The opposition is Maroochydore, who received the prize last season after weather and Covid lockouts.
The Swans earned the honours after pocketing the T20 and One-Day trophies plus the minor premiership, and have already backed up the OD
crown.
They host the decider at Kev Hackney Oval.
History would favour the Snakes, with the goodies in five of their previous six confrontations, but this time they approach the goal from fourth position, and only once this century has a side won from fourth, and that was Maroochydore in 2008, aptly over the Snakes.
The first footsteps on the field dismiss any influence of history though, and the three day battle, hopefully without interruption, depends purely on the present.
The need for an outright win brings Coolum right to the fore in proceedings. On day one the Sharks were all out for 92, but survived for 66 overs, on an embarrassingly slow outfield.
This left Maroochydore 36 overs to bat, in which the Swans, showing a puzzling lack of urgency and match awareness, reduced the chase by 52.
A similar approach on day two would require 20 odd overs to reach the target, then declare immediately, and if the Sharks could bat again for 66 overs, the visitors would have under 10 overs to pass the runs required for the big points.
A much more aggressive attitude will be needed, with any second innings chase boosted by the return of Callum Stitt, if the visitors are to do themselves a favour.
Scorchers captain John Turnbull said he will be extremely missed.
“As a coach Pugs (Ashley Holznagel) is probably the most passionate person I’ve ever come across,” Turnbull said.
“He bleeds Scorchers and what the club is about.
“He has such a passion for the club and for the sport so it will be sad to see him move away from a coaching role, but I think it’s necessary for him and his family life.”
Turnbull said it was amazing the impact Holznagel has had on the club and hopes his teammates and other members can recognise how much he has done.
Now the Rangers host Caloundra as table leaders in the last fixture round, knowing that a win should provide the former and momentum for the latter. His side has that mixture of youth, experience and talent in its prime, from the 300 plus games of Jeremy Schultz, with an unbeaten 141 last round adding to 7000-odd others, to the emergence of young bowler Jett Taylor as a force with his initial five-wicket haul. Taylor shares the new ball with the top-shelf Steve Heise, and the off-pace variety of Heath Fischer and Joel Owen completes the depth of the attack. Tim Taylor, Ricky Sawyer and match-winner Dan Cahill follow their elders to complete the strong top five batting.
His side resumes at 5/110, and fine weather will already have eased any disappointment at not having gained the lead on day one. Unbeaten on 65 himself, he has to decide how long the Snakes will bat on to maximise the chances of a much needed outright win. The extra points may lift Caboolture into third place, and a last-round win over second placed Tewantin could even snatch a valuable second position if the cards fall nicely. Tewantin had the same decision last round, and batted on for 12 overs to post an eighty-odd lead, only for the Sharks to bat out the day to 7/185 in a gutsy display.
A loss this round could threaten hopes of that fancied status, as all four face sides out of finals contention. Last week giant-killers Nambour showed that none is immune to upset with their outright defeat of Caboolture, while the other three on the second shelf demonstrated enough batting talent and determination to stifle complacency. Up at Gympie, Caloundra's Brendan Kelly raised 163 on a painfully slow outfield as the Lighthouses were able to declare on 273, and though only Andy Batten's unbeaten 96 was a credit in the home side's first innings response, Steve Brady's 101 to dispel any idea of outright defeat showed the quality available.
He did it in style too, nailing 101 not out to bring his career total to 6005. "I knew I was close to getting that achievement so to do it on the weekend by hitting a 100 (was great)," he said. Adding to the feat, Brady hit the mark against Caloundra, a side he had immense success playing during his 20-year senior career. The 37-year-old has hit seven centuries over the years, five of which have been against the club. He has also hit the Sunshine Coast Cricket Association's highest one-day total of 177 in 2010 and holds the competition's second highest two-day score of 254 achieved in 2014.