And then there were two. 

The National League competition that 30 men’s club sides across Aotearoa entered in March may have had to change significantly because of Covid-19, but it is difficult to argue the final doesn’t feature two of the best sides in country. 

Even without the Northern League clubs able to play, Miramar Rangers and Wellington Olympic have been two of the stand-out sides from the regional phase and South Central Series. Neck and neck most of the season, the local rivals come face to face one more time at 2pm on Sunday to claim the Wellington bragging rights for 2021. 

Olympic have been in imperious form in 2021. Winners of the Central League, The Greeks have only lost two league games this season, one of which being last weekend’s clash with Cashmere Technical when they rested a number of players. 

Speaking ahead of the game, Head Coach Martin Pereyra Garcia is looking forward to the challenge facing his side:

“We feel very excited to have the opportunity to play a final, this group of players has done an amazing job and we look forward to the game. 

“We know it is going to be hard as we are going to face one of the best teams in the country but know what we need to do, training was very good this week and you could feel the energy. I know it will be a great game as both teams will push hard to win it.”

Watch highlights of Miramar Rangers v Wellington Olympic in the league. 

Across the city, Miramar Rangers will be looking for revenge after losing to Olympic in the Central League and come into the final unbeaten in the South Central Series.  

Arguably Miramar are the more experienced side at this level with 2020 league winning Head Coach Scott Hales in the dugout. Hales is glad to be facing The Greeks once more:

"This is the final that everyone wanted and with not much separating the two teams, we're in for a quality game. 

This is the first year in the new format, so for us at Miramar Rangers, it's a special moment for the club. We've drawn inspiration from all those that have contributed to this moment and in the words of David Farrington, we will play with ‘Passion, Pride and Precision’."

On the pitch, one thing fans can hopefully look forward to is goals. The two sides played out the game of the season in Round 3, drawing 4-4. They both also feature two of the hottest attackers in the league with Olympic’s Kailan Gould and Miramar’s Ollie Whyte tied on 5 goals at the top of the Golden Boot race. 

The Grand Final will be held at Jerry Collins Stadium, Porirua Park Wellington on Sunday 12 December 2021, kicking off at 2pm. 

Entry is free to all spectators. 

Under the new Covid Protection Framework a vaccine certificate will be required to access the stadium. 

The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sport 7 (BeIN Sports) from 1:45pm with a delayed free broadcast on Sky Sport Next from 10pm. 

Article added: Saturday 11 December 2021