Another grand final appearance for Learmonth has been soured by what looked to be a serious injury to wing defence Kaitlyn Balazic in the last minute of the final quarter.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
After 59 minutes of pressure up and down the court, Learmonth finally had the match won when Balazic made the key intercept of the game, but just 30 seconds later she went down, clutching her lower leg and was carried off the court.
Coach Jordan O'Keefe said it was complete mixed emotions when the final whistle blew and his side was three goals ahead.
"We probably won't know until Monday, but we'd probably at this point concede she won't be playing next week," he said.
"I really was rapt to get through, it feels like a bit of a monkey off the back a little bit. It was a match where both teams matched really well.
MORE SPORT
- DEVIL DOMINATION: Darley win big in BFLW grand final
- BEST PICTURES: All the action from a big weekend in sport
- TIGER TIME: Springbank through to CHFL grand final
"It was about riding momentum shifts, it's about the fourth game we've won like that. It's a real sign of a quality team, I was really impressed with how we went, we know we have high expectations.
"But like all human beings we have our down moments in games, so I'm just really, really proud of them all."
Learmonth will now meet Daylesford in the grand final after the Bulldogs came from behind to defeat Springbank by three goals 42-39.
Coach Carly Post said she was overwhelmed for her club to qualify for two grand finals, having also made a junior decider.
"We've never had a team in a grand final, we used to be the easy beats, that's no longer, we're really excited win or lose, what it means for the club going forward," she said.
The Bulldogs have fallen both times to Learmonth this year, but Post said next weekend would be a completely different game.
"Form is nothing, every game is a new game now, we're confident we've hit our straps at the right time and I'm certain it will be much closer than the last two times," she said.
"We need to take each game as it comes, but we can't wait to get out there and see what we can do."
Reading this on mobile web? Download our app. It's faster, easier to read and we'll send you breaking news alerts. Download in the Apple Store or Google Play.