ALBURY has claimed one of the biggest minor premierships wins, completing an unbeaten regular season with an 83-point hiding of Yarrawonga at the J.C. Lowe Oval.
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Yarrawonga's Logan Morey was superb in keeping Doug Strang medallist Josh Mellington goalless, but Setanta O'hAilpin kicked seven majors.
Aisakie O'hAilpin was forced off with a hamstring complaint in the third term, but co-coach Shaun Daly is confident the Tigers will be at full strength for the grand final qualifier in a fortnight, with VCFL star Brayden O'Hara and reliable defender Michael Thompson also forced out of the final round clash.
The Tigers claimed the minor premiership six games ahead of Lavington, eclipsing Wangaratta Rovers’ five-game break in 1993.
Albury will start the hottest favourite to claim a sixth title in the past eight years, since starting its golden run in 2009.
"Look, I think we've got enough experienced guys to know that the home and away season's over, now our new season starts," Tigers' co-coach Shaun Daly said.
League officials will be praying a team can stand up against the Albury juggernaut, with a third of the starting team boasting experience at an AFL club.
"It was only a few years ago they beat us by 70-something points in the last home and away game, and today was 80 (sic) points, and we came up and beat them in the grand final," Yarrawonga co-coach Chris Kennedy said.
At times, it resembled a training drill for Albury, with former AFL star Daniel Cross racking up a stack of possessions in defence.
But the Pigeons rallied, kicking three goals to one in the third term, the Tigers failing to kick a goal from the four-minute mark until nine minutes into the final quarter.
From there though, Albury smashed the Pigeons, and in a worrying sign ahead of finals, the match attracted the smallest crowd for a clash between the pair for many years of around 600, albeit with the prospect of rain.
Former Greater Western Sydney player Sam Schultz confirmed he won't play a role in finals after failing to recover from a knee reconstruction last year, while Pigeons' star Craig Ednie said he won't be available for Saturday's qualifying final against Lavington as he continues to battle tendon damage near his Achilles heel.
