Stretching back to last year’s semi-finals, The George had the upper-hand against the perennial powerhouse winning by four and then two one-goal thrillers including the 2015 grand final.

Hills premiership player Mel Morris said a simple reminder that the game was meant to be fun, relieved the tension which had built up over recent matches against The George.

“The last few games only a couple of goals has separated the teams. They are a really tough opponent,” Morris said.

“It’s always a demanding game both physically and mentally as the pressure is on from the beginning and never lets up.

“A bit of tension had probably built up and the girls just decided let’s enjoy the game and relax.

“There was no let up in any of the pressure but they enjoyed themselves.”

Morris said the win was built on an all-court performance, with everyone from the back two to the shooters working on defence.

She said accurate shooting by Katherine Zohrab and Kim McQuillan fully captialised on the effort up-court and allowed the team to build a lead over the game.

“The George kept on fighting all the way. We would establish a lead and they would peg it back,” she said.

“The end score probably didn’t reflect just how close it was.”

Morris said the win would be a confidence booster ahead of the finals. 

“It had been a while since we had beaten them and it was nice to get the win and any doubts that we could beat them out of the way ahead of the finals,” she said.

“No doubt it will probably just as tight as normal if we meet in the finals.”

The George Tavern’s skipper Amonie Lindsell said Hills were a better side on the day and stole the start in the first quarter.

Lindsell said there had been a couple of changes in the regular line-up, with a couple of players missing.

“But certainly that is not an excuse for the loss, Hills are a very good side and have been over a number of years. They were the better team on the day,” she said.

“They got a great start and we had to chase the game from there. We definitely need to work on our starts.

“We were able to win the third quarter, which was a positive, and had a far better performance in the second half.

“Genevieve Lantry was our best player. She did a great job switching from goal attack to her more familiar role of goal shooter,” she said.

In other games, LJ Hooker moved into fourth place on the ladder and a step closer to securing a semi-finals spot with a 46-37 win against Darren O’Brien Plumbing.

Royal Federal Hotel cemented their hold on third spot with a 52-17 win against The Castle.

The Bradford had the bye.