Words by Max Hope.

Ladies and Gentlemen, strap yourselves in.

This Saturday afternoon, Ballymore will once again play host to the NRC Final to be contested by hot favourite Brisbane City and the quietly confident challengers, UC Vikings.

The two sides have been head and shoulders above the rest of the pack this season as running rugby has been at its explosive best. Don’t expect anything to change this coming Saturday.

Brisbane have been in devastating form and are still yet to drop a game in their 2015 quest for back to back premierships. In their earlier clash this season, it was only the accuracy off the tee that split the two sides, as Brisbane prevailed with a 37-31 win away.

With both sides having had regular standout performers this season, we take a quick glance at a few who have been the ‘Mr Reliable’ for their respective sides.

BRISBANE CITY

Junior Laloifi

Wow, oh, wow has this boy been impressive in the NRC this year! It’s no wonder he was recently awarded a contract with the Reds as “The Ballymore Kid”. The flyer has bagged himself a casual 14 tries from just nine appearances and will be looking to add to his already absurd collection this weekend. The Vikings will be all too aware of Laloifi and his ability to find the chalk, so expect the boys from Canberra to shut down the winger’s space as quickly as possible.

Jake McIntyre

Every team needs a marshal, the sensible one to lead the troops and direct traffic. McIntyre has found his own this year in the NRC. The 21 year-old play-maker finds himself atop the point scorers’ list with 118 from nine games. Aside from his accuracy with the toe, McIntyre has been pivotal in unleashing City’s weapons with precision passing and matching innovation. If City are to achieve back-to-back success, back on McIntyre to have grafted his team over the line.

Liam Gill

Having anyone with fifteen International games and 65 Super rugby games of experience in your side is without question going to be of benefit. Skippering the boys from the Sunshine State, Gill has been one of the best, if not the most influential player of the 2015 NRC. Dominating the breakdown and controlling the speed of the game will once again be high on the Openside flanker’s to-do-list come Saturday.

UC VIKINGS

Jarrad Butler

Playing in every game for the Vikings this year, Butler has lead from the front in more ways than one. His devastating ball running has seen him quietly coast to the top of the try-scorers list for the Canberra side, whilst his leadership in defence saw his side only lose on game all season – to the defending champions who they face in this week’s Final. Should Butler bring his dominant impact on the game again, an upset could very well be on the cards for the City boys.

Nigel Ah Wong

The damaging centre has left a path of destruction in his wake over the duration of the competition. Standing at an imposing 6’4 and weighing in at over 100kgs, Ah Wong is what opposition defenders like to call an “absolute nightmare”. Persevering with his midfield running mantra of ‘straight and hard nine times out of ten’, Ah Wong’s incredible leg drive and ability to break the first tackle will be detrimental for Brisbane, should they not be able to shut him down on Saturday afternoon.

Ben Alexander

Even though the NRC is renowned for its running rugby, don’t even contemplate forgetting about the big men. The experienced front-rower has been a handy asset for the men in red this season, his scrummaging setting the standards high early on in the competition. Having earnt 72 caps for his nation, Alexander will be looking to add some silverware to the trophy cabinet in the nation’s capital. His battle in the front row with Petowa Paraka was one of the feature matchups the last time the two sides met.