The Dogs, who defeated the Demons in last year’s decider, booked a spot against the Hoppers in the grand final after coming from behind at half-time to record a 13.12 (90) to 9.22 (76) win at Moyhu.
Goals were hard to come by, especially for the Demons, who won the previous encounter by 72 points.
Tarrawingee coach Finton Eames said that disappointing round 4 loss acted as motivation for his side.
“We were a bit embarrassed by that loss,” Eames said last night.
“They had everything going for them.
“The big hype-up and all that.
“It played a little part.
“We had a lot of momentum it was just a matter of carrying that on and sticking to our guns.
“It was a weird feeling.
“I didn’t expect to win ... didn’t expect to lose.
“I knew if we turned up ready to play it would give us a chance.
“We’ve got the team to do it, we just had to dig deep and really rely on each other to get over the line.”
But in a potential blow, Tarrawingee’s Joel O’Keeffe will this week have scans on an injured hamstring that could keep him out of the grand final.
The other main injury concern is Kyle Simpson, who rolled an ankle.
But the Dogs have plenty of guys knocking on the selection door, including Luke Dinsdale, Jarrod Everitt, Tim Aumann and Brennan Jenvey.
Eames said O’Keeffe was still a chance to play in the grand final.
“Hopefully it’s just a bit of a strain instead of a tear.”
Tarrawingee forward Daniel Barassi was the leading goalkicker on the ground with three, with the Dogs best served by midfielders Daniel McCullough and Cam Kennedy, as well as skipper and ruckman Jamie Bell.
Anthony McGuire was Milawa’s best playing in the midfield and forward, while star onballer Scott Gardner and defender Chris Oates were also prominent.
Eames said his side had plenty left in the tank for its shot at back-to-back flags.
“The group’s playing for each other and that’s really hard to beat.
“They put their bodies on the line.
“The spirit and mateship has been the same for the past four years.”
