THE Stawell Warriors will head to the finals to take on the Saints after they finished the home and away season at fourth place on the ladder.
The Wimmera League side met Nhill for a round 18 clash at the weekend and bagged a victory with a 61 point lead.
In the first quarter neither Nhill nor Stawell achieved much in the way of goals - claiming only one and two respectively - but the Warriors picked up speed in the second quarter and bagged six goals, giving them an edge the Tigers just couldn't approach.
The Warriors arrived at half time with a strong 38 point lead.
Tom Eckel kicked three goals for the side, and Cody Driscoll, Jay Moody and Jesse Eckel bagged two apiece.
Playing coach Damian Joiner said conditions were tricky and both sides had to battle the wind a bit.
"It was really windy conditions so it was hard to get a gauge on it, but in the end we kicked and did our thing," he said.
"Even though they're (Nhill are) on the bottom of the ladder they put up a good fight.
"It was very physical but we were able to get on top and we played our footy, and that was good."
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Joiner said the side had a strong playing list heading into the finals, where they will meet the Horsham Saints for the elimination round on September 1.
"We're very confident going in against the Saints," he said.
"We've got some great players going into the match. Driscoll got 14 shots at the goals last week so it's good to have him up and about.
"We are going into the finals with a fair crew."
Nhill coach Tim Bone said the Tigers were "completely outplayed."
"We never really got the game on our terms during any stage. We were competitive enough but Stawell were probably always in control, especially after half time.
"They played well."
Bone said hopes for a come back in the second half were quickly dashed.
"We thought we could have a good third quarter and get it back to three or four goals, and back ourselves in the last quarter, but Stawell are a top five team and didn't allow that to happen," he said.
Scott Hughes carried the Tigers forward with four goals of his own, and one each from Nicholas Linton and Toby Case.
Joiner said he was keen to get stuck into the finals match and see what his side could do.
"We're excited to go into the finals after missing out last year," he said.
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