It will be a top of the ladder clash when Swifts-Great Western host Aradale at Central Park on Saturday.
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The Combine sit in top spot by percentage ahead of Aradale with the winner finishing round 10 in first position.
Both teams boast a balanced side, capable of getting the 10 wickets required while also scoring heavily with the two teams the highest scoring of the A Grade competition.
Combine captain Sam Cocks said there is an element of surprise for the team given the two teams have yet to face each other this season.
“We have not had a look at Aradale this year yet, so it will be good to play them before finals and get an idea of how they’re going,” he said.
“Hopefully the pitch has something in it for the bowlers and I expect a good battle between the two teams.”
Combine will go into the match with a settled line-up with Cocks backing in the same team which knocked off Buangor in round nine.
He said he is happy with the balance across the 11 players.
“Our bowling stocks have improved this year, we have generally been a bat first side but we think we can restrict sides to low scores when we bowl well,” he said.
“Central Park is usually a pretty good place to bat.
“If we end up batting first and we bat the majority of the day, we wouldd be hoping to push towards 250 which is important with the short boundaries.
“Travis Horvatek and Brent Tate seem to have got most of the wickets, so we just have to see those two off and re-assess.”
With the two teams likely to face each other at some point in the finals, the round 10 match will provide some insight into how they match up against each other.
Cocks said while a win was important for the team, he did not think there would be any mental advantage associated with the result going into any future match-ups between the two teams.
“Finals is a different kettle of fish,” he said.
“You work out who you’re going to play and go from there.
“Any of the top four teams can beat each other on the day, that is how even the competition is at the moment.”
Aradale could slip to third spot with a loss, as Tatyoon sit six points behind but with a higher net run rate.
The game could be won or lost on day one, so strong performances are critical.
