Jarrod Berry proud to represent Horsham and the Wimmera in a preliminary final

Berry, 22, will stride out for the Brisbane Lions on Saturday night in the club's first preliminary final since 2004.

As the nation watches on, Berry told the Mail-Times he wanted to represent the Wimmera proudly.

"It's one of those things you do think about. You're not just playing for yourself or your family, but for all of the people that have been there throughout my whole journey. And Horsham has been a huge part of that," he said.

"The Horsham Saints particularly and their program. They really embraced us Berry boys when we moved down from Nhill and gave us a go.

"You go out on the weekend and you're really trying to do the region and those guys particularly really proud."

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Berry's chance of a lifetime comes after the Lions upset premiership favourites Richmond a fortnight ago.

Helping the upset result may have been the presence of Berry's "lucky charm" - his dad Troy, who flew to Brisbane and endured two weeks of quarantine to be a part of Jarrod's finals campaign.

"I could look from my balcony and see the hotel he was staying at (in quarantine), but you couldn't actually go and see him. It was very weird," Berry said.

"He got out on the Friday morning and went to the game that night against Richmond. That was his first game of the season, and I think he loved every bit of it.

"It's been good to reconnect with him; I haven't seen him since Christmas, so that was really good.

"He's a bit like my lucky charm. I'll be bringing him along this weekend for sure."

The win against the Tigers was the Lions' first finals victory since 2009, and capped off a remarkable turnaround for the club after a decade in the doldrums.

When Berry first arrived in 2017, the Lions had finished in the bottom five in four of the previous seven seasons.

Berry's arrival, alongside a group of fellow Victorian young guns, helped spur the rapid turnaround.

And Berry believes it is the tight-knit nature of the group that will hold them in good stead on Saturday against Geelong.

"It is pretty cool to sit back and reflect on the journey thus far," Berry said.

"From coming in as a fresh 18-year-old and not knowing what to expect, or what AFL football is like, to now - it's an incredible position to be in.

"Now we're such a tight-knit group. I think that's our biggest weapon. We've actually only got five or six Brisbane boys; the rest are from interstate.

"So the way the club embraces us guys, and the fact that we have nobody to rely on except the family of the club, I think that holds us in really good stead.

"I can't be thankful enough for the opportunity. I look back on my career and think, it could be so different if I went to another club."

Now Berry and the youthful Brisbane Lions are brimming with self-confidence.

An unshakable belief in their "trademark" style has always existed, but this year, with a historic finals victory already under their belt, the Lions have added another essential element: experience.

"We knew last year we had it in us to win. It was just a sense of composure that we didn't have during the finals. We were a bit too fresh," Berry said.

"It feels completely different this year. Knowing what to expect, and knowing how to deal with that stress.

"The Cats have been in great form. They're going to come in with plenty of confidence.

"But we're just going to take it moment by moment, quarter by quarter, and apply our trademark in the best possible way. I think it's going to hold us in good stead."

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