The bitter sporting rivalry between Wagga and Albury is ready to erupt.

Two years after Albury swept aside Southcity 36-26 in the Group Nine grand final at Equex Centre, the two teams are about to go at it again.

In a classic bush football rematch, Southcity will play Albury in this year's Group Nine decider at the same great venue on Sunday.

The Bulls have been cooling its heels waiting for Albury to get there - and the Thunder eventually made it by beating Gundagai in the preliminary final at the weekend.

The gallant Tigers gave it their best shot, but ultimately came up short for the umpteenth time.

So, with Gundagai shunted out of the way, the grand final most everyone expected has finally been arranged.

Despite a couple of hiccups, and sidetracks along the way, the likelihood of Southcity playing Albury for the Group Nine title has seemed almost formality from day one.

Well, maybe, not quite, but for a large chuck of the season anyway.

It's definitely fair to say, the Thunder and the Bulls have been the best two teams in the Group Nine premiership this year.

As much as the Tigers have not been completely overshadowed, and they are clearly third in the pecking Group Nine order, the Bulls and Thunder had their measure when it counted.

This means, of course, the two largest centres in the Riverina are booked to fight for their football pride on Sunday.

And what a sporting war it should be.

Carrying the hopes and expectations of the sporting capital of the region - Wagga in other words - is Southcity.

On the other side of the divide is Albury, the dual Group Nine champion that those on the border have put on a monumental pedestal.

Love them or hate them, the Thunder are revered on the border as a football juggernaut that has been unstoppable for the past couple of years.

For two decades, however, Albury actually struggled to make a real impression on the Group Nine landscape.

In the early days, there was a glimmer of hope when Brett and Scott Gale were at the club, but it was short lived.

Things went down hill after that - and the slide took Albury to the brink of the great football abyss.

Nowadays, the club has made a truly remarkable renaissance, so much so it is fast becoming a fabulous flagship for rugby league in the bush.

Well, that's the spin coming from down south - rightly or wrongly.

One way of the other, Albury has come a long way from the dark days of the past.

Some say, the Thunder have also developed a decent-sized superiority complex, which it is claimed has driven a wedge between them and the rest of the Group Nine clan - and particularly those in Wagga.

Unfairly or otherwise, Albury is clearly a club with audacious ambition - no better example than running off to the NRL, or whoever, about trying to get a team to play in the NSW Cup.

This is a pipedream of the wildest variety, but, nevertheless, still worth pursuing.

The detractors say this shows the extent to which Albury is desperation seeking recognition and the limelight - much along the lines of the Thunder being the leaders and the rest are there to follow.

This assessment would appear harsh in the extreme, but has managed to make some among the other 10 clubs feel inadequate.

Or else just loathe the success of the Thunder, and want them to fail.

This sentiment has also certainly not been helped by the attitude of Albury City Council, which seems intent on feeding the Thunder's ego.

What was once a small outpost for rugby league in NSW now wants to be a hub of the sport in it's strongest heartland ... the Riverina.

Clearly forgotten is that 25 years ago rugby league was a novelty in a city totally obsessed with Australian football.

And nothing has really changed.

For all of the sniping, Albury is still struggling to make significant head way, although some would argue otherwise.

It is, however, a widely-held belief that Albury has developed an Us against Them attitude in regard to rest of the Group Nine clubs.

The truth of this accusation escapes The Notebook, but others are more inclined to believe it.

Suffice to say, the gulf between the Thunder and some clubs in particular has widened - and another premiership will not help matters.

Any suggestion that Southcity is pushing this anti-Albury sentiment would probably be totally wrong, but it exists.

Take it as fact that Albury only exacerbated the problems by hijacking the Group Nine grand final away from Wagga in 2010.

This went down like a lead balloon in Wagga - and some people have long memories.

Besides this obvious thorny subject, the simple fact is many in Wagga's sporting and horse racing fraternity take a dim view of the way Albury likes to boast of being number one for anything and everything.

The Notebook only says, bring on Sunday.

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THE failure of the Riverina Football League grand final to generate spectator interest at Narrandera Sportsground on Sunday was a shocking indictment of the short-sightedness of some officials.

Despite the absence of teams from Griffith, Narrandera and Leeton, the RFL went ahead and played its showpiece game at a venue far removed from the supporters it wanted to attract.

Lo and behold, the result was an appalling gate of $26,064 - and for no other reason than the refusal of organisers to switch the game to Robertson Oval.

This head-in-the-sand mentality has left the RFL looking pretty stupid, particularly as the Farrer League gate was $31,200 a week earlier.

Plain and simply, the RFL should have moved the grand final to Wagga when it become patently obviously it would be a monumental flop at Narrandera.

Maybe now, however, those in charge will come to their senses and ditch Narrandera Sportsground as the grand final venue - and for other reason than Robertson Oval is immeasurably more qualified to hold major events.

The truth is Narrandera Sportsground has served its purpose and it is time it was put out to pasture ... for good.