Allan Matheson Shield | Shepparton Golf and Kyabram square-off for grand final berth

Headlining the first weekend of finals action is a battle between the top two teams Shepparton Golf and Kyabram at Tatura Bowls Club, with a ticket to the grand final the tantalising prize on the line.

The Golfers have been an intriguing watch this summer, as they claimed yet another minor premiership.

Led by new coach Brett Foley, who will be handing the reins back to the legendary Brad Orr at season’s end, they won all bar one of their matches to rightfully head into the finals series as flag favourite.

But with an in-form Kyabram and rampant reigning premier Tallygaroopna closely clipping at their heels, Foley understood the quest for premiership glory will be a monumental challenge.

“The boys are in a good spot at the moment, getting over Tally a couple of weeks ago really boosted the confidence,” Foley said.

“Everyone is up and about and keen to keep that good form rolling, but we know it won’t be easy coming up against three very talented sides in this finals series.”

Kyabram on the other hand came into the season with the sole intention of propelling itself into the top echelon of contenders.

Going on one of the biggest recruiting sprees seen in Goulburn Valley bowls, the Bombers brought the likes of Brent Reiner, David Cartwright and Connor Trewren through the door, and immediately saw rewards as they soared through the home and away season.

But the Bombers made these off-season moves with the sole intention of finals success and, now that the chance has finally come, vice-president Glenn Fields said there was an air of excitement throughout the club.

“The goal for the season was always to finish top two and get that double chance, so to have done that now and head into the finals in this position it is very exciting,” Fields said.

“For us the mindset going into these next few weeks is pretty simple, we just need to outbowl our opposition, we know we’ve got the talent to go against the best, so we don’t need to overcomplicate things.”

The battle of the Golfers and Bombers has been one of the most entertaining storylines of the 2022-23 season.

Splitting the season-series at one apiece, the teams played arguably the two most entertaining matches of the year, with Golf triumphing by two shots in round four and Kyabram by eight in round 11.

Heading into this clash as the only team to beat Shepparton Golf this season, Fields said he was confident his squad could repeat the effort.

“We’re very excited about this match, we’ve come up against them twice and done pretty well, so hopefully the same happens again,” he said.

“At the same time though we know it is no mean feat facing them, if you look down their list they are strong right the way through and have heaps of experience in finals.

“One thing we do take into this game is the belief we can match it with these guys, I reckon it is going to be a ripping battle.”

As for Foley and his troops, he said they would be looking to their wealth of finals experience to get them over the line.

“Shepparton Golf has always been in the finals, so there is plenty of experience coming into the weekend which will put us in good stead,” he said.

“Obviously Kyabram has put a good side together this year, but they haven’t played finals together as a team, so hopefully that is somewhere we can find an edge.”

Elsewhere, Tallyagaroopna faces Shepparton Park in a do-or-die elimination final at Stanhope Bowls Club.

The Redlegs, who finished in third spot on the ladder, come into this clash a firm favourite and did the job against the Parkers last week with a crushing 16-114 to 2-80 victory.

But as they say, you have to be in it to win it, and Shepparton Park will be looking to reset quickly and pull off an almighty upset.