They went head-to-head for much of the Northern League season. Now Birkenhead United and Auckland City will meet in the NZF National League Championship (NLC) final.
City defeated Christchurch's Coastal Spirit 5-1 in a must-win Round 9 match at Auckland's Kiwitea Street on Sunday to secure their third straight final NLC appearance.
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Myer Bevan scored a first-half hat-trick for the Navy Blues in a five-minute span, while Dylan Manickum and Kentaro Ozaki put the game away after Coastal had got one back through an own-goal.
Bevan, who appeared for the All Whites in six matches in 2017-18, scored his first in the 17th minute with a right-foot strike, then stole the ball at the kick-off and fired home from 40m out less than 60 seconds later. His third came with a left-foot half-volley from a long-ball in the 21st minute.
Birko and City will meet in the last match of the season at North Harbour Stadium on Sunday (kick-off 4pm).
City were forced into a win-and-in situation after Birkenhead defeated Cashmere Technical 2-1 in Christchurch, Napier City Rovers got by defending champions Wellington Olympic 3-2 in the Capital, and Western Springs routed the Wellington Phoenix Reserves 5-0 in Auckland on Saturday.
A draw or loss for the Navy Blues would have seen Springs progress to the final against Birkenhead.
Birko finished the league phase with 20 points, with City a point behind. Springs were third with 18 points, Napier City another point back, the Phoenix Reserves on 13 points, and Olympic, who won just three of nine matches, and Coastal Spirit on 11.
Birko confirmed their place in the final at Christchurch's Nga Puna Wai, with two goals from Daniel Burch.
Burch scored in the 45th and the match-winner in the 79th, while Garbhan Coughlan scored for Cashmere in the 53rd minute, leaving the pair tied for the NLC Golden Boot with eight goals. Bevan finished with seven goals, level with Birkenhead's Monty Patterson.f
First, Rovers moved into interim second, with Oscar Faulds smacking home the match-winner for Rovers in the third minute of second-half stoppage-time at Martin Luckie Park, after Olympic had twice come back from a goal down.
Then, Springs moved ahead, getting five goals, from five different scorers, in the second half to roll the WeeNix at Seddon Fields.
Meanwhile, Auckland United will play Waterside Karori in the NZF Women's National League Championship (WNLC) final on Sunday (kick-off 1pm).
The matchup and finishing order was set after Round 8, but the two clubs will head into the final off the back of contrasting results to end league play.
United got three goals after the 60th minute, including two from Charlotte Roche, in a 3-0 victory over the Phoenix Women Reserves at Keith Hay Park, finishing unbeaten with 25 points.
Roche potted goals in the 63rd and 80th minutes to claim the WNLC Golden Boot award with eight goals, one ahead of Eastern Suburbs' Britney Cunningham-Lee and Waterside Karori's Kendall Pollock.
Karori fell to Southern United 2-0 at Dunedin's Logan Park, with Shontelle Smith scoring in the ninth and 28th minutes.
In a mid-table logjam, Eastern Suburbs, Western Springs and West Coast Rangers all finished with 14 points, four behind Karori, while Wellington United and the Canterbury United Pride reached 13 points.
Emily Lyon scored twice in the first half as Rangers held off Suburbs 2-1 at Fred Taylor Park, while Hannah Pilley had a pair in Wellington United's 6-0 win over Central Football at Martin Luckie Park, and Suburbs defeated the Pride 3-0 in Christchurch.
NZF NATIONAL LEAGUE RESULTS - ROUND 9
Birkenhead United 2 Cashmere Technical 1
Napier City Rovers 3 Wellington Olympic 2
Western Springs 5 Phoenix Reserves 0
Western Suburbs 2 Eastern Suburbs 0
Auckland City 5 Coastal Spirit 1
NZF WOMEN'S NATIONAL LEAGUE RESULTS - ROUND 9
Auckland United 3 Phoenix Women Reserves 0
Western Springs 3 Canterbury United Pride 0
Southern United 2 Waterside Karori 0
West Coast Rangers 2 Eastern Suburbs 1
Wellington United 6 Central Football 0