RSL-COLTS have proved again why many pundits are backing them to win this season's Whitney Cup with a comprehensive 144-run win over Newtown on Saturday.
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The competition's top two sides met in the final round of the season at No. 2 Oval but the match turned out to go all one way as Colts took the psychological edge into the grand final.
After posting 9-264 on the back of a Jason Ryan century last week, Colts started day two in the field and had the upper hand almost immediately as they reduced the Tigers to 2-1.
With Dan Holland and Mat Skinner back in the sheds without troubling the scorers it was always going to be difficult for Newtown and things did not get much better from there as they were eventually bowled out for just 120.
The Tigers were unfortunate though with Marty Jeffrey's injury and Steve Skinner battling illness meaning they only had nine men to bat.
While pleased with his side's best win, Colts' Wes Giddings admitted a more tight match would have been a better lead-up to the decider.
"We did it easy, I suppose," he said.
"With Steve (Skinner) and Marty Jeffrey not batting it hurt them but all our boys bowled well.
"But it's probably not the game we wanted to have going into the grand final, we would have liked a tussle and be under a bit of pressure but we were never really under any pressure."
Wayne Dunlop (31) was the only batsmen to show real fight at the top of the order until he was runout.
With Tim Cox not playing Mason stepped up with the new ball and starred for Colts, picking up three of the top four batsmen on his way to 3-42.
"We bowled well, no one went for too many runs and it was good to see 'Maso' (Mason) bowl well, he's bowled well all year and to get Dan Holland and Mat Skinner was good for his confidence," Giddings said.
After the two sides met in the recent McDonald's Megahit final, which Newtown won, there is the chance they could meet again in the Whitney Cup decider and Giddings said Saturday's win would hopefully give his side an advantage if that did occur.
"That is a positive going forward. If we do meet them in the grand final hopefully they remember that and not the Megahit grand final," he laughed.
Colts will spend next weekend closely watching the Newtown-Rugby semi-final and waiting to see who their grand final opponent will be.
Giddings said much of the next two weeks will be spent training but he did add his side would take some time to savour the minor premiership.
"It's always good to have, it's something you work towards," he said.
"You want the minor premiership and want to go straight through to the grand final because then there's nothing to worry about, don't have to worry about the weather or who you're playing against, you can just focus on yourself.
"We're sitting nicely but now we've got to make sure we train hard in the next two weeks.
"We can't slack off and we've got to make sure we don't just walk into the grand final because you can be found out very quickly if you're not mentally prepared."