Coach Jackie Porter-Kay hopes the inclusion of prominent goal scorer Katie Hamment can help Tigers get past top-ranked Gosford in the Newcastle District Women's Hockey Association premier league grand final.
Hamment has yet to face the Magpies this season and, with results split one apiece, Porter-Kay feels the key attacker could be the difference at Newcastle International Hockey Centre on Saturday (2:30pm).
"When we played them [Gosford] last time we were missing three key players and one of our main goal scorers hasn't played them yet," Porter-Kay said.
"I think that's probably key to the whole thing, she [Hamment] comes back and they don't know what to expect of her.
"She's the one who scores most of our goals. She doesn't set them up, but she's always in the right spot to score them."
A handful of the current Tigers squad, including captain Hannah Drury, Sharon Williams, Emily Schimann, Charmaine Piper and Kirsten Drysdale, were part of the club's last title triumph in 2017.
"Just the calmness and the experience of being there," Porter-Kay said about what those seasoned campaigners bring to the table.
Gosford arrive as minor premiers but haven't clinched the major NDWHA crown previously, conceding in the closing stages of the most recent decider and going down to Oxfords in 2020.
Earlier in the day Souths, Regals, University, Cardiff and Oxfords all feature in lower-grade showdowns.
TIGERS: Emma Blume, Hannah Drury, Charlotte Tarleton, Sharon Williams, Kat Hughes, Emily Luzzi, Emily Schimann, Sonia Johnston, Molly Moore, Charmaine Piper, Katie Hamment, Kristen Drysdale, Bianca Cheetham, Tiarna Tull, Sophie Lawrence.
GOSFORD: Danielle McMurray, Dakota Drennan, Cassidy Gallagher, Allana Miller, Amalia Patterson, Kylie Kingsley, Shelley Barrie, Jackie McRae, Ella Carr, Lara Drennan, Summer Tancred, Brianna Mansfield, Sarah Pasco, Caitlyn Egan, Jess Newman, Louise Egan.
