If last year’s final series is anything to go by, this weekend’s NAB Cup Grand Final is set to be a nail-biting match between the Saints and the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium. After only narrowly beating the Bulldogs to get through to the 2009 AFL Grand Final, Saints backman Jason Blake, says his side is ready for a challenging match this weekend.

“(We’re) really excited about playing in a big game against quality opposition. We had some great battles last year, and they’re flying at the moment, so we’re really looking forward to testing ourselves.”

With both teams proving the strength of their squad during the pre-season tournament, Blake admits that winning on the weekend will be a great way for the boys to start the season proper in 2010.

“Obviously we’re there to win and it can give us some momentum for during the season. The NAB Cup’s all about preparing ourselves for Round 1, and for the season.”

When asked who will play on in-form Bulldogs recruit Barry Hall, Blake didn’t rule himself out of playing on the tough full-forward but also mentioned Zac Dawson and Sam Fisher as possible opponents.

“He’s (Hall’s) obviously a quality player and we’ve come up against him before so we’ll definitely go about it again the same way we did beforehand.”

“(The Bulldog’s) have been great, their work without the ball has been fantastic and it’s really good to watch. It will be a great test for everyone to equal their effort and really compete.”

After being a late withdrawal from Saturday night’s Semi Final clash against Fremantle due to minor back tightness, Blake is hoping to get through a solid week of training to be included in the NAB Cup Grand Final squad. Other players expected to return include Captain Nick Riewoldt and Brendon Goddard, however the squad will likely be without Lenny Hayes who received a corked calf on Saturday night.

“I think Roo (Riewoldt) and BJ (Goddard) will be back this week. I think it will be our best 22, of who is available. (The match) is very important as our final game before Round 1, to really get our preparation ready.”

To get your tickets for the game visit www.ticketmaster.com.au