Early season bragging rights are on the line tomorrow when defending Dudley Eve champions North Village tackle Devonshire Cougars at Wellington Oval for the first piece of silverware of the season.

The sides have met twice already this season. In the league clash, Rams came out 4-2 winners and in the group stage of the Dudley Eve, Village again had the upper hand, winning 1-0.

For the champions, it will be a case of deja vu, with their cup triumph last season giving their league campaign a much needed shot in the arm.

Coach Shaun Goater believes his side have what it takes to claim successive titles, while downplaying the previous results between the two clubs.

"We are setting up to defend the trophy. Obviously we have had hard games against Cougars in the past few years and this match shouldn't be any different," said Goater.

"It should be a very intense encounter and the matches that have been played between the two this year will be thrown out the window given it is a cup final.

"Winning games in the past against the same side and looking back at them can give you confidence as well as a false level of complacency and we don't want to be victims of this.

"It's a cup final so there won't be any thoughts about how results have gone in the past.

"The only bearing the match will have, should we win, will be in the immediate weeks after because last year we didn't get off to the best start and won the Dudley Eve and managed to get the belief that we could bounce back and make a move in the league.

"It allowed the confidence to come back and although I expected us to be in the running from the early stages, winning the competition certainly helped us and hopefully it can happen this time around."

Cougars' skipper Domico Coddington also reckons that the game will be hotly contested with both sides looking to get some early silverware under their belt.

Coddington, in particular, will be anxious to win the cup with a victory seeing him lift his first major trophy since being named captain of the side.

While the game will be deemed a one-off match, the mercurial winger believes a win in the final could see his team's campaign receive a timely boost just before the Christmas break.

"It will be a good game for both sets of fans and for us we just want to go out and win another cup for the club," said Coddington.

"Being it is the first (cup final) of the season, it isn't the most important thing at the moment but we want to win every game we play in and this match is the same.

"If we can manage to pull out the win it will be a good boost for us in the league and will be a good jolt for us moving forward.

"We have played them a few times already in this year but those games won't determine who will win this match. It is about who shows up on the day and wants it the most.

"The last few games they have won, but it is about who shows up tomorrow.

"It will be a good feeling to know I will be hoisting the trophy as the skipper. Obviously I will be the first to get it but it will be for the team and all about the team if we do win because everyone will need to put in a good performance if we are to come through the match."

The match kicks off at 2.30 p.m.