The Lakers will storm Katandra Recreation Reserve this weekend searching for their maiden Haisman Shield victory and standing in the way of achieving the ultimate goal is Waaia.
Remarkably, the two clubs’ own trajectories aren’t so far apart.
Waaia joined Cricket Shepparton’s rank and file from the Murray Valley Cricket Association in the 2018-19 campaign and, though, now regarded as a top side in the Haisman Shield the Bombers are yet to lift it.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are a former outfit of Seymour District Cricket Association, moving north to compete in the 2018-19 Haisman Shield season and were an immediate success, making finals after placing fifth.
Since then, Nagambie has only missed March action once — but the scars of the 2019-20 season still linger.
A Mark Nolan-led Lakers, who ended the home and away campaign in sixth, were set to face top seed Numurkah in the grand final on March 21, but the game never went ahead.
Eight days later, the first national lockdown came into effect.
It was a cruel twist for a team on the brink of history, a squad that had built towards this moment only to have it slip through its fingers without a ball being bowled.
Now, five years later, the Lakers have fought their way back to the same stage, with the same hunger.
“We couldn’t do much that year with the circumstances that were going on in the world, but it’s a similar squad — there has to be at least seven to eight players who were going to play in that grand final that are in the current team,” Nolan said.
“(To win), it would mean a lot to all the supporters who’ve stuck by us for a lot of years.
“It’s been a fair old journey for this group of players, so hopefully we can top it off with a win on the weekend.”
Nolan began playing at the club when he was 12 and, bar a one-off season at Northerners, remains a Laker 18 years later.
He, alongside brother Luke Nolan, Brayden Biggs, Zac Winter-Irving, Jonathan Moore, Josh Sanderson and James Auld remain from the 2019-20 squad set to square off for the shield before it was swallowed by uncertainty.
This time, there will be no cancellations, no what-ifs.
Just one match to finally finish what they started.
“I grew up playing with five or six of the boys that are playing on Saturday which is good,” Nolan said.
“We’ve been a tight group for a while now, so that’s probably been the reason why we know each other’s games pretty well and know how to churn out some wins each year which helps.
“We’re just looking forward to the challenge, we know (Waaia is) a good side, so we’ll bring our best and hopefully that’ll be enough.”
