Warracknabeal’s Anzac Park is the place to be this Saturday at what is tipped to be an intriguing Wimmera league grand final set to showcase the two best teams in the competition.

Southern Mallee Thunder earnt last week off after progressing through to the grand final with a second semi-final victory over the previously undefeated Ararat.

Thanks to an impressive second-half of football, the Rats scored a 57-point win over Nhill in the preliminary final to earn their grand final place.

But the great unknown is hanging over the grand final like a black cloud – with the question on every Wimmera league follower’s lips ‘Will Tom Williamson play?’

The Ararat co-coach was eligible to play in the preliminary final despite being red-carded in the second semi-final.

Williamson received a second yellow card at the start of the fourth quarter of the final at Minyip for what is understood to be an alleged vilification incident against a Southern Mallee Thunder player in the third quarter.

With two yellow cards equalling a red card, Williamson sat out the remainder of the match – some saying it changed the course of the match.

Ararat had led by 20 points at three-quarter time, but went on to lose the match by seven points.

Early last week, the former AFL player accepted a reprimand for the rough conduct charge, which resulted in the first yellow card, but it wasn’t until Thursday the Wimmera league issued Ararat and the Thunder with a ‘statement to clubs’, which stated ‘no player in last week’s second semi-final has been suspended nor are they ineligible to play’.

“While a formal breach has not been issued at this stage, there is a policy breach matter that is subject to preliminary assessment in accordance with national policies that stipulate confidentiality throughout the process,” the statement said.

“The WFNL are unable to make further comment and appropriate management of the matter continues.”

It is understood AFL Victoria is responsible for any investigation into vilification incidents, but only after a conciliation process.

As the Wimmera league won’t comment on investigations or tribunal matters, or make details publicly known, and they have gagged clubs from talking about investigations, it is unknown where Williamson’s investigation is at.

Whether or not he plays will impact the grand final result.

Despite not polling as many votes as expected this year, last year’s Toohey medallist is instrumental for the Rats and can turn a game.

He showed his class in Saturday’s preliminary final at Horsham City Oval, where he was kept relatively quiet by the Tigers’ Frazer Driscoll in the first half but turned it on in the third quarter where Ararat was able to mount a 25-point turnaround.

After starting the match at full forward, Williamson moved to the middle where he and Driscoll had a fascinating duel.

Despite Ararat having most of the ball early, Nhill kept in touch through accurate kicking for goal and led by one point at the first break.

The two sides battled it out in the second term, with the lead changing several times – and the game highlighted by outstanding goals to Nhill’s Clay Shadforth while the Rats plugged away to keep in touch – before Nhill took a five-point margin into half-time.

But it was all Ararat in the second half, scoring 12 goals to two – Williamson broke through early in the quarter to kick two goals in a row and put the Rats up by 12 points.

Ararat dominated the third quarter, as Naish McRoberts, Hugh Toner and Brody Griffin stood up, but it wasn’t all good news for the Rats, with Sonny Kettle injuring his shoulder and finishing his game with his arm in a sling.

Ararat co-coach Tom Mills said it would be ‘touch and go’ whether the young gun would play this week, but the Rats would welcome back leading goal-kicker Jack Ganley.

Mills said Ararat was pleased with its performance on Saturday, but its sights were firmly on winning a third-straight flag.

“Grand finals are always hard to know what you’re going to get sometimes – you just know it’s going to be a lot of pressure as we saw last year, it was the end to the last minute,” he said.

“So just a tough game is all we’re expecting.”

The Rats will be hoping for a repeat of last year’s grand final, where they edged out a fast-finishing Thunder to win the premiership by nine points in what was an epic match at Dimboola.

While Ararat is preparing to play with Williamson in the side, it will require top tier performance across the board.

“Obviously Tom’s a massive player for us, but if you look at the game just gone, we had a lot of other blokes stand up, like Naish McRoberts, Jake Robinson, and Braden Draffin in the back line, so hopefully just a mix of team effort is all we’re looking for,” Mills said.

Thunder coach Kieran Delahunty said having a week off had allowed his players to ‘freshen up’ for the big match, and he expected his side to be at full strength.

“It’s obviously exciting to get another crack at the grand final,” he said.

“It’s obviously going to be a good contest – they’ve been the class side all year and for the last couple years.

“We know it’s going to be tough and another close contest between us.”

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