“It probably wasn’t something we were realistically aiming at,” Lions coach Scott McMasters said.

“You hope, but to have a spot wrapped up with a round to go is an amazing effort by the young group.

“It’s great for the club and it’s great for the players.”

The Lions proved a handful for the Hoppers and were in control for much of the game, save for a lapse in the third quarter.

After being 10 points up at half-time, the Lions went 10 points behind by the final change.

“There was a bit of a lapse of concentration,” McMasters said.

“We let them dictate terms which hurt us a little bit.

“But to our boys’ credit after three-quarter-time they calmed down and got the game back under control.”

With youth on their side, McMasters said Whorouly’s team were proven strong finishers.

“They’ve probably done it too many times and I’m getting grey hairs,” he said.

“But they never give up and they love playing footy together.

“The Hoppers are a very similar side to us ability-wise ... but we were a little better around the contested ball.

“That was key but our fitness was probably the real decisive factor — we’ve got a few guys who have huge tanks and run all day.”

One player who has run into hot form is Ben Paul, who notched up his sixth consecutive best on ground performance.

“He’s had an amazing six weeks,” McMasters said.

“He runs all day, he’s hard at the footy and takes marks — he’s the complete footballer and in really good form.

“He’s hard to follow because he runs all day, so he’s got all the attributes and he loves contested footy — he’s certainly becoming one of the elite players in the comp.”

Matt Hill kicked six goals to spearhead the victory, while Jeremy Wilson was Moyhu’s best with three goals.

With only two players over 30, future looks bright for Whorouly, regardless of what the finals bring.

“They’re all keen to stick together and keep going,” McMasters said.

“I think we’ve got the makings of a very good footy side.”