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A HISTORY-making day, or one of the great Loddon Valley Football-Netball League grand final boilovers?

They are the two scenarios ahead of Saturday’s LVFNL grand final between Bridgewater and Mitiamo at Pyramid Hill’s Mitchell Park.

The 17-0 Mean Machine go into the game as red-hot favourites – Sportsbet has them $1.10 and the Superoos $6 – as they aim to put the finishing touch to what has so far been an unblemished season.

A win on Saturday would deliver Bridgewater a seventh-consecutive premiership – a feat never before achieved in the LVFNL.

“Among our playing group the record is not something we’ve spoken about, but for the club, supporters, members, committee and the community it’s something we’d love to have and would be a fantastic result,” first-year Bridgewater coach Marc Lindsay said this week.

“But as players all we’re worried about is just winning this weekend. Once your footy career is finished that’s when you can look back, and that has been one of the great things about our group in that when you roll up to the start of pre-season, you forget about what has happened previously and you’re just hungry and ready to go again.”

Saturday’s Bridgewater team includes Darren Clutton, Brad Rohde, Daniel Nalder and Deon Jones, who have been part of all six premierships in a row, which started in 2010 and have been won by margins of 115, 99, 65, 8, 96 and 56 points.

In total, Saturday’s team features a combined 72 Bridgewater premierships spread across 20 players, with only Rick Ladson – who has a 2008 AFL flag with Hawthorn –  and Angus McKinley chasing their first as part of the dynasty that has included the Mean Machine winning 134 of 143 games through their era of domination. 

The star-studded Mean Machine that boasts this year’s Harding medallist in captain Zeb Broadbent has been untouchable since a two-week break in May when they had the general bye and club bye back-to-back.

In the 11 games since the 21-day break the Mean Machine’s average winning margin has been 96 points, with the closest any opponent has got being the 59 points they beat Mitiamo by in the second semi-final.

“We’re a very hungry group of individuals and from the start of the year we’ve set out as a side to improve every week and nothing will change this weekend,” Lindsay said.

“We try to play a style of footy that holds up against any opposition, our gameplan is tried and tested and we’ll be aiming to execute it again on Saturday in our biggest game of the year.

“The group is as hungry and determined as ever.”

Bridgewater’s season has presented its challenges through injury, particularly to players in the forward half, but also suspension, with Ladson, Jones and Josh McLeod to all play their first games since July 23 in the grand final.

The Mean Machine also has superstar Andy Collins – the coach of the past two flags – returning to Saturday’s grand final team from suspension.

While Mitiamo goes into Saturday as the rank underdogs – just as they did last year when beaten by Bridgewater by 56 points – coach Justin Maddern can draw on personal experience to know that come grand final day, anything is possible.

Two years ago Maddern was a member of the Shepparton Swans team that upset the previously unbeaten Benalla by three points in the Goulburn Valley league grand final.

“I’ve been in this exact same position before when we weren’t given a chance going into that game against Benalla, so it definitely can be done and that’s what I’ve been instilling into the boys this week,” Maddern said.

“Without belief we’ve got nothing. We believe we can go to Pyramid Hill and knock them off and we’ll certainly be throwing everything at them.”

The Superoos have had three unsuccessful cracks at Bridgewater this season.

They lost by 23 points in round five in a game where they kicked 15.9 (99) – the only time Bridgewater has conceded more than 75 points during what’s now a country Victoria-best 29-game winning streak – while they were belted by 63 points in round 14 and 59 in the second semi-final.

In both the round 14 game and second semi-final the Superoos had been within 14 points at half-time, but were outscored a combined 154-58 after the main break.

The challenge for the Superoos to win their first flag since 2009 – also the last year they beat Bridgewater – is to convert their ability to compete for a half into four quarters of pressure football.

“We’ve shown we can match it with them for a half, the scores at half-time have reflected that, but it’s our fitness and depth that has let us down in the second half,” Maddern said.

“We’ve got to work on not letting the floodgates open in the third quarter like they have the past couple of times we’ve played them.”

Maddern looms as one of the major X-factors in the game as the competition’s premier forward in which he has kicked 104 goals – more than double any other player.

But he says he’s not feeling the expectation that he must kick a big bag for his Superoos to get over the line.

“They’ve got such a good backline that if we’re going to win this premiership we need to find a lot of avenues to goal, other than just myself,” Maddern said.

The Superoos – co-captained by Dylan Clohesy and Luke Lougoon – named an extended squad of 24 on Thursday night, adding two inclusions in onballer Terry Reeves and mid-season recruit Tom Campbell.

The squad features 11 players who were part of last year’s losing grand final side.

Bridgewater:

B: T. Nalder, D. Nalder, H. Symons

Hb: T. Broadbent, D. Clutton, L. Harrison

C: C. Prest, Z. Broadbent, A.D. Collins

Hf: B. Galea, T. Kuhne, R. Ladson

F: A. Galea, B. Rohde, A.F. Collins

Foll: J. Metherell, Z. East, M. Lindsay

Inter: A. McKinley, J. Keely, D. Jones, J. McLeod

Mitiamo:

B: J.Falls, B. Bacon, L.Lougoon

Hb: D. Clohesy, J. Webster, J. Drake

C: M. Ovens, T. Sidebottom, T. Eade

Hf: M. I’Anson, J. Maddern, M. Grant

F: T. Reeves, T. Campbell, A. McKean

Foll: M. Sidebottom, D. Thomas, K. Patten

Inter: (from) G. Hay, B. Baines, J. Pianto, T. Grant, A. Grant, A. Monro

Bridgewater:

Record: 17-0, 283.7%.

Average for: 136.

Average against: 48.

Quarters won: 49/68.

Mitiamo:

Record: 15-4, 132.4%.

Average for: 97.

Average against: 73.

Quarters won: 47/76.

Round 5:

Bridgewater

3.3, 11.10, 14.12, 18.14 (122)

Mitiamo

5.4, 8.5, 12.7, 15.9 (99)

Round 14:

Bridgewater

3.4, 5.6, 13.6, 19.10 (124)

Mitiamo

1.2, 3.6, 5.9, 8.13 (61)

Second semi-final:

Bridgewater

3.3, 6.6, 10.13, 15.18 (108)

Mitiamo

2.0, 4.4, 4.6, 7.7 (49)

Winner:

Luke West – Bridgewater (47).

Adam Bourke – Bridgewater (40).

Kieran Iles – Bridgewater (27).

Best on ground:

Luke West – Zac East (Bridgewater).

Adam Bourke –  Andrew Collins (Bridgewater).

Kieran Iles – Zeb Broadbent (Bridgewater).

First goal:

Luke West – Alex Galea (Bridgewater).

Adam Bourke – Rick Ladson (Bridgewater).

Kieran Iles – Justin Maddern (Mitiamo).