Power House who finished third on the ladder with 12 wins and four losses will be looking to cause an upset in the Grand Final. Melbourne will come into the match with a load of confidence after comprehensively defeating Moorabbin 55-3 in their Semi Final, and remaining undefeated for the entire season. Melbourne will also take to the field in the third grade Grand Final, competing against Power House who narrowly defeated Harlequin 18-19 in their Semi Final. Melbourne’s two other losses this year were to Footscray in Round 7 and Power House in Round 17. Harlequin has only lost one other game this season, with Power House beating them by a point in Round 15. The teams have a win each from their meetings this year, with Harlequin coming away with a 34-42 victory in their Round 3 match, and Melbourne taking a 10-32 victory in Round 10. Melbourne and Harlequin will also face off in the second grade Grand Final, with Melbourne defeating Power House 44-22 and Harlequin victorious over Melbourne University 28-14 in the Semi Finals. The match will kick off at 3.15 on Saturday afternoon. Melbourne will go into the match with no changes to their Semi Final winning side. Reuben Boss has been excluded from the extended squad to make way for Api. Harlequin have made one change to their team for the Grand Final, with front rower James Api coming back into the starting side, pushing William Ta’ufo’ou onto the bench. Harlequin has won six Dewar Shields since their formation in 1928, with their last premiership being in 2004. Melbourne also has a strong history of Grand Final success, winning three Dewar Shields in a row between 20, with a total of 17 grand final wins in their 104 year history. Melbourne, however, will be able to take confidence from some of Harlequin’s late season falters, including their Round 15 loss to Power House and their draw in Round 17 with Moorabbin. Harlequin, who has led the competition all season, will go into the match as clear favorites. The teams played off for the Harold Mitchell Cup as the curtain raiser to the match between the Melbourne Rebels and British and Irish Lions. Harlequin suffered their first of only two losses for the 2013 season in Round 10, with Melbourne taking the Harold Mitchell Cup with an 8-29 victory. The teams have a win each from their two meetings this year, with Harlequin taking the first victory in Round 3, defeating Melbourne by 24 points. Harlequin comfortably progressed through their Semi Final against Power House, with a 32-5 win, while Melbourne just scraped home against Moorabbin in a 30-27 thriller. Harlequin is set to play Melbourne in the 2013 Dewar Shield Grand Final this Saturday 7 September at Box Hill RUFC.
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