DANDENONG Stingrays are preparing for a crack at the region’s second Talent League premiership on Saturday, when they meet neighbours Gippsland Power in the 2026 decider at Whitten Oval. From a long way out, head coach Nick Cox says the playing group and their coaches have been confident of success.

“It’s easy to say it now, but it was always a strong group, we thought,” Cox said.

“I was actually looking at the V/Line [Cup] squad from three years ago when they played together, and there’s 14 of them still in the team… They’ve been pretty tight for a lot of years and continued to develop and grow and we always thought that they’d be alright.

“Has it outweighed expectations? Not according to these kids, no. They thought they were good enough to be able to be here at the pointy end.”

Success and thus expectations in pathway football are often difficult to define. While largely geared towards individual opportunities and growth, team success is often imperative, as playing as many games as possible allows the talent more opportunities to shine.

Either way, the outcome of a premiership is what all 46 players out there on Sunday will be chasing. For Dandenong, Cox says the “blueprint” for success has already been laid – in last week’s thumping preliminary final victory over reigning premier, Eastern.

“I think the blueprint was last week,” he said. “Just bring non-negotiable pressure which doesn’t require any talent, and understand what we need to take away from Gippsland. But also, I think the big thing is to get ball back in hand and execute the way that we play and how we do things.

“It’s a 50-50 game, isn’t it? We regard Gippsland really highly and they’ve got some real match-winners in there, but so have we.”

Atop the pile of “match-winners” is Dandenong’s fearless leader, Gus Kennedy. Although, there were nearly a dozen more players Cox could have outlined – and ultimately did – as having the traits to make a difference on the biggest of stages.

“I think our barometer is our captain, Gus Kennedy with his leadership and his ability to set the game up on the ground and demand what’s required,” he said.

“It’s a perfect day for someone like Andrio Sousa with his speed and power, and Jackson Phillips and Mitch Toner with the same. Kaie Sullivan‘s jumping out of the ground at the moment with some really good performances over the last couple of weeks.

“Then you’ve got the little energizer bunny down forward in Marcus Prasad, who hopefully can hit the scoreboard and do some things. Dylan Linden‘s had a good final series. Wil Antrobus with his kicking. Geez, I’ve named a few, haven’t I?

“It’s exciting because history shows that there’s always someone who bobs up and does something special on Grand Final day.”

The opposition report is an interesting one given the regions are so close, and that Cox mentored many of Gippsland’s brightest talents in the Vic Country setup. No matter how the teams fall on paper, he says the potential matchups are “mouthwatering”.

“It’ll be good to see who plays on Wil Malady and Marlon Neocleous. Judd Burgiel is having a very good year, he’s really dangerous through the middle of the ground. I think Oscar Henwood‘s back from them this week as well,” he said.

“They’ve got some good keys in Xavier Ladbrook and Clancy Snell, and some bottom-agers that are starting to find their feet as well.

“I would envisage that Cooper White or Darcy Szerszyn will end up playing on Malady at times, which should be exciting to watch, and Wil Antrobus or Gus Kennedy might play on the Neocleous at times. It’s mouthwatering, to see talent playing on talent.”

Making each matchup all the more exciting is the fact Dandenong heads in with an unchanged lineup from last week, just about at full strength.

“There’s probably only one hard luck story and that’s Louis Salopek,” Cox said. “But he hasn’t played for a few weeks now because of his injury.

“We’ll be unchanged. A couple of players that were emergencies are unlucky, but at the same time we’ve been lucky that we’re pretty healthy at this time of the year. So the 23 from last week get another opportunity to create a name for themselves.”

Cox says Saturday will be a “celebration” of the region’s hard work across the boys and girls programs, with both sides reaching the final day of the season. With warm conditions expected in Footscray, it may be somewhat of a “war of attrition”.

The 2026 Talent League Boys Grand Final gets underway at 1:15pm at Whitten Oval, following the girls decider at 10:45am. Dandenong has made seven previous Grand Finals for one total premiership. The two Country regions last met in the big dance back in 2005, which was Gippsland’s lone flag success.