Jae McGrath the key for Horsham Lawn in first week of finals

Lawn will take on pennant powerhouse St Michael's at the weekend, who are looking for their fourth consecutive title.

St Michael's have lost only one match this season, but Horsham Lawn has the firepower to cause problems.

Number one men's player Jae McGrath will be one of the key components if Lawn is to cause an upset.

"They have some really good men's players in Peter Hayes and Ian Nitschke, so it's obviously going to be a tough battle," McGrath said.

"But we've also got our silver fox in Graeme Wood - he actually beat me in our club champs last week - so hopefully we can play some good tennis and get some results." 

As a mainstay in Horsham Lawn's pennant side for many years, McGrath said he had developed a friendly rivalry with his opponents from St Michael's.

"I've been competing in the league a fair while and you get to know the guys you're playing against pretty well," he said.

"There will be a bit of banter from Hayesy this weekend, that is for sure."

McGrath holds a unique place in the pennant division as one of a slim number of players who have continued their association with the sport after playing in Central Wimmera's junior competition.

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McGrath said he hoped more would follow in his footsteps as the association continued to take steps to encourage participation.

"Participation is definitely an issue, but I think there wasn't the pathway in my day that there is now," McGrath said. "They've gotten a lot better with that and hopefully it carries on so more people keep playing the sport."

The match between Lawn and the Saints is likely to be played on Sunday, with Saturday's forecast above the 38-degree playing limit. The other match is the knock-out clash between Drung South and Kalkee.

Both sides are hitting their straps at the right time of the year, and will play on Friday night.