The South Gambier Demons can dare to dream of lifting the Bendigo Bank Western Border Football League holy grail after teaching nearest rival Millicent a lesson in Saturday’s semi-final.

With the Saints winning six of their last seven games including the previous South encounter, Clint Gallio’s side carried a lot of momentum and confidence into the high-stakes fixture, but it was South’s Brayden Kain leaving with a big smile on his face.

An all-time classic was on the cards at half time when Millicent held a two-point lead.

However, the Demons were untouchable once they perfected their skills and found their touch to run away to a 37-point victory.

The smashing second half shows South remains the top team for the flag in a year where the club has flexed its muscles.

Amazingly the Demons already enjoy representation in every single football grand final after an undefeated super Saturday.

Kain said it was a great achievement to reach the A Grade decider from his team which showed its hunger for the big occasion.

“Proud is certainly one way to describe the feeling,” he said.

“We had our eyes on the second semi for a long time after some early season form.

“We did not finish off the season in the greatest of fashion, so there was a small concern we had peaked to early and there was always some doubt playing Millicent because they have us a touchup last time.

“But we rallied during an enjoyable week off to come out the way we did and deal with finals pressure in the heat of the moment was brilliant.”

After a disappointing end of the home-and-away season, South was back close to full strength with only Taylor Saffin and Dion Stratford on the sidelines following the returns of Brett O’Neil, Bronson Saffin, Alex Harkness and Jack Casey.

Meanwhile the Saints remained without the services of captain Jacob Carger, who could not get up from his calf injury.

But Millicent was bolstered by the return of Dylan Tincknell and showed why it is the most improved Western Border outfit.

After the Demons made a hot start through Jack Casey kicking the first major of the game, the Saints hit back in a big way.

Young star Eli Redman got his team mates fired up through a snap around the corner before the latest member of the 100-goal club Gene Robinson put his familiar name on the scoresheet.

By the second quarter Robinson had found his niche and looked ominous after he brought up his third of four majors by clutching a one-handed screamer.

The play was setup by an intercept from Gallio further up the ground as the coach led from the front, while the ruck battle between Finn Grimes and Mason Hein was gripping.

After a goal-for-goal first half it was anyone’s game at the major break, but Kain knew his side was not firing on all cylinders.

“The first half was a real arm wrestle and although we probably had a little bit more of the ball, we burnt it by turning the ball over,” he said.

“We were a little bit fumbly and scrappy, so it took us a while to settle into the game.”

Despite not nailing the one-percenters, South was hot on Millicent’s heals and was a team on a mission in the second half.

Led by the classy Brett O’Neil in the middle, Dane Handreck on the half-forward line and Todd Reid at the other end of the ground, the Demons were flying from the stoppages.

South’s quick hands got the ball out of danger and the Saints could not do anything once a red and white jumper found space.

Big-name forward Brodie Foster presented himself beautifully with strong leads and hardly missed on his way to a team-best four goals.

But the head-turner on the highlight reel was created by Kain himself, who took a freakish mark that only magicians could understand.

A fast-moving ball flew off the side of O’Neil’s boot towards Kain’s opponent, so the coach threw himself to spoil the ball before the rebound landed in his chest after a delicate midair balancing act.

“We noticed we had to tidy the skill-execution errors by being patient, so we broke it down across the half-back line and that allowed us to elevate ourselves going forward,” Kain said.

By three-quarter time, the Demons enjoyed a 14-point lead and as it grew further in the final term, it became evident their fresh legs from a week off were a factor against a few sore Millicent bodies recovering from a tough against East.

South kicked five of the last six goals of the game and finished the polished performance in style when Jack Tentye launched a sausage roll after the siren.

With the best part of a fortnight to stew on chasing Western Border glory, Kain said he will meticulously plan the build up to ensure his boys are in tip-top shape.

“We did our recovery on Sunday and will try to get as much information on our possible opposition as we can,” he said.

“This week might be a bit lighter to get in shape before we start ramping things up.

“One thing I want is making sure the boys enjoy these weeks because not everyone gets the opportunity to play in a grand final.”