HANCOCK, St Pat's and finals football - it is a combination Saints fans will be familiar with, but come this Sunday there's a new twist to that formula.
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Instead of Kurt Hancock - a man who has both played for and coached the Saints in finals football - it will be his daughter Tilly who is trying to lead a team in blue and white to victory.
Tilly Hancock is the captain of the under 11 league tag side which will face Mudgee in this Sunday's Group 10 Junior Rugby League grand final.
She has been a good general for coach Teejay Isbister as she not only brings speed and experience to the Saints, but directs her team-mates around well.
Tilly has been playing league tag for three years, but this Sunday will be her first grand final. She can't wait.
"I am excited and nervous, but probably more nervous that anything," she said.
"It felt good to get in the grand final, it felt exciting, I've never been in one before. It was amazing to have that experience of getting into a grand final."
While the Saints lost their first game of the shortened junior season, since then they have gone undefeated.
They claimed the minor premiership and in last Sunday's must-win semi-final against Orange CYMS Gold, the Saints posted a 30-18 win.
It was a good contest as the Saints led by two points at quarter-time, while early in the final period CYMS was in reach of the lead at 22-18.
But the Saints handled the pressure well to book their spot in the grand final. They will play Mudgee Dragons, who won their semi-final 40-8 over Bathurst Panthers.
Mudgee finished the regular season in fourth, with Pat's winning their only meeting 26-18. But the Dragons have the best attacking and defensive record in the competition, so Tilly knows the Saints must be ready.
"They're fairly good, but I feel like we have a chance of beating them," she said. "We are quick in defence and we have good runners, people who can run pretty fast. We have Phoenix [Hurst] as kind of fullback if anybody gets past our front line, she's there to tag them.
"The most important thing is just don't let them try and fool you with their dummys."
The grand final starts at 10am at Jack Arrow Oval.
