With defending champion and favourites ACT falling out of contention with two shock losses yesterday, Victoria took the opportunity to stamp its authority on the championship by turning in three ruthless performances.

Peter Knights’ team crushed NSW by 44 points before bringing down Queensland by 36 points and finishing with a 20-point win against Western Australia.

Leslie and Corowa-Rutherglen forward David Clark played key roles in the victories, with Leslie confident Victoria could prevail in the decider.

“We changed our game plan around a bit today and went more direct and the boys were sensational,” Leslie said.

“It was a pretty awesome performance.

“I love this sort of footy and hopefully we have another win left in us.”

Victoria, who lost its only match against ACT on Thursday, is virtually injury-free and was able to rotate heavily through the midfield with its wealth of options.

Former Myrtleford star Brad Murray was at his prolific best, while Golden Square sharpshooter Grant Weeks kicked eight goals over the three matches.

Coach Peter Knights was pleased with his players’ efforts after an inconsistent day one.

“We were much happier with our overall performances today,” Knights said.

“I think after the three games yesterday the guys were able to get to know each other on the footy field — what each of them are capable of and where their strengths lie.

“We came into today after tweaking our game plan slightly and they took it on board and the results showed.

“Our strength is our evenness of the group and the depth we have.

“Since the very beginning we have spoken about ‘The 25’ and about the importance of each and every player.

“Today that clicked and we look forward to a full match hit out on Sunday.”

South Australia defeated ACT, Victoria (2) and NSW yesterday to storm back into contention after going down to Victoria on the opening day by 21 points.

Tomorrow’s final starts at 2pm at Manuka Oval.

Scores — page 98