Horsham was ruthless from the word go against Stawell as the home side’s only goal came in the final quarter before the game finished 17.20.122 to 1.2.8.

Horsham coach Louie Dalziel said he had a good feeling about the game even before the first bounce.

“It felt as though we were setting ourselves for something big and everyone seemed really sharp in the rooms before the first bounce.”

One-way traffic in the first quarter was a sign of things to come.

While the Demons piled on five goals the scoreboard damage could have been much worse had some of the side’s eight behinds been converted. “Inaccuracy is an area that might come back to haunt us at some point,” Dalziel said.

Things were worse for the Warriors in the second quarter. The side failed to add to the single behind it scored in the first quarter as Horsham’s lead grew to 60-points at half-time.

The Demons midfield, led by Simon Hobbs, continued to win the contested ball. Any clearances that Tom Eckel and his Warriors teammates could muster came under immense pressure.

“Our defenders would say their jobs were made a lot easier by the forward and midfield pressure we applied up the ground,” Dalziel said. “Even when it did get down there we were on top. Ben Lakin tore Travis Graham to pieces by simply overworking him.”

Another goalless third quarter was Stawell’s fifth in two weeks. At the other end of the ground Horsham continued to build its lead steadily.

Horsham’s best quarter for scoring came when the side managed 6.3 in the fourth despite Brent Tuckey managing to kick Stawell’s solitary goal.

Ryan Kemp, Deek Roberts and John Wood each kicked four while Tyler Blake added three for Horsham.

Playing coach Tom Eckel toiled away in the middle as Stawell’s best player.