Under 17s
Ararat Rats under 17s football team will go in favourites against Horsham Saints on Saturday, having a dream run into the finals.
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The Rats secured the top spot on the home and away season, dropping only one game for the year.
Saints were close behind, defeated only by Ararat.
The two teams met in semi-final two at Central Park, Stawell where the Rats were able to get a comfortable 45-point win.
The Rats coach Michael Driscoll said the team would stay unchanged from the semi final win, which awarded the players a spot in the grand final.
"I just want the players to continue with what we've been learning and play the role they've been given," he said.
"It's something we have focused on all season. We are preparing the players for the next step in their football career - making sure they are ready to play in a position when they play senior football.
"I'll be asking the players to continue to play as a team and help each other out around the ground."
Driscoll said a lot of the players had played in finals football before throughout their junior career.
Horsham Saints under 17 coach Trevor O'Brien said he will go into the game knowing his team would be the underdogs but knowing they have nothing to lose.
"Ararat certainly has the upper hand and were able to well and truly get on top of us a few weeks ago," he said.
I just want the players to continue with what we've been learning and play the role they've been given
- Michael Driscoll
"We will be going in unchanged and I suppose there are pros and cons in being both the team to beat and the team which aren't expected to win. The players are excited to get to the grand final and I'm sure there are a few nerves floating around as well."
O'Brien said he will be concentrated on guiding the nervous energy into energy on the field.
"I will focus on playing our style of football," he said.
"Ararat has too much talent to really worry about their game.
"We just need to be confident and make sure we fight out the game from the start to end."
Under 14s
The Ararat Rats and Horsham Demons will battle it out for the premiership for the second season in a row.
Ararat president Jamie Toner said it signaled positive things for the club.
"It's good for the future of the club if we can hang onto the junior's we've developed," he said.
"It is potentially our youngest under 14s team we've fielded in a long time. Generally it goes over two age groups and this year it's over three and sometimes four when we've needed kids to fill in.
"The under 14s have developed their own style of play under (coach) Shane (Allgood), who has done a great job.
"Horsham has had the edge over us all year but as a club we hope that they (Ararat's under 14 players) will hold their heads high and play a good game."
"There will only be seven players in the under 14 side," Toner said. "All the rest are from the Ararat District Junior Football Association."
"It's good for football, and especially good for the Ararat football club to be able to bring those under 13 kids from the under 13 competition through, so hopefully they can get a chance to love the club and stay."
Horsham's junior coach Brett Janetski said he was busy calming nerves ahead of the big day.
"We had a good run (at training) and we're trying to calm the boys down I think," he said. "All we're trying to do is let them focus on the footy."
Janetski said his side had a preview of Ararat's style of play during their preliminary match against the Horsham Saints.
"We watched the game on Sunday and it was good to see Ararat get through," he said. "We discussed how they play, and they play a similar role to us, as a team, and we've got to be very careful as they use the ball well.
"They're a young side like us, and we've just got to stick to our strengths and how we play, and have confidence in ourselves."
Janetski said he predicts an even contest.
"We're not going to get ahead of ourselves," he said.
"We played off in it last year - they were a very strong side. We can't take anything for granted. It's going to come down to the younger players standing up, and we've got to make sure our match ups are right."
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