GSFL 2025: Tigers and Sharks captains square up with premiership cup ahead of blockbuster league grand final

The two grand final captains squared off this week as the showpiece occasion came firmly into view, with both expecting an epic contest at Keep The Sheep Stadium on Saturday. Sharks skipper Tait McLean and his Railways counterpart Jayden Scott were best buddies as they got their hands on the trophy, which only one of them will get to raise aloft late on Saturday afternoon. McLean, who is seeking his third victory on the trot from four grand finals, said he was already nervous as the countdown to the big game was ticking away. He said it all began to get real following Sharks’ preliminary final win over Mt Barker last week. “I think after last Saturday’s match against the Bulls we were just happy to have got through,” he said. “But this week, suddenly it’s your second-to-last training session, your last training session and the butterflies start to kick in. “This would be a very special win, if we can do it. “I think every grand final is special, but this would be a bit of extra history.” Like coach Roy Addis he did not want to make the opportunity for three flags in a row to be a focus, but as captain he hasn’t wanted to dampen it down completely. “It should be talked about at the right level,” he said. “I don’t want to be Debbie Downer or Oscar the Grinch, but you can’t not talk about it, you just don’t want to be carried away. “It’s also not something you really think about when you’re starting pre-season in February, but it does get to the point where it’s in the back of your mind that you want to be there.” As a leader he said he prefers to adapt to the situation and the people around him, a style also preferred by his opposite number at Railways. Scott will lead a powerful Tigers engine room that contains the likes of Ryley Valli, Lachie Cale and Beau Ewen. He said becoming captain after being a longstanding player had been a smooth transition. “It’s been relatively easy as we have a great leadership group, so it doesn’t just rely on me,” he said. “I think I’ve played in four grand finals for the club, and I reckon this could be one of the best because we have such a young group. “It’s going to be a high intensity final, especially early on. “It’s going to be fast with only the weather likely to have an impact on that.”