The five teams to contest the finals series are Newbridge, Maiden Gully YCW, Pyramid Hill, Bears Lagoon-Serpentine and Mitiamo, who between them have premiership droughts totaling 134 years.

The most recent of the five finalists to win a premiership was Mitiamo, which won the 2009 flag under coach Bill Grant, whose son, Andy Grant, is at the helm of the Superoos this season.

Mitiamo’s 2009 premiership came in between the end of Calivil United’s run of six flags in a row (2003-2008) and the start of Bridgewater’s league record seven on the trot (2010-2016).

But for the first time since 1994 neither Bridgewater of Calivil United are contesting the finals.

While Mitiamo nine years ago is the most recent flag of this year’s finalists, the club with the longest premiership drought is Pyramid Hill, which hasn’t won a grand final since 1950.

Bears Lagoon-Serpentine’s last flag came in 1995, Newbridge’s in 2000 and the Eagles’ in 2002.

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The finals begin at Inglewood when Maiden Gully YCW takes on Pyramid Hill in the qualifying final on Saturday.

Both clubs have taken massive steps forward this year, particularly Maiden Gully YCW, which has made a dramatic rise from the wilderness.

The Eagles last played finals in 2011 and have endured some lean years since where between 2012 and 2017 they won just 23 of 96 games, which further highlights just how significant their effort to win 12 this year to earn the double chance has been.

“It’s obviously a really exciting time for the club to be back in the finals… it has been a long time between drinks,” first-year Eagles coach Wayne Mitrovic said on Friday.

“We've got a lot of new players at the club and we’ve explained a bit of the history around making the finals and the importance of it and being able to use the nervous energy as a positive.”

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The Eagles ended the home and away season second on the ladder with a 12-4 record, but are coming off their worst performance of the year when they were thrashed by 99 points by flag favourite Newbridge last weekend.

“It’s obviously not ideal dishing that up in the last home and away game in what was a big night for the club under lights, but it was a good lesson for the group to come up against a side that was playing with finals intensity,” Mitrovic said.

“It showed the level we’re going to have to get to, but we’ve spoken about the game and how we need to put it to bed this week and just focus on what’s ahead.”

The Eagles have beaten the Bulldogs twice this year, including by 45 points a fortnight ago, albeit with Pyramid Hill having a depleted side that will be considerably stronger on Saturday.

Like the Eagles, the Bulldogs have also defied external expectations this season to finish third, with their double chance set up by a flying 6-0 start.

“The club is obviously rapt with how we’ve gone this year given it was a bit of unknown, but the big improvement has come from our young guys developing,” said Bulldogs co-coach Gavin James, who kicked the match-winning goal in the 2011 preliminary final when Pyramid Hill won by two points in the last finals meeting between the clubs.

“The young guys have all really brought in this year and are playing really good team-first football.”

Meanwhile, in Sunday’s elimination final it will be the same two teams as last year facing off when Bears Lagoon-Serpentine and Mitiamo battle for survival at Newbridge.

Both teams have one win apiece against each other this season.

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