The Junior Warriors are in the Grand Final, if you didn't know. It's happened so often that you'd be forgiven for not knowing as the Juniors always tend to be reasonably awesome. On Sunday they'll line up against the Brisbane Broncos, a team who finished the season in 2nd place ... you do the math - they're pretty good.

When you consider that the Warriors crawled their way in to the top 8, you can be forgiven for getting a bit nervous. During the season, they both grabbed a win away from home which means that previous results basically mean a whole lot of nothing. The fact that the Warriors are simply in the GF after finishing in 8th, also means that any form, any momentum means sweet F all. This is the epitome of a final, either side could win and nothing before the final means anything.

There's a chance I could be taking this approach to hype up the Warriors. True, but given how the Warriors have been traveling and given the nature of the Under 20's competition it's pretty much a lottery. So who should you be watching out for? What should you be watching for? Hmm...

Sam Lisone. He's a big, he's mobile and he pretty much looks like a man playing with children. He featured in the NSWarriors throughout the season and is a leader for the Juniors with the final being his 50th appearance. His size is handy, but keep an eye on how athletic he is, he's got a range of skills as well which always goes down well in any Warriors side. Partnering Lisone in the front row is Kouma Samson who's got the work rate and ethic to ensure that the Warriors have that toughness edge. From what I've seen, Samson's a similar player to David Bhana.

The other two lads to keep tabs on in the forward pack are Michael Ki and Adam Tuimavave-Gerrard (who's been rumoured to link up with the Cowboys nek year). Ki has spent a fair amount of time with the NSWarriors which is pretty impressive as he has risen the ranks pretty swiftly. Tuimavave-Gerrard is also pretty handy, giving the Warriors some physical but athletic specimens out on the edges. Their size and their experience playing up a grade should allow them to dominate out on the edges and either get the lads rolling forward or play a bit of footy off offloads etc.

Watch out for Kurt Robinson at dummy half as well, this kid looks the goods.

The back line for the Warriors is pretty impressive, so is their forward pack so I'm dumb. But yeah with Mason Lino holding things together, the Warriors have a half back who has been there done that and got the t-shirt. Lino keeps things pretty simple which is all you need with such talent around him but his willingness to be patient and kick to the corners, limit the Broncos field possession etc will be huge. 

Now, we don't really know what's going to happen with Brad Abbey. He's carrying a bit of an injury and coach Stacey Jones will keep his cards close to his chest. Abbey's proven to be an absolute gun at fullback and has been named there with Tuimoala Lolohea to start in the #6 jersey. Last week Lolohea shifted to fullback with Mafoa'aeata Hingano moving in to the halves in Abbey's absence so expect to see the same again if Abbey doesn't lace up. Hingano's been impressive all season so they won't loose too much there if that's the case.

However, a spine of Abbey, Lolohea and Lino looks deadly. That's a group of players who could take the final by storm and open a few eyes. Hopefully we get to see it in action and hopefully they dominate!

Ok, if I had to give you one name to cast your seedy eyes on, it's Solomone Kata in the centres. For lack of a better comparison, Kata is another Konrad Hurrell. He's got crazy power as well as being extremely quick footed. Kata burst on to the scene a year or two ago but has battled injuries which has limited his exposure, but he's an absolute beast. If there's anyone who could make a name for themselves (basically anyone in this Warriors side could) I'd go with Kata. 

So what do I reckon? Well a Warriors win obviously. Who really cares about this Broncos side, anytime I get to see the talent that I know we have in abundance here in Aotearoa, on the biggest stage, I get excited. The Warriors will play how you expect any Junior Warriors side to play - plenty of power and aggression through the middle with the likes of Abbey and Lolohea in support. They'll also be pretty lethal out wide so expect to see plenty of footy being played.

Defence. Whoever defends better, will probably win. So while the Warriors have plenty of attacking ability, their attitude and effort on defence will either win them a championship or hand it to the Broncos. 

Enjoy it. Celebrate it. Be proud.