Normanby Hounds eliminated Mitchelton Panthers with a 32-18 win in Saturday's Open 1 Northside minor semi-final at the Burpengary Sports Ground.
The Hounds outclassed the Panthers and have now booked a mouth-watering preliminary final showdown next weekend against minor premiers the Dayboro Cowboys.
The Cowboys went down 26-12 to Pine Central Holy Spirit, who advanced directly to the grand final.
Halves pairing Jacob Thomas and Zach Cundall were arguably Normanby's best against the Panthers, orchestrating the win on the back of some brilliant kicking and passing.
With only one minute on the clock, the Hounds opened the scoring with Thomas who broke free down the right-hand side to slide in and score.
Workaholic Panthers forward Sam Patelesio hit back when he broke free of some flimsy Hounds defence to crash over and return serve brilliantly in the 10th minute of play.
Hound Jack Leighton crossed after collecting a superb ball from Cundall who played a pivotal role in sending in the replacement player.
Wilting in the baking sun, the Panthers forwards looked to be doing it tough, but credit must go to veterans Shane Livingstone and Robert Burgin who stepped up against the younger Hounds pack.
Normanby's replacements seemed to be making the most noise in this game, with astute Hounds coach Matt Currie spotting the Panthers struggling in the afternoon heat.
It proved a masterstroke, as another of his interchange forwards Michael O'Brien stepped up to the plate and raced in for another terrific Hounds try. A late penalty goal to the Panthers took the halftime score to 18-8 in favour of the Hounds.
The Hounds kept the points flowing in the second half when a well-placed kick by Thomas found winger Harrison Such out wide.
Normanby prop Connor McHugh made Mitchelton pay for some silly errors when he scooped up a loose ball and charged over the line to increase the score to a comfortable 28-8 lead.
USA international Kristian Freed ensured the Panthers were not going down without a fight, as he spotted a gap and scored a terrific solo try to keep the Panthers alive.
Panthers halfback Andrew Skryzpa has been outstanding for Mitchelton all season and his vision to superbly kick infield and regather to score gave the Panthers a glimmer of hope as the minutes ticked away.
However, Cundall broke the hearts of the Panthers and ended their season, as he slipped through some tired forwards to seal an impressive win.
* Mike Simpson is a QRL correspondent covering the Rugby League Brisbane senior competitions
