Moore Creek club captain Sam Eriksson says side on real high ahead of finals

The comment followed OVA coach Tim Coates calling second-placed Moore Creek a "recruited team" after Mushies secured their third straight minor premiership with a 6-0 drubbing of Hillvue last weekend.

Ahead of the final round on Saturday, Eriksson said Moore Creek recruited well in the off-season "because we've got a club which is hungry to win - and we're committed as a club to get this flag this year".

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"I think this year is probably the first year in a couple of years that OVA will be very nervous," he said.

"They've definitely been the strongest club for a few seasons. But the Goats, I think, are breathing down their neck.

"And we're excited to play them, and hopefully beat them in a grand final."

Moore Creek - who play third-placed North Companions at Riverside on Saturday - will finish the regular season in second place.

It will be their first finals appearance since debuting in the Premier Division in 2020.

Mushies are in the midst of an amazing 44-game unbeaten run, but the Mountain Goats have only one less win than them this year.

Mushies beat the Goats 2-0 in round one, with the sides drawing 2-2 in round eight.

Eriksson said "there's a real energy around the Goats".

"There's a real passion and a real drive to get up and get this flag," he added.

In reserve grade this round, the winner of the Moore Creek-Northies clash will claim the minor premiership.

It would be Moore Creek's first minor premiership in the two top grades since the club's 2019 launch.

Eriksson, a Goats reserve-grader, said it was "probably the biggest game for our club ever".

He said Moore Creek had a goal this year of finishing in the top two in first and reserve grade.

"And we've already achieved that," he said. "But we're now setting out to be the minor premiers for reserve grade."

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