Lake Albert co-captain Ben Angel knows his side must bounce back from their error-riddled semi final victory and find their attacking mojo if they want to etch their name in history as undefeated premiers.
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The Sharks have been an offensive powerhouse this season but were held goalless for 92 minutes against Wagga United when it mattered most last weekend.
Three late goals eventually flattered Lake Albert’s extra time win and Angel is eager to rediscover their scoring form in the grand final cauldron.
“Obviously attack’s what we’ll be focusing on after last week,” Angel said.
“It didn’t quite work and we know Young are a pretty defensive side.
“We’ve had some really tough hit outs against them this year and we know how they’ll play.”
Entering his third consecutive decider, Angel has seen both sides of the coin and recognises the value of preparation.
“We’ll be expecting more of the same in this grand final,” Angel said.
Anything less than victory will have been a waste of a season.
- Lake Albert co-captain Ben Angel
“I mean they’re always going to be tough games no matter who you’re playing against.
“I think it’s just about treating it like any other game and preparing that way.
“Usually we’ll try and do something quiet like grab brunch as a team but with this year’s earlier start time we might just grab dinner on Saturday so people can do their own thing.
“Most of us have been there and done it before, so we’ll treat like any other game.”
Still, there’s a real sense of purpose in Camp Shark after going through the season unbeaten off the back of last year’s heartbreaking grand final loss to Henwood Park.
Reaching the decider again is admirable and to do it without losing a game even more so, but failure at the final hurdle would undo all the work of a club that has been two steps ahead of the pack all season.
Angel is acutely aware of this fact and knows there is just one way to bury the hachet of 2017’s near miss.
“Anything less than victory will have been a waste of a season,” he said.
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