Waratah and St Mary's gained big footholds in the 2022/23 TIO NTFL premiership race when they romped away with their semi-final matches in the Men's Premier League.
Waratah beat minor premier Southern Districts by 56 points in the major semi-final after a show of class that shortened the odds on winning their first senior flag since 1999-2000.
And St Mary's moved into top gear in the knockout first semi-final after a cautious start to beat a NIghtcliff side coming off eight successive wins.
Waratah's eclipse of a strangely subdued Southern Districts had all the characteristics of a side hellbent on holding up the premiership cup on March 18.
They were first to the football, hunted in packs and used the football with the precision good sides do in a finals win for the ages.
Coach Ryan Ayres said a second grand final appearance in as many years was proof of his side's intent and determination to put things right after the disappointment of losing to St Mary's 12 months ago.
"The players are a lot more experienced than a year ago and ready for the task in front of them,'' Ayres said.
"We were very similar to last week in that we had players ready to step up if someone was a little bit down, 13 individual goalkickers is proof of that.
"It wasn't a case of a couple of players that stood out, it was everyone playing their role.''
Unheralded pair Jake Bowd and Arnold Kirby were lionhearted performers for Tahs, while prolific ball getters Will Collis and Rob Turnbull found a lot of the football.
Districts coach Shannon Rusca said his players were beaten at the contests and on the spread when in possession of the football, areas his side had prided itself on all season.
"Now we lick our wounds and get ready for the preliminary final, when you finish on top you get the fortune falling your way of a second chance if you hit a road bump like we did against a classy Tahs side.''
St Mary's kicked six goals in the second quarter and four in the last 15 minutes of the final quarter to end Nightcliff's season and earn a preliminary final bout with Southern Districts.
Five goals from Dennis Dunn goalkicking medallist Jackson Calder and another five from the best player on the ground in midfielder Dylan Landt steered the Saints ship to another final win.
Landt put his side's cautious start down to holding the opposition to a low score in the opening 20 minutes and not getting jumped on the scoreboard.
"We didn't want to go out at the start of the game with all guns blazing, we wanted to control what was happening out on the ground and after that play our style of footy,'' he said.
Nightcliff did claw their way back into the game when a Jay Moody inspired four-goal to two third term got them to within eight points at the final change.
But the potency of the Calder-Landt armoury up forward for Saints and the consistency of players like Kieren Parnell, Nick Yarran and Matt Green broke the game open in the last half of the final quarter
