After a slow start the Hoppers had trailed by 21 points at quarter time.

But Ryan Forsyth’s troops rallied to cut their deficit to just nine points by the end of the third term.

The Cats proved too strong though and held on to register a 14-point win and a place in the preliminary final against Katamatite.

“I’m really disappointed for the entire group,” Forsyth said.

“We’ve seen what we’re capable of throughout the year, we had a really god patch of form in the middle of the season.

“But we just struggled towards the end and it probably showed towards the end of the year.”

The Cats’ skills were cleaner with Luke Minogue (two goals) leading the way for them.

“You can’t fault our endeavour and the boys tried all day,” Forsyth said.

“But they probably executed a little better.

“When they had opp-ortunities they made the most of them when it counted.

“We clawed our way back, particularly in the third quarter, but were just unable to get in front, we missed a couple of opportunities and they were able to finish us off.

“They deserved to win, they did a fantastic job to finish fifth and it will be an interesting match up next week.”

Forsyth said Tom Harbrow had a strong game at half back.

“He backed into a few contests and was fairly courageous,” he said.

“James Price played across half forward and his defensive pressure was super, particularly as he played a different role to what he has all year.”

Meanwhile, Berrigan’s dream run ended as Strathmerton booked themselves a grand final berth against Jerilderie.

The Saints were soundly beaten 32.17 (209) to 6.7 (43), but they will be able to hold their heads high having reached the preliminary final.