THEY'VE done it the hard way.
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But South Warrnambool's under 14s believe a gritty route through finals has charged up their chances of back-to-back premierships.
The reigning premier is set to battle Koroit - the team it defeated in last year's decider - in Sunday's grand final at D.C. Farran Oval.
Roosters vice-captain Ollie Smith, an Emmanuel College student, said his side were like "brothers" after a long season.
The 13-year-old told The Standard belief was flowing on the back of close victories in the semi and preliminary finals.
"We're all like brothers now and it's been a good season. It's a good feeling to be playing with the boys," Smith said.
"We're certainly confident after a couple of wins in finals.
"It feels like we (have some momentum)."
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Roosters skipper Luamon Laul, 14, said co-coaches Jeremy Porter and Tim Rantall had laid out a strong game plan.
"I reckon if everyone plays their role we'll go well. We need to start well and go from there," he said.
"When we play together as a team, it looks good.
"We spread well across the ground and really like to get the ball moving well."
Smith said the majority of his side studied at both Emmanuel College and Warrnambool College.
He said the team had a different feel to last season's premiership side.
"The top-agers in the team are pretty much the same but throughout it's pretty different," Smith said.
"It's a good feeling though."
South Warrnambool lost by 13 points when it met Koroit in round three.
Smith and Laul said it was key for the Roosters to keep the margin tight early.
In other fixtures, South Warrnambool's under 16s battle Warrnambool at 2pm. Hawks have teams in both under 16 and under 14 netball finals, facing Warrnambool and Koroit respectively.
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