THE journey for Daniel Lacey and his Illawarra Steelers team to the 2019 Tarsha Gale grand final has been years in the making.
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After finishing third in 2017, Lacey's Steelers finished second on the ladder last season, before being bundled out in the semi-final.
But this year, Lacey believes is the year they finally get rewarded for their years of hard work and sacrifice.
"This year we have learnt from our past near misses and really feel like it is our time," Lacey said.
"I thought we had a team capable of winning it the past two years but momentum swayed away from us at crucial times.
"But thanks to extensive work with this group, largely since their Lisa Fiola days, we've been able to develop our deepest and most balanced side to date.
"This can be credited to us taking our training to the next level, which includes an extra gym session - if you train at a higher level, you should play at one too.
"Saturday's match has been three years in the making and we all can't wait - nothing will mean more to us than a win."
Lacey's side booked their spot in Saturday's decider at Benkwest Stadium, from 11am, thanks to a win against Wests Tigers at the weekend.
Now the Steelers side, featuring Group Seven's Keele Browne, Meg Buchanan (both Milton-Ulladulla), Teagan Berry and Riley Scott (both Stingrays), will battle Newcastle - the only team Lacey's side hasn't beaten all season.
"Both us and Newcastle have similar strengths, which include speed, skill, intensity and depth across the park," Lacey said.
"As such, they are probably the toughest team we've had to come up against this year.
"Last time we played them, we had a strong game plan but just didn't execute.
"But we identified some of those weaknesses that hurt us, including how to defend space with only 11 players on the field, and rectified them.
"It'll come down to who counteracts each others strengths and looks after the ball.
"We've ticked all the right boxes this week at training and done all the hard work - it's just up to the girls to play to the way I know their capable of.
"If we live up to our team motto of 'be our best, do your best', I know we are a big chance."
Lacey isn't any stranger to coaching in finals either, being the assistant coach for Jason Demetriou's Illawarra Cutters side that took out the NSW Cup in 2016.
"What we did that year was special - we found out what worked for us and stuck to it," he said.
"It's probably my greatest coaching achievement to date and I constantly remind the girls of how good it was to win and the sacrifices we made to get there.
"That game was actually the final grand final played at the old Parramatta Stadium and funnily enough, my team will play in the first decider at the Eels' new home ground.
"It's funny how those things work sometimes but we intend to make the most of this opportunity."
If the Steelers were to break through for this historic victory, it would be a reward for everyone involved in the program the past three seasons.
"A win on Saturday would reward all the work behind the scenes for every single person at the club, including everyone's families - it'll cap off what I know we deserve," he said.
If you can't make it to Bankwest Stadium on Saturdday, the final will be streamed on the nswrl.com.au website.