The second-placed Rangers fell to the Vikings 1-0 in the penultimate round on Sunday. The two teams are expected to meet in finals in a fortnight.

Whelan, who played a combination of right-wing and defence, said defending champion Warrnambool took confidence out of the defeat.

“We actually played incredibly well,” she said.

“They are a pretty aggressive team so I thought our sportsmanship was incredible. We kept our cool. When they got 1-nil up, they played more defensively and we struggled to get through.

“Next time we’ll be a really good chance. We are pretty stoked with how we played.”

Meanwhile, Warrnambool Rangers knocked off Ballarat North United 2-1 to keep their slim men’s division one finals chances alive.

The Rangers’ under 17s secured their finals spot with a 4-3 win over Vikings Blue.

They have a final round bye.