After the final siren the scoreboard read Jeparit-Rainbow 13.7 (85) to Laharum 9.9 (63). 

Co-coach Luke Murphy said it was an impressive display.

“I was very happy with the performance, the boys did everything well,” he said. 

“Laharum came back pretty well in the second half but because of a good start we got over the line.

“It was a pretty physical game and I am happy the boys fought it out well.” 

The Storm kicked accurately in the opening quarter and scored 4.1 to the Mountain Men’s 2.2. 

It was even in the second quarter, with both teams kicking two goals. 

The half-time score read the Storm 6.5 (41) to Mountain Men 4.3 (27). 

Murphy praised his squad for their resilience.

“Our midfield dominated over there. They took control of the game and this has given them confidence coming into finals,” he said. “Our backline played good footy too. It was a good four quarter effort by the boys.” 

Murphy said this was the first game his team had played solidly for four quarters. 

“Everyone chipped in,” he said. 

“In finals you have to be consistent across the ground and it’s good to see it all coming together.” 

Murphy had implored his players to adopt a free-flowing brand of football.

“We ended up playing a good style of footy,” he said. 

“They did all the right things at the right times.” 

However Murphy said there was room for improvement. “I think we need to be able to adapt with the conditions a bit quicker and not rely on the sidelines to tell us what to do,” he said. 

“But this kind of performance is what we need going into finals.” 

Mountain Mens co-coach Todd Heynen said the game was pleasing. 

“We got enough out of it to know we will be competitive,” he said. “We’ve been consistently improving.”