Rupanyup president Rod Weidemann said the extra work required to host a final was worth it whenever the club got the chance to host a final.

“There is a huge amount of volunteer-hours that go toward its,” he said. “In preparation we had working bees but in the end it showcased our club and our volunteers.

“There are a lot of extra requirements that aren’t there during the regular season.”

The Panthers hosted the first elimination finals on Sunday. Weidemann did not have a number for the amount of gate takings but said it was huge.

“It can depend on how many different teams are playing as well,” he said. “We had most teams represented and when that is the case you get plenty coming and going throughout the day.”

Edenhope hosted the second elimination final round in the Horsham District league on Saturday. Edenhope-Apsley president Carolyn Middleton said it gave the club an opportunity to unite in order to host a busy day.

“It’s a fairly big thing for the club and the community,” she said.

“It’s a great for everyone to come together and be united; that was a big thing for our club this year. We have been preparing the ground for three days. The grounds committee did a great job with the ground.”

With the Saints to hold a vote this month on the future of the club regarding a possible merger, Ms Middleton said the club put a big emphasis on coming together as one unit to host the final.

“Everyone is united for the one thing and to see the club produce a great final for the league is great. We are more than proud of everyone,” she said. 

Ms Middleton also said hosting a final brings financial reward to go along with hours of volunteering.

“It’s like having another home game so financially it’s fantastic. It’s just a bonus really. You don’t bank on it until the end of the year but it is financially rewarding,” she said. 

“We have had lots of rosters. It’s a bit hard if you have a lot of teams in on the finals on the day, because that takes away some workers.

“We had the C Grade netball team playing but all the football and netball players were there working.”

Weidemann said finals were a chance younger members of the club to get more of an idea of what goes into hosting games.

“We had volunteer rosters go out and everyone did their bit – right from the youngest members of the club through to the oldest members,” he said. “That is what being part of a country club is all about and it helps build that culture.”