TALLANGATTA put their rollercoaster second half of the season well and truly behind them last Saturday, and coach Zac Fulford is confident his Hoppers can ride that momentum into Saturday's game against Kiewa.
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An impressive second half display saw the Hoppers pull away from Thurgoona, with five unanswered goals setting up a 40-point win.
A six-game losing streak looked well behind them, and Fulford said Tallangatta had re-discovered the form that saw them win their first eight games this season.
“We knew through that slump that we hadn't forgotten how to play footy overnight,” Fulford said.
“There was always sense that we'd come out the other side.
“We had to improve the way we went about certain things on the field.
“We were really happy with our form early in the season, and that guys had the confidence to be able to return to it.”
With form no longer an issue for the Hoppers, they've been able to turn their attention to the raging premiership favourites, Kiewa.
Ensuring the Kiewa midfield wasn't able to give their forwards the silver service they've enjoyed for much of the year was a top priority, Fulford said.
“We've only played them the one time this year, but it was enough to learn how even they are across the ground in terms of talent,” Fulford said.
“We can't go in with a totally defensive mindset, we have to win enough of the football to give our forwards a chance.
“I'm confident that our game plan will stack up.”
Undefeated throughout the regular season, Kiewa will enter the match as favourites, as it has for arguably all of its matches.
But co-coach Trent Turner was quick to point out that the Hawks wouldn't fall into the trap of underestimating the Hoppers.
“Tallangatta played a high quality, high intensity game last weekend,” Turner said.
“They've settled into finals footy very quickly.
“That will be the challenge for us, making sure we settle into the finals quickly and and play our game.
“Our pressure will need to be high from the start, it'll be a barometer for us.
“Their spread was
Both sides were expecting to field near full strength line-ups on Saturday.
Thurgoona are set to line up against Chiltern in the weekend's second semi final, to be played on Sunday.
Chiltern will be confident after toppling surprise finalists Rutherglen, handing them a 64-point defeat.
