Mariners were minor premiers on 48, Bankstown were just three off the pace – and it was almost daylight from there.

With the next closest being St George a further eight points back, it’s clear to see that Mariners and Bankstown have been laying down the law this season.

Very little can split the two teams on the pitch, and even past results don’t help.

The Mariners took the opening round match 2-1, but Bankstown flipped that score around in their favour during the last of their three meetings. 

Bankstown won the other game between the two sides 5-1, but Mariners coach Mick Godbier said not once has his team been able to face Bankstown with a near full-strength side.

That will change tomorrow.

“It should be a cracker of a game. We’ve been lucky at this time of season to have all our players back,” he said.

“We haven’t had our strongest possible 11 on the park this year in any of our matches against them. 

“This will be the first time we’ve been able to do that, aside from Meg Embleton, who won’t be available.”

Coming into the team following the Mariners’ 6-2 win over Southern Districts in the final regular season round will be Katie Pakai-Kelly, Morgan Sherman and Kristy Collingridge.

It could be a case of the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object for Godbier’s squad.

“They’ve set the standard for teams in this competition,” he said of Bankstown.

“They’ve scored over 60 goals this season ... but they’re probably coming up against the best defence in the competition.

“Bankstown have beaten us twice this season, but they’ve been competitive games. The last loss we had to them we had without our main striker, our goalkeeper or number 10 available.”

Godbier wants to see positivity from the opening minute more than anything else and believes it will go a long way to securing the result.

“Hopefully we can spring a bit of an ambush on them. When you can get teams like them on the back foot early, you can often make them fight among themselves,” he said.

“We’ll continue working on our strengths. It’s been pretty hard to get training in when Proctor Park and Police Paddock have been closed, but when the girls get out there they work hard.”

WESTERN NSW MARINERS FC: Kristy Collingridge, Katie Pakai-Kelly, Morgan Sherman, Annabel Meadley, Kelsey Sherman, Jess Salomoni, Tayla Lloyd, Meg McFarland, Jess Daymond, Erin Boxsell, Kya Godbier, Tara Johnson, Katherine Henley-Sadgrove