The Roos were competitive for the first quarter but seven unanswered goals before half-time put the Mountain Men too far in front.

For the rest of the afternoon they dominated play and possession of the footy as their forward press kept the ball locked in their forward half.

When the Roos did go forward they found themselves out manned and out run by the hardworking Laharum backline.

“People think our back six is our Achilles heel but I think they are the strongest part of our side,” Laharum coach Shannon Argall said.

“They are just so disciplined. They get the ball to ground and they have been really settled over the last few years.

“They instinctively know when to run off and help a mate.”

The Roos were kept to just four goals for the afternoon during a tough day for their forwards.

At the other end though the Mountain Men forwards had no such trouble.

Their younger players stood up in a big game, with full forward Joe Harrison leading the way.

He presented tirelessly and finished with a string of goals to lead his side to a win.

The game started with heavy congestion as both teams got numbers behind the footy and looked to run and carry the ball forward.

After each side opened with behinds, Mark Dorward kicked the first goal of the game, from 45 metres on the run.

During this period the Roos had plenty of the ball but their disposal was poor,leading to a number of turnovers coming out of the back-half.

Harrison was awarded a free kick and booted Laharum’s second as the Mountain Men took a two goal lead into the first break.

The Roos needed to find a target inside their forward 50 in the second term and at first it seemed like they were responding well to the challenge from Laharum.

They were able to kick two goals, including one to Eric Guthrie.

But that ten minutes of play was the only resistance they offered for the rest of the afternoon.

By half-time Laharum had kicked seven straight, giving them a 49 point lead.

From here it was always going to be tough and the Mountain Men continued to find easy goals.

Their midfield spread with each turnover and found the time and space to make delivering the ball to the forwards a simple matter.

“I was really impressed the boys were able to absorb that pressure and not panic,” Argall said.

“They know we have structures in place, that if we keep doing it the right way we will be able to turn the ball over and get it back on our terms.”

The Roos will have to do some soul searching but have two weeks to bridge the enormous gap it seems Laharum has on the rest of the competition.

The winner of tomorrow’s semi-final between Kalkee and Taylors Lake will play against the Roos in the preliminary final next week.

Final score: Laharum 17.16 (118) defeated Harrow-Balmoral 4.8 (32).