The Nightwatchmen: Our match-ups to watch this Grand Final weekend

It's been a long journey but we've finally made it to the final weekend of the season, with four exciting grand finals ahead.

RSL Colts and CYMS will meet for the third consecutive season in the RSL Whitney Cup grand final at No.1 Oval while just around the corner two Newtown sides will battle each other.

Newtown Ducks and Demons are set to face off for the RSL Pinnington Cup title at No.2 Oval, with both matches scheduled to last Saturday and Sunday.

Down at John McGrath Ovals, CYMS White will face Macquarie White in the RSL Kelly Cup decider while next door Newtown Tigers will take on the Kings in the Dawson Cup final.

Ahead of the weekend's matches, we thought we would break down a few key battles which could go a long way to deciding which teams are holding their respective trophies aloft on Saturday/Sunday.

On paper, this is probably the closest RSL Whitney Cup grand final we have had in a while.

Amazingly, for the third consecutive season, RSL Colts and CYMS will meet in the final game of the season with both sides winning a title each during that time.

RSL enjoyed the weekend off last week while CYMS blew Newtown off the park in the semi-final.

CYMS' bowling last week was the main talking point following the game and the Cougars will need to be on song again on the weekend against a star-studded RSL lineup.

Marty Jeffrey, Chris Morton and Mitch Bower have all scored runs at different times for the men in red while Greg Buckley and Anthony Atlee can be destructive as anyone on their day.

On the other hand, Matt Purse, Bailey Edmunds and Ben Knaggs are as good as anyone bowlers in town, starring for CYMS last week.

Knaggs is coming off a six-week haul while spinners Paddy Nelson and Harry Bayliss will be fresh after not being required against Newtown.

Should CYMS take early wickets against RSL, it could put a lot of pressure on their lower order but if not, the minor premiers could post a big total.

One of the best RSL Pinnington Cup batters against one of the best bowlers, what a match-up.

Kempston has been the star for the Ducks with the bat this season, leading the way and finishing as one of the top run-scorers in the competition.

Coming off a big win against Macquarie in the major semi-final, Kempston made a quickfire 21 as the Ducks chased down 76 with ease.

However, this weekend Kempston could be under a bit more pressure with the bat.

The Demons and Ducks have only played once, with the former winning by nine wickets.

On that occasion, Kempston made just six at the top of the order and was removed by Dutschke.

During that particular game, Dutschke took four wickets for the match and was again impressive last weekend.

Whichever way this battle goes, expect that team to go very well.

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The two respective captains of the RSL Kelly Cup grand finalists will have a big role to play on Saturday afternoon.

Facing each other at John McGrath 1, Neill's CYMS White side advanced to the final after defeating Macquarie White two weeks ago in the major semi-final.

Opening the bowling for his side, Neill has been impressive this season, taking two five-wicket hauls and will be key on Saturday.

Throw in the captaincy and some big decisions to make, it is easy to see why this pair should be in for massive matches.

Wallace has been a mainstay at the top of the Macquarie White order for several seasons now and will be vital against CYMS' strong bowling attack.

Captaining his side also, Wallace will have to rotate his bowlers and decide when to use key quick Charlie Hollman when it comes to Macquarie White's turn to bowl.

Chuck in Brad Turner as well and Wallace has a few strike bowlers to choose from.

We saw these two sides play each other as well just a few weeks ago but the Newtown battle could be decided in the opening stages.

Newtown Tigers easily chased down their target against the Kings in the Dawson Cup semi-final, passing 152 for the loss of just three wickets.

On that particular day, it was Craig Pettit and Graeme Allen who stood out for the Tigers during the semi-final but I think McMullen could be a big factor this weekend.

Playing for the Demons last week, McMullen made a start with the bat but will return to the Tigers' side and will be key at the top of the order.

Sandhu played a brilliant all-around match, starring for the Kings in their big win over Narromine.

Should Sandhu get early wickets including McMullen, it might put a lot of pressure on the Tigers.

All matches will start at 1pm on both days.

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