Black Diamond Cup AFL, 2022: Big game Panthers out to clip Hawks' wings in preliminary final

If the Panthers are to make it 10, player-coach Chris Bishop believes they have to stop Cardiff midfield juggernauts Zac Hopper and Pat Delaney.

Terrigal takes on a resurgent Hawks in the preliminary final at Feighan Oval, Warners Bay, on Saturday.

The winner earns a date with Killarney Vale in the decider at Adelaide Street Oval.

The Panthers have an edge in big-game experience but Bishop said that would count for little if they failed to close down the Hawks' flyers.

"Cardiff are extremely attacking and have a huge amount of speed on the outside," Bishop said.

"Pat Delaney and Zac Hopper get forward of the ball and Cardiff rely on them to score goals.

"They are certainly two we have to watch out for.

"We hope to take the advantage on the inside and probably up forward. We have some key forwards who stretch them with height. I'm hoping that is where the difference is.

"But if they get running on the outside, that will be a concern."

Corbin Bond, Jonah Duperouzel and Mackenzie Leecroft return after missing the Panthers' 25-point loss to Kilarney Vale in the qualifying final.

"They all have speed which helps against Cardiff," Bishop said.

Hopper joined the Hawks this season after moving to Newcastle from Leeton.

The brother of GSW Giants midfielder Jacob, Hopper has been best on ground in four games and kicked 12 goals for the campaign.

Delaney assists coach Danny Priest and has been outstanding.

"Pat has really stepped up this year," Priest said. "Zac will push forward a bit more. Both of them have been really strong around the ball, are good leaders and direct really well."

Cardiff are fresh from a confidence-boosting 34-point win over traditional rivals Newcastle City in the elimination semi-final.

Incredibly, they restricted the Blues to just two goals in each half, albeit difficult conditions.

"We took our chances and didn't let anything slip," Priest said "I could go through the whole list and not find a bad player.

"To beat Terrigal, we are going to need to repeat that.

"We can't afford any lapses. We are working on the principle that it might not be your day, but it can be your moment. If you can impact every contest you get too, it goes a long way towards winning.

" We match up OK with Terrigal. We have them in terms of youth and pace. If the game is slowed down, they have the bigger bodies. We have to compete there.

"To get rid of City the way we did, that is the blueprint. We beat Terrigal earlier in the year and that is exactly what we did. We jumped them early and kept it going."

Terrigal were top of the table when COVID-19 halted the competition prematurely last year.

They were premiers in 2020 and 2019 and have featured in every decider since 2012.

"Hopefully our experience counts," Bishop said. "We turned over about half the team this year. A lop of the new kids haven't had an opportunity to be in these games. It is a chance to give them a go and strive to get where we have been in the past."

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