Tom Moody will be treating it as just another game. That's even if tomorrow's Mercantile Mutual Cup Final in Perth seems set to provide him with one of the most emotional days in his long and distinguished career.

The venerated Western Australian captain will be playing his seventy-fifth and last one-day match for his state over a period that stretches back fifteen years. But its individual significance is about the last thing upon which he is keen to concentrate his mind.

"This game is like any game of cricket for me," says Moody of tomorrow's competition decider against New South Wales at the WACA Ground.

"Obviously, it's great to play in finals - and I've been fortunate to play in a number of finals for Western Australia. But I'm not really concerned whether it's my last one-day game for Western Australia or not. That's not important to me. What's important is that we play well as a team."

"The enjoyment that I get out of playing cricket is in the team playing well."

Western Australia will be gunning for an unprecedented eleventh domestic one-day title when it takes on the Blues in a match sure to carry many potential motivators. It not only has its captain and its coach, Wayne Clark, set to leave it at the end of the season but is also likely to draw inspiration from the fact that it has been the competition trendsetter for much of the season. It will enter the match as a warm favourite to clinch back-to-back titles over the visitors' relatively inexperienced line-up.

The Blues are not exactly backward in coming forward about their own aspirations, though.

"We're very keen. I'm very excited and I know the guys are. Everyone's very excited to be playing in the Final and it'd be nice to win one," says New South Wales skipper, Shane Lee.

Lee is wary of the Warriors' decision to bolster their pace bowling division by reuniting speedsters Brad Williams and Duncan Spencer at the head of their attack but feels that his team might have an edge in the presence of leg spinning maestro, Stuart MacGill, and in its general confidence.

"We're playing some good cricket toward the end of the season. The boys are in a really confident mood. Our guys are really excited, they can't wait for tomorrow and to get out there and play some good cricket."

There have been signs in recent weeks that the absence of internationals Adam Gilchrist, Justin Langer and Damien Martyn has created instability at the top of the Warriors' batting order, and that the non-appearance of fellow Indian tourists Michael Slater, Steve Waugh and Mark Waugh has also created voids in the Blues' list. But both captains seem unperturbed about any diminution in their batting capabilities, stressing that the presence of a typically flat, dry WACA pitch should assist high scoring.

"It looks a really good wicket; it even looks a little drier than normal," says Lee.

"I think the wicket's a very good (one)," says Moody. "We'll probably see scores of 275 or around that mark."

© 2001 CricInfo Ltd