It was a tense affair from the start with neither powerhouse willing to give an inch, as they battled to keep their season alive.

The experienced centre court pair of Sarah Spicer and Emma Koschitzke quickly went to work dictating the tempo of the game for the Warrack Eagles.

The Eagles were caught on the counter-attack too many times, however, as the height of Maggie Caris in the Saints' goal ring helped them draw away.

The Saints saw off a late Eagles' burst to end the first quarter with a 17-12 lead.

Rene Caris was a surprise inclusion for the Saints and was introduced into the game in the second quarter.

Caris was not included in Geelong's lineup yesterday, as they were bundled out of the VFL Women's finals series.

The defender was tasked with limiting Eagles' Molly Stewart's influence on the game. Stewart collected a team-high 29 goals.

Trailing by five goals at half-time, the Eagles fought their way back into the contest to be down by only two goals heading into the final quarter.

The class of Maggie Caris swung the game back in the Saints favour, as the former worked her way towards a 43-goal haul.

The Saints won the last term 18-6, to book their place in next weekend's semi-final.