In the past 20 BFNL seasons, 17 times the team that won the second semi-final has gone on to win the flag.

Golden Square in 2001, Gisborne in 2006 and Strathfieldsaye in 2017 are the only three teams to win the premiership after advancing through the preliminary final.

With this year's BFNL grand final scheduled for the Friday public holiday the day before AFL grand final, winning the second semi-final will be even more advantageous.

The winner of the second semi-final gets a week off, while the preliminary final victor has a tough cut-throat final to survive and then just a five-day break into the grand final.

Does the short break make it too hard for the preliminary final victor to win the flag?

"You'd have your fingers crossed preliminary final day that it's not a tough game and you get through okay injury wise,'' Strathfieldsaye coach Darryl Wilson said.

"You'd basically have to do nothing for the next five days leading into the grand final.

"It'd be tough, but you're in a grand final."

Wilson was in charge of the 2017 Strathfieldsaye team that defeated Golden Square by 16 points in a hard-fought preliminary final and then went on to beat Eaglehawk in the grand final by 32 points.

"I remember we were bitterly disappointed not to win the second semi-final (lost by three points to Eaglehawk),'' Wilson said.

"The Golden Square game was a tough one and we had to fight for that. After that it was just straight into recovery. From the game we went straight to a pool.

"We hardly did anything at training on the Tuesday night and then had a very light run on the Thursday night.

"It's more about recovery than training and you have to be smart about it.

"Most years it's survival of the fittest and it looks like that will be the case this year."

Gisborne champion Luke Saunders played in the Bulldogs' premiership side in 2006 that progressed through the preliminary final.

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The minor premier Bulldogs, coached by Marcus Barham, suffered a shock loss to Golden Square in the second semi-final and then bounced back to beat South Bendigo by 20 goals in the preliminary final.

They went on to defeat Square by four goals in the grand final.

Six years later he was coach of the Gisborne team that qualified for the grand final via the preliminary final, but came up one kick short in the decider against Golden Square.

"A five-day break into a grand final would be tough... but it might depend where your team is at,'' Saunders said.

"In 2006 we felt we were the best team in the competition anyway. We had a week off leading into the second semi-final and, even though we lost that day, it probably did us good to play the extra game in the preliminary final.

"In 2012 we were a young team and we didn't have a lot of players with a heap of finals experience.

"I thought it was an advantage for us to keep playing and play in the preliminary final, but then on grand final day we started really slowly and it probably cost us the game.

"We were still fit enough to come back at the end."

Saunders has long been an advocate for continuity at senior level in country footy.

He said breaks for country footballers often cause more harm than good.

"I think it's better for non-professional teams to keep playing,'' he said.

"As soon as you have that week off - give you're not a professional athlete - it changes your whole preparation.

"I think it's a benefit to keep playing. Maybe a five-day break might be different.

"Bottom line is if you're good enough to win it, you'll win it."

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Saunders said Gisborne's premiership coaches Mick McGuane (2002-03) and Barham (2005-06) had similar attitudes to grand final preparations.

"When Mick was coach, if we were straight into the grand final we'd have a massive training day on the Saturday (of the preliminary final),'' Saunders said.

"He'd make it as if we were playing a game anyway. Marcus would always put us through a solid session and then we'd go and watch the preliminary final.

"Both of them would keep that week as normal as possible. They were both intense coaches and they liked to keep us on our toes and ensure we were ready for anything that came our way."

Golden Square coach Chris Carter played in the Bulldogs' 2001 premiership team.

The 2001 Dogs, coached by Brian Walsh, created history by advancing all the way from the elimination final to a premiership.

Square crushed Eaglehawk by eight goals in the elimination final, defeated South Bendigo by 23 points in the first semi, edged out Kangaroo Flat by 13 points in the preliminary final before backing up with a 14-point win over arch-rival Sandhurst in the grand final.

"Things were a bit different back in 2001...I reckon we had a good celebration after winning the preliminary final,'' Carter said with a chuckle.

"After winning three elimination finals basically in a row we had plenty of momentum, so through the week it was just about going through the things that had got us there.

"We didn't do too much on the track and went into the grand final really confident.

"We'd beaten Sandhurst during the home and away season and we had the feeling that they really didn't want to play us in the grand final."

What would Carter's attitude be should his Bulldogs win this year's preliminary final?

"A five-day break is not ideal, but you've got to be positive and have a crack,'' Carter said.

"Have a look at the results this year - anyone on their day can beat anyone.

"The grand final on the public holiday Friday is a great idea. It will be a huge day and we'd love to be there."

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