Tanunda has proved unbeatable so far this year, but the Barossa Bulldogs look to be the group which has the biggest opportunity to cause an upset, in this, the centenary year of the Magpies.

“The match-ups will be the key to this match,” Tanunda coach Steve Lubcke said.

“We have spent a lot of time getting the right mix and this week we will not be one dimensional going forward.

“Boh Wall perfectly complements our three talls, Ben Britton, Barry Kaesler and Alex (Kennedy).

“This year we have had more rotations through the middle and we’ll back ourselves in.

“There will not be many hard tags from our perspective.”

Rookie Barossa coach Rian Nelson also believes the strength of Tanunda is through the middle, with many options including 2006 Mail Medallist Malcolm Greenwood, state country player Ben Newberry, Tom Schiller, Andrew Quinn, Ryan Bignell and Chris Underwood to use in the ‘engine room’.

“We will need to ensure we have the right match-ups in the middle, because if the Tanunda on-ballers run unchecked, they can rip you apart,” Nelson said.

“Both coaches have had a long time to look at each other’s structures and, while there may be a couple of unexpected moves, each has a good understanding of the other’s list.

“I know from a Barossa District viewpoint our players can’t wait.”

While there will be a lot of focus on Alex Kennedy kicking his 100th goal (he has 98), Ross Christie has proved to be a worthy opponent for the Magpie’s goal-kicking machine.

This game may be decided at the other end of the ground, where the Magpie defence is up against a potent Bulldog forward structure.

Strong marking centre half back Sam Agars, veteran Jon Keiboom, Rohan Baird, captain Karl Martin and Matthew Underwood, face off against the Bulldog group of 69-goal forward Heath Commane, Daniel Thomas, former Collingwood-listed player Damien Lister, Brad James and ‘crumber’ Ryan Fromm.

In an era where we have had several outstanding second semi-final clashes, this could be another classic.