The three previous matches between these two sides had been close ones, however, on Saturday at Rye's Rowley Reserve, the Eagles were too strong and too fleet of foot for their young and tired opponents, winning 21.15 (141) to 10.5 (65).

It was evident the Hillmen had suffered the effects of a six-day turnaround as the Eagles booted 15 goals to six in the second half.

Matt Burns came off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury for the Hillmen, which really upset their structure.

Ryan Blake was injured late in the match and Harry Larwill, despite being one of the Hillmen's best, was certainly carrying a shoulder injury.

After the disappointment of the previous week against Sorrento, there were a number of Eagles who needed to step up to the plate.

Matty Maltman, Guy Austin and Jedd Sutton are all guns in their own right but they were down and out in the second semi.

On Saturday, they brought their A-game to the table, Maltman booting four goals, Austin three and Sutton two.

Josh Collie was the best player on the ground. His work to support the defenders and set-up countless forward thrusts was a highlight of the match.

Will Jolley is certainly the Eagles' biggest trier. There is nothing less than 100per cent from Jolley and whether it be in attack, defence or through the middle, he's got the ability to own that space.

The Eagles' most important player is Aaron Murray and his performance on Saturday was faultless. He kicked three goals and looked incredibly dangerous in attack. He was wasted in defence, a move that raised plenty of eyebrows.

Glen Boyd looked comfortable with the fact that Murray was back in the team and looked very good in the first half before leaving the field with a knee injury.

Emilio Bitters has become the best of the Somerville midfielders, especially when it comes to clearances. His influence in this area throughout the finals has been great to watch. Lachlan Edwards in the ruck was again outstanding and Michael Towan, Ben Sedgewick and Geoff Hibberd with three goals down back played significant roles in the victory.

It was a shame for Red Hill to bow out in the manner in which it did; the Hillmen were a lot better than the 13-goal loss suggests.