After leading the George Tooke Shield competition for much of their return season, the Highlanders have reached the final hurdle, which will take place this weekend.

However, the one weakness which has plagued Sykes' side throughout the year remains to be addressed: execution.

Again and again, the Highlanders have controlled much of the play in almost every game. And against and again, their ability to convert possession into scores has fallen short.

While their defensive prowess has kept the Gordon sufficiently competitive, it was a key failure in last weekend's 16-12 defeat to the Bungendore Tigers.

Ahead of this Saturday's grand final against the same opponents, Sykes urged his side to begin converting their opportunities.

"We've got to score some points," Sykes said.

"We're not going to win this competition scoring between 12 and 14 points, we've got to be better in attack.

"If you look at Gunning, Bungendore, Goulburn; we've been within four and six points of each other. We're all pretty evenly matched, it comes down to taking opportunities."

Sykes' criticism is warranted. In seven matches this year - excepting the washout in round three and a forfeit victory in round eight - the Highlanders have averaged nearly 23 points per game.

That might sound positive, but 74 of those points came in round two against the last-placed Burranjong Bears. If that match is excluded, the Highlanders' average points-per-game drops to 12.

That, Sykes said, remains his side's only weakness. And he knows how it has come about.

"We've been running drills and shapes at training for the last two or three weeks, but we're not executing it on game day," he said.

"We didn't execute it against Gunning or Bungendore. They've identified if they target our playmakers, they shut us down very well. This week, we need to find a way to nullify what they're doing, and I've got a plan."

Though he did not reveal the details of his plan, Sykes said the players have rebounded well after last weekend's "shattering" loss.

"They're great, they've got a really good resolve, they're pumped," he said.

"We've got the talent, attitude, and defence to win the competition. We just need to be better in attack.

"To be quite honest, we probably haven't clicked the way we want to the whole year. It hasn't come out on game day, so we've just got to be smarter this weekend and get around that."

Prior to this weekend's grand final, the Highlanders had played Bungendore twice. The first match, in round six, was a 24-24 draw, while Saturday's game was decided by only four points.

In such tight results, experience can play a crucial role, as Sykes knows all too well.

"The average age of our squad is 20.7, and we're playing a Bungendore team that's got nine Tuggeranong reserve-graders in it who are in their mid-to-late 20s," he said.

"When you're playing senior football, experience counts for a lot. We need some older heads on our shoulders, we know what we've got to do and now we just have to do it."

The George Tooke Shield grand final between the Gordon Highlanders and Bungendore Tigers will take place this Saturday, September 26, from 1.15pm at Mick Sherd Oval in Bungendore.

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