NSW Country Championship Grand Final Preview

Division One - Illawarra v Canberra

Glen Willow Regional Sports Stadium, Mudgee - Saturday, 3.00pm

See all the action of the Country Championship Grand Finals on Saturday, LIVE on BAR TV Sports from 9am.

Under 16s: 10:00am - Bidgee Bulls v Great Northern Tigers
Under 18s: 11:30am - Bidgee Bulls v Newcastle Rebels
Division Two: 1:10pm - Great Northern Tigers v Riverina
Division One: 3:00pm - Illawarra v Canberra

Having claimed the title against Newcastle in last year's Country Championship final, Illawarra will be looking to extend their strong form against the experienced Canberra side.

Despite the likes of Brett Kearney, Brent Grose, Bronx Goodwin and Australian International Trent Waterhouse currently plying their trade in the local league, Illawarra have resisted using the experience of former NRL first graders. Instead, coach Wade Forrester has opted to give emerging talents such as Mitch Porter, Jarrod Boyle, Blake Phillips and captain Jarrod Thompson an opportunity to showcase their abilities. Dismantling the Central Coast Centurions in a comprehensive 34-8 performance at Camden last week, Illawarra will be looking to build upon their lone performance in the Country Championship in Mudgee.

While the Illawarra side has intentionally avoided former NRL players, coach Simon Woolford has sought to utilise the talents of former first grade Raiders to provide Canberra with their first Country Championship. Featuring the likes of Michael Picker and Marc Herbert in the halves, alongside former Raiders centurion Joe Picker in the second row, the big-match expertise offered by the trio played a pivotal role in overcoming Newcastle 21-20 in a nail-biting contest last Saturday. Having earlier defeated North Coast 20-10 in Forster, Canberra will be hoping additional game time plays a deciding factor in the outcome of the Grand Final.

Who to watch: After starring with two tries in a barnstorming performance against the Central Coast, Fijian Peni Botiki will be out to replicate his performance on Saturday. Currently lining up in second row under the tutelage of former representative prop Jason Ryles at Western Suburbs, Botiki will need to be at his hard-running best against the resilient Canberra pack if Illawarra are to run out victors.

While his career in the NRL was short-lived, the experience provided by playing alongside former New South Wales and Australian playmaker Terry Campese in the halves proved vital in Marc Herbert getting Canberra into the decider. With the Newcastle Rebels mounting a second half fight-back, Herbert's 61st minute drop goal proved the difference, despite the best efforts of Newcastle who finished the stronger. Boasting an intimidating side dominated by players from the 2014 Canberra Grand Finalists Goulburn and Queanbeyan, it will be up to Herbert to star if the Country Championship trophy is on its way to the ACT.

Injury watch: Both sides will be eager to see how the other lines up given the spate of injuries affecting both regions. Having originally been named at halfback for Illawarra, former NRL playmaker Daniel Holdsworth was replaced by Blake Wallace from Dapto. With Wallace playing a starring role in the win over the Central Coast, Canberra will be anxious to see which playmaker lines up in the Grand Final in the #7 jersey.

For Canberra, their biggest concern lies with Joe Picker. Suffering a bout of concussion late in the first half against Newcastle, the former Raider failed to return to the field, putting him in doubt for the decider pending the results of a test to be conducted throughout the week. Centre Tyler Stevens (quad) and interchange Sione Taka (dislocated finger) also failed to last the 80 minutes in Camden, however may still find themselves featuring in the 17-man side for the Grand Final.

The favourite: Having claimed the Country Championship titles for the past two years, Illawarra will be expected to once again prove too strong.

The tip: While Canberra were able to produce a crucial field goal to ensure their place in the Grand Final, the experience of the Illawarra side should get them over the line in a thrilling encounter. Illawarra by 2.

Check out all the action of the 2015 Country Championship Division One Grand Final, LIVE on BAR TV Sports.