Head-to-head this season has Mulgrave leading the Pumas 4-1 on the season and after a completely dominant season where the Rebels would post a record of 18-2, they’ll start favourites this weekend but don’t expect them to have it all their own way.
After a dominant 2015/16 it was Pakenham who surprised the Rebels to with the Premiership, a feat they’ll look to replicate when the two meet in Sunday’s Grand Final and they’ll be confident as one of only two teams to defeat Mulgrave this season.
What the Rebels do well is get on base and score runs. Posting a league high 242 runs scored on the season, Mulgrave has three of the league’s top four hitters in Nick Thompson (.477), Daniel van den Hoek (.469) and Michael Hunt (.440) all featuring amongst the league’s best.
Couple their dangerous offence with the stingiest pitching staff and the Mulgrave Rebels will be confident they can leave Sunday with a flag to show for their season’s work. Coaching staff will have options on the bump with Matthew Young (2.16 ERA), Joel Stubbs (1.64 ERA) and Liam Richardson (0.69 ERA) all potential starters.
For the Pumas, it’ll be Stuart Brunton and Ben Miller that shoulder the majority of the pitching work on Sunday. Miller with a 3.00 ERA is the league’s number two strikeout man, while Brunton’s 1.47 ERA ranks amongst the league’s best.
With the bats it’s that man Miller that is the Puma’s most difficult out. Hitting .419 on the season with two long balls and 24 RBIs, he’s well supported by Scott Dale, Wayne Porter, Greg McCormick and James Reid who are all hitting above .300 this season.
With a best-of-one Grand Final Series, anything can happen. This weekend’s Division 3 Premiers will be the team that shows up on Sunday with neither side looking to leave empty handed.
Division 3 Grand Final starts at 3PM, Sunday 12 March at Mulgrave.