Forbes Magpies are grand final bound after defeating Mudgee 34-10 before a vocal home crowd at Spooner Oval.
The win sets up another main event with Dubbo CYMS, at Dubbo's Apex Oval on Sunday 7 September, and anticipation is building in the players, the town and the club.
Sunday's qualifier was fast and physical from the outset.
Mudgee had a player sent off in the first quarter and played the majority of the match with 12, but they never stopped coming.
Connor Greenhalgh opened the scoring for the Magpies in the first five minutes, putting the ball down in the corner and giving the Magpies' fans reason to roar.
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Less than five minutes of game time later Jack Smith snatched the ball and ran around to dive down behind the posts, giving the hosts an early 10-nil lead.
Captain Nick Greenhalgh was sidelined after a hit and although he watched the rest of the game from the bench he was full of praise for his team.
"Our defence was unbelievable again: they just keep working for each other, they just don't stop," he said.
Mitch Andrews was next to score for Forbes, planting the ball down on the line even as the Mudgee defence piled on.
Mudgee put their first points on the board when they scored in the corner from a grubber, but Zeke Hartwig was quick to respond for Forbes to see the scoreboard 18-4 at half time.
The Mapgies had to step up their defence in the second half as Mudgee came out firing.
They narrowed the gap to 18-10, but it wasn't long before Jack Smith burst away to put on another four points for the Magpies, Traie Merritt adding the extras with a kick.
Then it was Mick Coady's turn: he defied the Mudgee defence to plant the ball next to the post and Merritt's kick extended that to 30-10.
The Dragons were on the attack minute after minute but as the clock counted down it was Forbes who scored: Mitch Andrews sending the ball out to Connor Greenhalgh who slipped through Mudgee's hands to see Magpies triumph 34-10.
There's plenty of excitement in the squad as they count down to another meeting with Dubbo CYMS.
Andrews is looking forward to what this talent-packed squad can produce on grand final day.
"We haven't played near our best yet, that's the scary thing," he said.
While a grand final against CYMS at Dubbo might feel like familiar territory, Andrews isn't taking anything for granted.
This is a new squad and when it comes to finals footy, all bets are off.
He's hoping Magpies supporters will hit the road with players to support them.
"The best thing is the crowd," he said after Sunday's match.
"I don't know if you have better supporters in the comp. It gets you buzzing."
Traie Merritt agreed.
"There's nothing like playing here at Spooner Oval," he said.
"You hear it the whole time you're out on the field, and that's the whole point of Forbes, we're a tight knit community and we love rugby league.
"It's great to see."
Magpies stepped up right across the paddock on Sunday, but Merritt was one of those who had a huge game in defence and in making the tough runs.
The team's put in the hard work since early in the pre-season and honed their defence in the lead up to the finals series.
It showed on Sunday.
"We just had to work really hard, just connect," Merritt said.
"We know we've got so much raw talent in our team that can score points."
Forbes Magpies face Dubbo CYMS in the grand final at Dubbo's Apex Oval on Sunday, 7 September, with kick off scheduled for 3pm.
