Every football enthusiast within a 50km radius is revving up for what promises to be a spectacle of epic proportions as genuine stars of the A-League will descend on Shepparton this Saturday.
But what about our own local talent?
The Suns have been training like demons, eyes set on toppling their illustrious opponents and digging out some Goulburn Valley gold to hypnotise the droves of home fans.
Scanning over the potential match-ups, on paper, Victory is the toughest task any of the Suns have ever faced.
Going off their last match, Suns wingers Sean Grant and Brandon Giaccherini will wrangle with Kasey Bos and Jason Geria, with the skirmish between raw youthfulness and war-hardened grit sure to pop and spit with fire on the wings.
Then there’s the likely candidate to provide the sparks in front of goal: Russell Currie.
The six-foot-four excitement factory has the assignment of upending, bamboozling and blitzing the seasoned centre-half duo of Brendan Hammill and Roderick Miranda, two meaty defenders Currie should cook with the speed housed in those seven-league boots of his.
Star man Callum Schorah has done as his name suggests all season and can sign off on his time in Shepparton by spinning Victory midfielders Ryan Teague and Jordi Valadon into dizzy submission.
Arguably, Jack Wardle has the largest point to prove of them all.
In a cosmic aberration, the Suns’ mid-season signing could’ve been on the other side of the field on Saturday night, gnashing his teeth for the A-League powerhouse against the Orangemen.
The silk-touched midfielder was on Victory’s books in 2023 as an academy member, but his path strayed away from the club.
Instead, it led to the Suns’ doorstep.
Now Wardle will tango with his old teammates, going shoulder to shoulder with Bos, Valadon and Nishan Velupillay in a retribution act in which he is the lead performer.
Up front, Victory’s roster continues to drip with international flair and seasoned skill with the feet of Inter Milan academy graduate Reno Piscopo and Uruguayan-turned-Socceroo Bruno Fornaroli coursing with venom.
But that’s nothing Suns bastions Greg Nash, Liam Kielty, Jake Rumble and Adam Gatcum can’t handle.
It’s a David versus Goliath narrative but with a twist.
The Suns aren’t just coming to play - they’re coming to stake their claim.
So buckle up, because this is where country grit meets city swagger, and the result promises to be nothing short of electric.
