Marsh says WA desperate to secure home final – and knock the Blues out of title race in the process
Warriors eye up Shield revenge against NSW
Western Australia will be aiming to exact a sweet slice of revenge when they take on NSW in a crunch Bupa Sheffield Shield clash at the WACA Ground.
Ladder leaders Victoria, WA and NSW are in the running for a berth in the cricket final, with hosting rights also up for grabs in what shapes as a thrilling end to the season.
The NSW Blues are the most vulnerable of the three, with the defending champions needing a victory in the final round to sneak into the decider.
The Blues outpointed WA to win last summer's Shield title, and Alcohol.Think Again Western Warriors batsman Shaun Marsh said it would be nice to knock NSW out of this year's race. Their clash starts on Friday.
"Yeah, it would be. We've had some really tough battles with NSW over the last few years," Marsh said on Monday.
"They're a really good side. They'll come over here with a lot of confidence, but so will we.
"We haven't won a Shield final for 15 years now, and it's a real burning desire within this group to win one this year.
"We've put ourselves in a really good position over the last few weeks to do that."
WA slipped from first to second spot at the weekend despite posting an outright win over Queensland. Victoria's Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers snuck ahead of the Warriors by 0.06 of a point after tallying more bonus points in their crushing win over South Australia's West End Redbacks.
Introduced this season to encourage more attacking play in the first 100 overs, final-round bonus points could decide who gets to host the Shield final, and Marsh said his team were desperate to win the honour.
"It does give the side a massive advantage," he said.
Marsh's strong recent form, dating back to the Commonwealth Bank Test series against India, could see him rewarded with a call-up to the Australian squad for the tour of the West Indies, starting on June 5.
He is also firming to win a berth for this year's Ashes battle in England.
Voges has also put himself in the hunt for a Test call-up after tallying 1132 runs at an average of 102.90 during the Shield season.