The Rawson Homes Raptors are into the Lachlan Amateur Soccer Association grand final to face Forbes Foxes this Sunday at 1pm at Harrison Park.
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The female Raptors side played in their preliminary final on Saturday vying for a spot in their grand final but unfortunately lost.
As is tradition at the Parkes Champion Post, we mark the special occasion of making the grand final for our local clubs and help celebrate the season with them by sharing their player profiles.
We'd like to thank the Rawson Homes Raptors for their support in compiling these for the paper.
Get to know the team below before they play here in Parkes on Sunday.
Player Profiles
Zac Gibson: The iron-man of the team that never goes down without swinging. His bank account is hoping that cards are kept to a minimum. His crosses from the wing have been deadly this season and may be the thing that gets us in the mix.
Ben Gibson: Yet to indicate his availability for the weekend, usually changes his vote three times before match day. He is a utility player that is able to play any position on the field well, we will be looking for his brick wall defence on the weekend.
Thomas Davis: The name alone is enough to give you goose bumps. The only bloke we know that believes he can score without moving, but we can guarantee he will have all the moves come Sunday afternoon. A massive grand final awaits him and his famous bulldog.
Joel Cowling: Our inspirational captain is rumoured to be camping on Harrison Park to ensure he arrives on time. A key performer that leads from the front.
Daniel Clark: A big match-day performed and will be looking to nail a goal in the back of the net instead of his foot this weekend.
Connor Robertson: A notable absentee this weekend, granted leave to defend our nation's borders.
Alec Bateson: A torn ACL was all that separated him from the golden boot award. His on-field energy will be missed but paired with Coach Carter we are sure to get a good half time speech!
Luke Baker-Hogan: Has had a huge debut season and the mullet will be solely missed this weekend. Massive improver and at short odds to claim rookie of the year. Look for a screamer from outside of the box.
Tom Bateson: Currently looking for a strapping tape sponsor to help ease the financial pressure of what is holding him together. Is known for shooting from corners with great success and will be looking for a similar goal again this week.
Shaun Bateson: A great mid-season signing after several send-offs disrupted his rugby league season. Always looking to create goal-scoring opportunities, will be one of our attacking main men.
Billy Porter: A late withdrawal, currently touring France with the Wallabies
Blake Medlyn: a key man for the boat race team, and will be looking to improve his jug time in what could be his last game for the Raptors. Attacking mastermind that will be setting the forwards up for goals, currently leading the 'assists' count.
Michael Hackett: the only bloke to lose a fight to a pile of wood. A season ending injury has turned him into the number 1 supporter/ coach. Looking forward to the pregame and halftime speech.
Ryan Dunn: some say he is a keeper but we say he is a centre, he has done more running in the last few weeks than the last 5 seasons combined. He has been a workhorse this year and he will play a critical role in the outcome this weekend.
Matthew Clark: our first Australian Olympic long-distance runner will be putting in more km than his half marathon warm up. A goal or 2 is on the cards and he might just be the one to bring us home.
Haiden Clark: part of the Clark trio, has been a strong defender this year when he hasn't been distracted by Jord, his runs in the middle of the park will be sure to create some attacking opportunities for the team.
Brendan Ryan: a broken toe nail has seen him miss nearly half of the season, he will be a man on a mission this weekend and will be sure not to let any Forbes player get past him.
Jason Mann: there will be no cousinly love this weekend when Jason comes up against Forbes, his speed and runs down the line have worked wonders this year, we will be using these runs this weekend.
Luke Evans: Longley is going for player of the GF two years in a row, his long legs are near impossible to get past. Look for a sneaky shot or two from outside the box, starting favourite for worst shot of the game.
Tobey Thorne: A dark horse on the field who is hitting his best form, as long as he doesn't decide to have a nap in the middle of the game.
Luke Nash: Will be a key factor in the outcome of the game this weekend, his defence has been strong and he is ready for his best performance this year. Will be sure to put his accountant hat on to make sure all fines have been paid.
Bradley Parker: The only keeper in the competition that is able to form a bridge over the ball in a penalty. There will be some important saves on the weekend that will decide the game and we are backing Creamy.
