ALBION produced the first shock of the WRFL finals series by defeating hot favourites Spotswood on Saturday to advance to the grand final.

In a stunning result, Albion ended Spotswood’s run of 13 successive victories and forced the Woodsmen into a preliminary final against Sunshine, winning 18.10 (118) to 13.6 (84).

But Cats coach Paul Harrison was not surprised. He has been sensing his side was building towards something special, and the build-up began when Albion was thrashed by Spotswood in round 11. Since then, the Cats have not dropped a match.

Albion found a way to break down the seemingly impenetrable Spotswood with unyielding pressure, relentless running and superb ball use.

“I thought our intent early on in the game was as good as it’s been. We were focused and both our commitment and discipline was good,” Harrison said.

“We didn’t want to give away any stupid free kicks, we didn’t want to have the game handed to Spotswood, we wanted to make it tight and in-close early. We didn’t want to let their ball runners run, and I think that’s probably how we’ve played the last seven or eight weeks and nothing will change in two weeks time. If anything we’ve got to lift the intensity 20 or 30 per cent.”

Spotswood coach Ben Kelly said he couldn’t pinpoint exactly why his side faltered, but suggested the week off and the side’s relatively easy run leading up to the finals could have contributed to his players’ laxness.

“Maybe our blokes got a little bit ahead of themselves. I was standing out there in the middle of the ground in the last quarter thinking ‘thank God this isn’t the grand final’,” Kelly said.

“Albion’s pressure was excellent. That was pretty evident early. We were probably a step or two off. Our midfield was really off. We lost a lot of first use. Our preparation was good, we had full list, so I can’t really put our finger on why our normal game and our normal intensity wasn’t there.”

Harrison said the win would give the Cats a major psychological boost going into the grand final.

“I think from a mental point of view the win was important. It was important because we weren’t negative.

“We went out there and played them head-to-head and I think that the boys walked away thinking like they were good enough. We have no illusions about two weeks time. If Spotswood manage to get over Sunshine we know we’re in for a tougher game.”

“We need to repeat at least what we did yesterday and some more.”

Kelly had no doubt how his players will respond to what he considered was an aberration.

“They’re a fairly determined bunch and it was a real kick in the guts, so I’d be really surprised, with the character of these blokes, if they didn’t come out with a genuine attempt to improve from where we were at yesterday (Saturday).”

The Cats challenge is to handle the week off better than Spotswood did, knowing they will be facing a contestant with momentum. Harrison said the break was of no concern.