Memorable weekend for Dubbo Demons’ Tier One and Two Men’s saw both sides book home grand finals; while the club’s Under 14s also produced a thrilling late victory as the Under 12s continued to show remarkable resilience.

For the senior men, the Tier One major semi-final was a rematch of last year’s grand final against Bathurst Bushrangers and, once again, the sides produced a high-quality contest.

The Bushrangers dominated the opening half with star Andy James causing plenty of problems. Despite coming under immense pressure, Dubbo battled hard to remain within striking distance, trailing by only 15 points at the main break. O’Leary and O’Brien were among the Demons’ best in the opening half, while the backline stood firm under relentless pressure.

Barber also led from the front and rebounded strongly from defence, while Naqash and Blackman worked hard to shut down the Bushrangers’ dangerous forwards.

The second half, however, belonged to the Demons.

Young gun Hewitt ignited the comeback, kicking two goals in the space of a minute. From there, Dubbo began to play to its strengths, with the pace of Hedger, Dickinson, and Searle through the midfield creating opportunities going forward.

Those opportunities were capitalised on by Williams who produced one of the finest individual performances seen in a Demon’s jumper in recent memory. His aerial dominance, evasive skills, and finishing ability proved almost impossible for the Bushrangers to contain as he finished with an outstanding eight-goal haul.

Brody Roche also contributed two goals, while 16-year-old Darcy Fairman continued to impress and looks to have a bright future in the competition. The victory not only secured a grand-final berth, but also means the Demons will host their first senior grand final in 19 years.

The Tier Two Men also secured their place in a home grand final after overcoming Parkes in their major final. Nerves were evident early as Parkes came out firing with a number of tactics designed to unsettle the Demons. After five minutes, however, Dubbo settled into its rhythm and began to take control.

Blake Dee made an immediate impact after coming off the bench and kicking a crucial goal before setting-up Kain Hewitt directly in front within minutes. Andy Pearson once again demonstrated his toughness; returning to the field after suffering a facial injury and kicking a huge left-foot snap in the second quarter.

Dubbo’s midfield and forwards did much of the damage in the first half, but Parkes fought back strongly after the main break. With the pressure mounting, it was the Demons’ defence that ultimately stood tall.

Cameron Herd was outstanding in the second half, taking more than eight intercept marks in the backline as Dubbo repelled attack-after-attack and held-on for a memorable victory.

The club’s Under 12s may not have had the scoreboard result they wanted against the Bathurst Giants, but their effort was every bit as impressive. Starting with just 10 players, growing to 12 before finishing with 11, the young Demons faced a difficult challenge but never stopped competing.

For many players, this is their first season of AFL after graduating from Auskick, and their development throughout the year has been tremendous. Their willingness to chase, tackle, support one another and fight until the final siren was a highlight.

Meanwhile, the Under 14s produced one of the weekend’s most thrilling finishes against Bathurst. Dubbo led by two points at quarter time before the Giants responded to take an 11-point half-time advantage. The Demons refused to surrender, reducing the margin to six points at the final change.

The final quarter belonged to Dubbo with the Demons adding two goals and three behinds to regain the lead, before Jack stepped up with a crucial behind with around two minutes remaining to put Dubbo one point ahead.

From there, the Demons held their nerve and defended strongly to secure a thrilling 5.9 (39) to 5.8 (38 victory).