As much as winning through to a grand final is an almighty achievement for the Dubbo Demons, it was some of the little moments in Saturday's semi that meant the most to captain Em Warner.
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The Demons scored a tight 3.2.20 to 2.2.14 win over the Bathurst Bushrangers on Saturday to ensure passage through to a grand final battle with Bathurst Giants.
It's a huge achievement for the club given there was no Demons women's side last year due to a lack of numbers.
This year's team is a mix of those who were part of the 2018 title winning-side and a host of newcomers who hadn't played a game of Aussie Rules before this season.
"It's so rewarding for the new players," Warner said.
One of the new players this year, provided one of the key moments on Saturday.
Two of the Demons' goals were kicked by Warner and Trudy Sloane, two stalwarts of the team who were there in 2018, but the other was booted home by Jemma Toohey.
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It came shortly before half-time and got the Demons back to all-square after the Bushrangers had led by a goal after the first quarter.
"It was Jemma's first ever goal and that was in the second quarter so it was pretty amazing feeling going into half-time," Warner said.
"A few of the newer plays did really good things. Neave (Hutchinson) was really good in the back-line and that helped her confidence and Jemma got her first goal and Korine (Coleman) said she'd never played in a final before so it was pretty exciting for her to win one as well."
The win was an exciting one for all involved as the Demons had finished the regular season behind the Bushrangers in third spot and had been beaten by the Bathurst outfit in the two prior meetings this year.
But there was sense of optimism around the side Demons after a strong win over Orange in the final round of the regular season, one that confirmed finals football for the club.
"We played really well against Orange and we felt like something clicked," Warner said.
"It felt like we finally gelled a bit more and really worked on our roles and played well so the momentum was really good."
After going into the half-time break level the Demons kept the Bushrangers scoreless while kicking one goal in third term.
The sides traded goals in the final term and while the one-goal lead made the final stages "nerve-racking" the Demons hung on.
The only downside for the Demons was the defeat for the men's side on Saturday, meaning it won't be an all-Dubbo show on grand final day.
The Demons men led the Bathurst Giants by 19 heading into the final term but suffered a 15-point loss in the semi-final.
"They played so well, particularly in the first half, but then it crept away," Warner said.
"They did so well to get there and it was really nice to both play at the same place.
"A lot of us stayed and watched them or ran water so hopefully they come over next week."
