Gosford have spent most of this week uncertain of who they will face in the 2020 decider, but the Magpies know they will be bolstered by the return of drag-flick specialist Brinley Gallagher regardless of meeting either Norths or Souths in a bid to claim an unprecedented fourth straight major premiership.
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Gallagher, a carpenter by trade, has been sidelined for the last month after injuring his left index finger with a drop saw but Gosford's key short-corner man got through training midweek and will now line-up at Newcastle International Hockey Centre on Sunday (3pm).
Their opponents weren't determined until Thursday night with the rival Newcastle clubs meeting in a semi-final replay following a dramatic turn of events at the pointy end of the Hunter Coast Premier Hockey League season.
Previous grand final runs of Norths (2010-2012) and Souths (2004-2006) have been matched by Gosford (2017-2019) in the previous three campaigns but that shared record can be broken by the Magpies this weekend.
The minor premiers are also looking to cap off a perfect year, going through 12 regular rounds and Sunday's opening play-off undefeated.
Gosford player-coach Liam Alexander said he was pleased his team were back to "full strength" with Gallagher a surprise inclusion.
"I didn't expect him to be playing the grand final after what he did to his finger," Alexander said.
"But he trained for the first time last night [Wednesday], got through unscathed and didn't say too much about the pain. It's a positive for us, especially for short corners. He's scored a lot of goals this year with his drag flicks."
Gosford beat Uni 9-0 to qualify for the title showdown and hope to collect another piece of silverware.
"The ultimate goal is to get the win on grand final day," Alexander said.
"We've already booked our ticket and by finishing first we earned a home semi-final. The big picture is to go four in-a-row, which hasn't been done before HCPHL."
Despite favouring the Magpies, last year's Adelaide Fire representative said he "felt" for both Norths and Souths with the eventual winner needing to back up less than 72 hours later.
"It doesn't really bother us who we play," he said.
Norths and Souths go head-to-head at NIHC on Thursday night (7:30pm).
Josh Callinan
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
