goalkicking.
IN OTHER NEWS:
Tickets for the decider were sold out in 30 minutes on Monday and no more than the 1564 will be available to the public, due to NSW Health regulations over the size of the crowd.
The match will be live streamed.