The NSW team arrived home yesterday with barely a week to regroup and recoup before heading back into the Tigers' den for the re-match and season decider.
The mainlanders were soundly whipped by the Tasmanians over the weekend and face a five-day game in front of a dedicated home crowd.
Tasmania has never hosted a home final before and will do its best to put on a hostile reception for the visitors.
NSW acting captain Dominic Thornley, fresh from a golden duck followed by a face-saving 138 in the loss to Tasmania, said the team was looking forward to a week off, knowing it will face keen competition from Monday.
They (Tasmania) are serious competitors now and they have been for quite a while, Thornley said. Things are in place down there with Tasmanian cricket.
This will be an extremely huge week for Tasmania. There was a pretty good buzz there at the ground for them (last week) and they thoroughly deserve it.
Tasmania coach Tim Coyle agrees that there is a special feeling in the state at the moment.
It's a big occasion for us and although we don't get a huge amount of people to the ground, those that are there are right behind us, Coyle said.
Being a small state they have some ownership of the team and we are the highest profile team in Tasmania so we have a bit of siege mentality I suppose.
Almost on cue the island's Premier, Paul Lennon, offered his government's blessing to its brave warriors.
This is a well-deserved victory, Lennon said.
The Tigers went into the game needing only a draw and came away with a historic win and the best bowling figures Bellerive has ever seen.
This is the strength they have shown all season and is a credit to the coaching of Tim Coyle.
A season which has already seen Tasmania reach the 20-20 final will now finish in front of a home crowd and I urge everyone to get behind the team.
Coyle said yesterday he was confident the injured captain Dan Marsh and paceman Adam Griffith would be fit for the final.
NSW captain Simon Katich, who pulled out of the last game because of a thumb injury, said yesterday he was confident he would be right for the re-match.
The injury is to the star batsman's dominant bottom hand.
However, if Katich does return it could be bad news for Ben Rohrer who was flown in at the last minute from a second XI game in New Zealand to substitute for the captain.
Rohrer, 25, faced a hat-trick delivery first ball in first class cricket, surviving to contribute five runs to NSW's first innings total of 53, but impressed everyone with 163 in the second.
The university student was still trying to come to grips with the sudden change to his life yesterday, while preparing himself for a return to earth should he be dropped for Katich this week.
I still can't believe I was playing the game, Rohrer said. I was in Wellington at the start of the week so just to get a call-up and be put on stand-by was great but to get a game was even better.
NSW selectors are considering taking extra players to Tasmania on Friday, which will probably mean Rohrer will not have a chance to play in the weekend semi-final in Sydney with his club team Fairfield-Liverpool.
The other question mark for NSW is Matthew Nicholson who missed the last game as his wife is expecting twins.
While Ponting now lives in NSW, Tasmanian players said he had been on the phone from the West Indies to offer his congratulations.
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