BFNL 2023: Can North Ballarat stop the Roos' remarkable run?

The Roos had to win and hope one of Sunbury or Redan lost in order to sneak into finals at the eleventh hour.

Now, three weeks later, the Roos are just one win away from an against-all-odds grand final berth as they ready themselves for North Ballarat once again.

Despite North being a consistent feature in the top-four picture this season, East Point has proved a challenging opponent.

The Roos enjoyed two home-and-away wins against the Roosters, a feat the likes of Darley and Sebastopol could not achieve this season.

East Point playing coach Jackson Merrett said his side would not get caught up in the 2-0 advantage, knowing all too well that home-and-away records are almost meaningless come finals time.

"North really pride themselves in the contest so it will be a pretty good match-up inside with two strong contested sides," Merrett said.

"They bat deep across every line and we've reviewed our matches against them this season and hopefully we can find some advantages but we're just trying to keep it pretty simple week to week."

East Point's shock elimination final win against Sebastopol saw North Ballarat land a rare double chance opportunity from fourth spot on the ladder.

The Roosters are ready to bounce back from a semi-final loss to Darley.

"We play a bit differently, both of us, but they are always good games of footy to watch," Roosters coach Brendan McCartney said.

"Whether some people take baggage in or play better against certain clubs, I don't really subscribe to that."

The Roosters will be without Stewart Crameri for the preliminary final clash.

North Ballarat hosts East Point at 2.15pm at City Oval on Saturday.

The winner plays Darley in the grand final.

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