Nhill co-coach Jake McQueen said he was happy with his team’s four-quarter effort against the Warriors.

“We knew Stawell were going to bring the pressure, but that’s the Nhill Tigers’ DNA and we can up it, so I was very pleased with the effort that we brought,” he said.

“We’ve got a pretty good set-up now. Everyone knows their routine, and I feel like that’s definitely helped towards the back half of the year because we didn’t really have a routine before the first half the season.”

McQueen said the team got together on Saturday to watch the Sydney Swans’ thrashing of Brisbane, which inspired them to lift their game of finals football.

He said the Tigers’ journey was not just about their team, but their club and community, describing their support as like having an extra player.

It has been a long time since Nhill reached a grand final and even longer since its last premiership, which was in 1981.

“We’re grateful they’re involved and it’s bigger than just us,” McQueen said.

“Even after the win last weekend against Thunder, there was a couple of nannas coming down to the pub and having a beer and a feed with us, which they don’t normally do, so it’s nice to see that.”

McQueen said Stanley Cox, with three goals, played his best game of the season.

“ I was in prime position, and I just see this big, tall, lanky bloke coming in front of me and I was like ‘yep, that’ll do’ – he’s been a real super in for us, that’s for sure,” he said.

Kobe Hodges’ move from forward to the backline was also influential.

“He’s smooth – he’s Scott Pendlebury-like. When he gets the ball, he can dodge a couple, but then he makes the right decisions every time, so he’s been huge,” McQueen said

Ruckman Daniel Batson’s game was also key to Nhill’s win, and McQueen said the veteran stood up against arguably the best ruckman in the league, Josh Fowkes.

Jarryd and Lucas Dahlenburg and Liam Albrecht were also among the Tigers’ best, while Paul Summers with three goals, Zac Marrow and Aiden Graveson were judged the better players for the Warriors.

The Tigers head into the preliminary final at Minyip this Saturday to take on Horsham Saints, who went down by eight points to Ararat.

In windy conditions at Stawell, Ararat took an early lead, led by coach Tom Williamson.

It was the Saints’ turn to shine in the second quarter, as they outscored the Rats to reduce the margin to just four points at the main break.

Ararat’s six goals in the third term saw the Rats out to a 21-point lead at the last change, but to the Saints’ credit, a last-quarter fightback showed their spirit. In fact, if the Saints had kicked straight – they posted 3.4 to Ararat’s 1.3 in the fourth term – the result could have been a different story.

But it wasn’t to be for the Saints as Williamson, with six goals, and the usual suspects of Ben Taylor, Tom Mills and Cody Lindsay led the way to earn Ararat’s place in the 2026 grand final, with a chance of winning the Rats’ fourth consecutive premiership.

For the Saints, Will Brennan, Jacob O’Beirne, Gage Wright and Reid Kuller were best, and the club will again be looking for those players to stand up in the preliminary final against Nhill on Saturday.

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