A fierce rivalry between the WA Netball League’s top contenders is set to come to a head in a big way with history-making opportunities on the line.

Reigning premiers West Coast Warriors and juggernauts Western Roar are set to go head-to-head in the WANL open grand final on Sunday at the Gold Netball Centre in Perth.

It will be the second consecutive year and the third time in four years that the Warriors and the Roar will meet at the big dance after the Warriors previously defeated Roar 46-41 in the 2021 grand final as well as recording a 74-65 win in the 2019 grand final.

For the Warriors, Sunday will provide a massive opportunity to continue the purple reign and earn a fourth consecutive premiership.

Warriors head coach Lorraine Ward said the journey towards the grand final had been a tough one for the squad with injuries, COVID-19 and other happenings off the court affecting the team.

“We did not have an easy run but I’m really proud of the way we’ve gotten through it and we’ve grounded it out as much as we could,” she said.

“We dragged ourselves through so some great lessons came out of that and we’ve learned about our depth.

“It has been hard at times both physically and mentally to keep yourself up and keep going and motivated but we have made it through.

“(Winning a fourth premiership) would be an extra bonus for us — as mundane as it sounds, you just have to take everything one game at a time.

“It would be lovely to get premiership number four but it would be even better for us to just reward ourselves after a tough year.

“It would mean ongoing success and that’s ultimately what we want for our club to attract new players and develop them.

“We’re a pretty proud lot out here and we always set high expectations for ourselves, so it would mean a lot not just for ourselves but for our future as well.

“I know the girls would be keen to have a fourth premiership medal sitting on the shelf.”

Ward said there was definitely a rivalry between the Warriors and the Roar, with both teams wanting to beat each other each time they meet.

“Considering I coach Dylan myself with the State Thunder, it’s a bit strange at times but there is definitely a rivalry there,” she said.

“I’m sure (Western Roar) would love nothing more than to kick our butts but we’re not going to let that happen.

“I just can’t predict how it’s going to go, all I can do is just do the work and it’s up to the players then and what will be will be.”

A big opportunity to start a new era is not the only thing that awaits the Roar on Sunday, with their 20-and-under squad and their men’s squad also set to compete in their grand finals against Peel Lighting and Curtin Hamersley Comets respectively.

Roar opens head coach and men’s player Dylan McPherson said despite the high stakes of the day, the club did not feel any extra pressure to pull off a clean sweep.

“We only really put pressure on ourselves and we really felt like we could get all three teams into a grand final so that was a goal we had at the start of the year,” he said.

“It would be nice to have a clean sweep and it would be a great photo.

“We’ve got an incredibly young group and if we get the win it might change the psyche of the competition.

“I think it could be the dawning of a new era — the Roar era.”

McPherson said the journey to the grand final started last year after suffering the disappointing 46-41 loss to the Warriors.

“I think the girls have come in with a bit of a vengeance with the plan the whole time being to get to the finals and give ourselves a double chance to make the grand final again,” he said.

“It’s been a pretty determined effort and it has been our best result for the last four years going 12-2 for the regular season.

“We’ve probably played our most consistent netball this season and seen some really big wins and the two games we lost were very close as well.”

McPherson said there was definitely a rivalry emerging between the Roar and the Warriors but there was a lot of respect between both teams.

“(The Warriors) are clearly an incredible team and their record speaks for itself but I think we’ve got a real belief that we’re the team that can knock them off,” he said.

“Whenever we come up against them we know we have to play incredibly well and there’s that little bit extra on the line because we’ve played in so many big games against them.

“Lorraine Ward is my State coach so I have got a lot of respect for her and how dedicated she is to those girls.”

Both the Warriors and the Roar have engaged in big battles throughout the regular season, with the Warriors pulling off a convincing 56-35 win in Karratha during round four, and the Roar responding with a thrilling 48-47 win in round 10.

After finishing in first and second place on the ladder with 12-2 records, they went head to head in the major semi-final last fortnight which saw the Warriors hold off Roar 59-52 to punch an express pass to the grand final, while the Roar bounced back with a 63-49 win over Curtin Hamersley Comets in last weekend’s preliminary final.

Sunday’s grand finals will kick off from 10am with Peel Lightning & Western Roar going head to head for the 20-and-under premiership, followed by the men’s grand final between Western Roar & Curtin Hamersley Comets at 12.30pm, before the open grand final at 3pm.