The bold Bulldogs made amends for their qualifying final loss to Newbridge a fortnight ago, to defeat the Maroons 42-33 in Saturday’s preliminary final at Marist College.

Their daring win was built on the solid defensive efforts of Kate Burton, Abbey Dingwall and Emily Prout and the quality goal shooting of Jess Holdstock.

The Maroons were up against it from the start, playing without their captain and top shooter Jane Reid, who is nursing a knee injury.

By quarter time, Pyramid Hill led by five-goals.

They were able to increase the margin to eight-goals at half time, before the Maroons produced their best quarter for the day to claw the margin back to five goals at the final change.

An 11-7 final quarter sealed what Bulldogs coach Deb Forster labelled as her side’s most complete and hard-fought win of the season.

“Fourth-time lucky,” she said in reference to the Bulldogs’ three previous defeats to the Maroons this season.

“It’s definitely the best game the girls have played all year – we were in front the whole time.

“It came at the right time - we’re hoping they can do it again next week.

“I think (the loss to Newbridge) a couple of weeks ago hurt the girls – and me.

“We’ve really been working on things the last couple of weeks.”

The Bulldogs will be aiming for their second flag in three seasons, following a 2016 season in which they finished outside the five.

Mitiamo will be backing up in their second-straight grand final under coach Jenny Clohesy, and will be intent on making amends for last season’s defeat to Newbridge.

The Bulldogs are the only side to defeat the Superoos this season, scoring a one-goal victory early in the season.

Mitiamo won the teams’ second clash by two goals.

Forster, who is in her second season in charge of the Bulldogs in her second stint as A-grade coach, was confident her side could take the challenge right up to the Superoos.

“They did it easily against Newbridge the other week, whereas our games (against Mitiamo) haven’t been like that,”  she said.

“They were very close both times, which they would be a bit worried about.”

The 2017 grand final will be played at Serpentine next Saturday.