The build up to this year's Group Nine grand final has been very different but Zac Masters hopes Tumut can deliver the same result.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Tumut were riding a wave of excitement last year when they knocked out arch rivals Gundagai in the preliminary final, ending almost a decade's worth of losses, to qualify for the grand final.
Now the two teams face off in the grand final at Equex Centre on Sunday.
Masters believes there is a very different feeling heading into this year's grand final.
"It is completely different to last year," Masters said.
"In a way we weren't expected to get there but obviously i turned out and did and we won it while this year we knew we should have been there all year.
"We were very disappointed two weeks ago when Gundagai beat us so to get there against Young I think it was more of a relief and now we can move forward."
RELATED COVERAGE
Taking on Gundagai in the grand final only adds to the occasion.
Masters, like the majority in both sides, will live out a childhood dream taking on their arch rivals in the decider.
"(Playing Gundagai) makes it more exciting," he said.
"It is one of those childhood dreams.
"I remember in 2003 I was a young fella watching on the hill when Tumut played Gundagai in a grand final at Eric Weissel Oval.
"I can still remember the day, the crowd and how exciting it was so to have the chance to relive that will be cool."
Home is where the heart is for the 23-year-old, who was set to try his luck in the Queensland Cup this season.
As it turned out the competition didn't go ahead due to COVID-19, but Masters had already made the decision to return to Tumut.
On the verge of another premiership, Masters is pleased by how things turned out.
"It has worked pretty well," he said.
"Dean and Lachlan have managed to put a pretty good side together this year, it's a great bunch of blokes and we are all great mates, so it is special to get back in there again and have a chance to go back-to-back."
It's coincided with a return to the form that helped him win the Weissel Medal in 2018.
He's been pleased with how the year is panned out to date.
"Hopefully I can play decent footy on the weekend to live up to it," Masters said.
However the 23-year-old admitted it was a challenge to get ready for the season after such interrupted preparations.
"We started pre-season, busted ourselves for a little bit and then had to cut off training for a month or so and everyone lost a bit of interest," Masters said.
"There was talk the season was going to get called off so it was hard to get going again but now that we have I'm glad we did.
"It has probably been the strongest Group Nine competition I've been a part of and there's players in from everywhere to play, especially in the top three teams.
"It's been pretty enjoyable and has made for a strong comp."
READ MORE