The two sides have met in the last two grand finals with Waratahs victorious on both occasions.

But the close record between the two teams is phenomenal, with 13 of their last 14 clashes decided by just one goal or less - including five draws.

The clubs have built an incredible rivalry over the past few years and Sunday’s final at Waratah Sportsground is likely to add another chapter to the already interesting story.

Two sides who have also had intriguing battles this year are the Orange Tigers and Cowra Blues in the CWAFL.

They meet on Saturday in the major semi-final in the fourth meeting in what has been a year of drama and controversy.

The called-off match between the two teams and Cowra’s loss of points for playing a suspended player have overshadowed the fact the two teams have been the best two performed outfits this season.

They are both battling to host the grand final and Orange face a huge task of having to play this weekend in Cowra, as the three meetings to date this season have all gone the way of the home team.

mmm

THE Olympics are now over for another four years, so sleep and work patterns can start to return to normal.

Although Beijing was only two hours behind the eastern seaboard, staying up past midnight for 16 days starts to add up.

But it was well worth it watching the Aussie athletes perform so well.

While local athletes Kate Smyth and Lisa Corrigan weren’t able to feature in the medals, the Aussie team was outstanding in coming up with the results they did.

And there is now not long before the Paralympics get under way on September 6, when we can watch the exploits of athletes like Carcoar’s Kurt Fearnley, who has a demanding athletics program.