Well, after 25 weeks of entertaining action it's all come down to this.

The Marauders vs The Bulls in a final showdown to take out the LU1 NRLCEO crown.

Some thought it might never happen. Just days before the season kicked off, all coaches were struggling to draft their squads due to technicalities on the player's contracts and there were many who thought the league may fall through. But through commitment and cooperation the season has unfolded to where we are at today, with two deserving coaches ready to battle it out for supremacy.

The Marauders have been a beacon of consistency throughout the year, and the conservative money will certainly be on them this week. Their workmanlike forward pack has been getting the job done week in week out, and with a backline boasting the firepower of Lyon, Folau and Vatuvei, just to mention a few, it is little wonder that they have reached the big day.

The Bulls come into this game ravaged by injury, which is unfortunate for Coach Tommo and all fans of the league, who want to see the best this competition has to offer. But the Bulls have been the Cinderella story of the year so far, defeating the odds to claw their way back from oblivion, where they found themselves at the halfway point of the season. A victory in the circumstances this week would be the final chapter in the fairytale, and bold punters believe that this team can continue showing the courage it has for just one more week. That is all the fans ask of them. With Jarryd Hayne capable of exploding at any given moment, there is a large responsibility on his shoulders to get the side home.

Those reading the teamsheets and looking at the season stats would most likely have their money on the Marauders, who are heavy favourites. But as the motto of the finals series has been all along, in sudden death matches, history means nothing. Expect the unexpected.

Teams to be named here, good luck to both coaches.

I know its a short write up, but better then none at all, couldnt let the threads die at the business end of the season.

FINALS WEEK 2 RESULTS

Qualifying Final:
Marauders 70 def Beasts 49

Minor Semi
Bulls 81 def Rhinos 74


FINALS WEEK 3 PREVIEW

Marauders vs Bye
Marauders were able to pull of one heck of an upset, beating the Beasts last week and are rewarded with a spot in the grand final.

Bulls vs Beasts
Bulls have rampaged from 5th place in the league beating the Rhinos and the Roosters in consecutive knockout semi's. Next on their radar is JM's Beasts squad who has been very impressive all season, but they shouldn't underestimate the Bulls who have Hayne in nice form.

I noticed the site has the Beasts versing the Rhino's i assume this will be fixed before the games (tomorrow night)

Best of luck to you guys.

EDIT: Whoops, just read the other thread, sorry for stealing another thread creation from you ab, hopefully you can still write up your preview, i can't wait to see the game from your perspective having locked up the finals spot.

Finals Week 1 Wrapup

Results

Northern Rhinos 92 - 100 The Maniac Marauders
Pasadena Roosters 51 - 66 Bulls

Eliminated: Pasadena Roosters

Review

Two upsets this week according to the final ladder positions, with both lower-placed teams getting up.

In the 2nd vs 3rd matchup, the Rhinos were unlucky to go down considering they put in, statistically, their best performance of the season. An inspired game from skipper Scott Prince saw the Rhinos take the early lead before the Marauders flexed their muscle. Manu Vatuvei put in the best individual performance of the week to spark a thrilling comeback, demonstrating the Marauders' ability to get you from anywhere on the park.

The Elimination Final was a dour one, with two teams grinding it out and struggling to hit their straps in attack. The Roosters were let down by the performance of kicker Todd Carney, who had an off-night. The Bulls will be letting out a sigh of relief given they got over the line despite a sub-par effort across the board.

Finals Week 2 Preview

Fixtures

Bondi Beasts vs The Maniac Marauders
Northern Rhinos vs Bulls (Elimination)

Preview

Two cracking games here.

In the Major Semi-Final, the two top attacking teams of the season are pitted against each other in a possible grand-final preview. The Beasts had the week off last round, and questions are being asked if this will affect their momentum going into this big clash. Having finished first on the ladder clearly means nothing given last week's results, and the superior form of the Marauders is hard to ignore. With the winner going straight through to the grand-final, expect a fiery contest between these two teams.

In the Elimination Final, we have two teams who could quite rightly consider themselves unlucky to bow out this early. The Rhinos came back to life last week, and are unfortunate to find themselves in such a position. However the Bulls have shown over the back-end of this season that they are capable of beating anyone on their day, despite a miserly victory last week. The form of the Hayneplane in Sunday afternoon footy could well decide this result, where both teams are playing to stay in the race.

History means nothing in finals footy. Lineups to be named here.

Ok guys i know this is very early and a few of us are probably still keen into this years comp, but i wanted to get the interest of LU's Best Dreamteamers nice and early....

Looking at the most successful Leagues in DT, these Sportal blokes seem to go alright, i say we give them a run for their money nxt season.

Keep in mind you need to be committed and be fairly decent at the game. We will be looking to recruit players with an average of around 650 per week or higher.

Feel like putting on ur LU Jersey and doing us proud???

Reply to express your interest and also put your average for this season thus far...

Cheers

Pete