IT all comes down to this. The two best teams in the WRFL to face off in what promises to be a cracking grand final.

Albion’s stunning semi-final victory over Spotswood has certainly boosted interest in the season-decider.

Those who thought the premiership would be a cakewalk for Spotswood can no longer stake such a claim with authority. That is the beauty of Aussie Rules footy, it throws up so many surprises.

Despite the semi-final result, the Woodsmen will still go in as favourites, even though coach Ben Kelly said Albion now deserved the favourite tag.

But Kelly was confident his boys would leave nothing to chance this Saturday.

“You just get the feeling the boys are starting to gel a bit better now, and are starting to realise that we’ve got something to achieve here,” he said.

“If we’re not much improved I’ve seriously underestimated the character of this group.”

Kelly said his side might benefit from having played in a cut-throat final as Albion had the weekend off.

“We’re a bunch of guys who need to keep playing and keep active and keep getting hit to make us realise that we’re playing footy, so it sort of works out pretty well for us.”

Spotswood’s players were smarting after the loss to Albion. And as the preliminary final showed, they addressed their disappointment in the best possible way, by steamrolling Sunshine with utter ruthlessness. This is the real Spotswood. This is why they are feared.

But the Cats do not fear Spotswood anymore, not after finding a way to break the Woodsmen’s seemingly impenetrable fortress. Spotswood is no longer bulletproof.

The Cats have hit their best form at exactly the right time. Halfway through the season, a top three finish, let alone a grand final appearance, looked like a distant dream.

After round six, The Cats were wallowing at seventh on the ladder – struck with injuries, going through the motions, and looking uninspired and pedestrian.

Then they won a few games in a row. They had a setback when Spotswood thumped them in round 11, but instead of relapsing into former bad habits, they used the embarrassing loss as motivation.

Albion has not lost a game since. Perhaps the clearest sign that Albion would be a force coming into the finals series was its round 15 demolition of St Albans, which finished the season in fourth.

The Saints, who have proven this year to be no push-over, were left shellshocked by the rampant Cats, who won by 121 points.

Albion coach Paul Harrison knows his side has to take its game to an even higher level to defeat Spotswood.

“It’s going to take a big effort from us to beat them, they’re the benchmark, but we’re confident. We’ve got a full healthy list. We couldn’t be better prepared,” he said.

“The two best performed sides over the last two months are playing off in the grand final. I’ve played in enough grand finals to know that on the day it’s a 50-50 ball game and it’s going to come down to who plays well who works the hardest.”

It will be intriguing to see how Albion and Spotswood match up against each other, who gets dropped and who comes in.

The Woodsmen know they have to curtail Glenn Manton’s drive from the backline, while the Cats will have to find a way to curb the influence of power forwards Mark Keenan and Luke Molan. John Haldane might get the big job on Keenan. At the other end, Daniel Mangan will probably mark Steve Pearce.

Albion’s forward line is more mobile. Shaydon Bloomfield was fantastic in the second-semi final, and he enjoyed fine delivery from his midfielders.

This is where the game will be won, in the centre. Both teams have classy midfielders. Whoever wins more of the contested footy will be victorious. Game on.