It was the firm favourite over opponent Tongala, who it had beaten by seven goals in their only home-and-away meeting.
But the finals are a different game.
The Rams got the jump at the start and looked the much more polished side, blazing away to set up an 8-1 lead only a few minutes into the game.
Slowly but surely the Blues got on level terms across the court and goal shooter Milly Brock started to become involved in the game, helping her side close the gap to just three goals at quarter-time.
And if the final five minutes of the first quarter saw Brock become involved, the first five of the second saw her take over.
The Blues shooter plucked down every pass fed into her by centre Grace Hammond and wing attack Chelsey Wright, draining goal after goal to hand her side the lead after what had a been a slow start.
The strong Tongala contingent in the crowd erupted any time the ball went anywhere within Brock’s vicinity as the Blues powered on to open up a game-high nine-goal lead before Deni got one back late, entering the half up 27-19.
Netball is a fast-paced game and momentum swings are even quicker, as Deniliquin burst out of the blocks with the first four goals of the second half to reduce the margin to four goals.
Rams goal shooter Rhiannan Maxwell led the charge with great movement and positioning inside the semi-circle, keeping her side within striking distance.
The margin came down to just two goals at one stage, as Tonny looked to be tiring in the warm conditions and making mistakes that had been non-existent in the first half.
Nonetheless, the Blues rallied to lead by four at the final break, holding a 38-34 advantage with one quarter to play.
After looking exhausted in the third term, Tonny’s pressure was perhaps the most intense it had been all day when the sides took to the court for the final quarter.
Brock opened the scoring, prompting Deni to double team her inside the semi-circle, but goal attack Meg Brennan relished the open space, firing the Blues out to a seven-goal lead.
The reigning premier gave it a late nudge, but failed to make any inroads as the Blues’ lead crept out to double digits before the siren went to confirm a remarkable 53-44 win and, with it, a grand final berth.
Blues coach Grace Hammond was overjoyed at the final whistle, praising her side for its phenomenal effort in the upset win.
“I can’t even put it into words,” she said.
“We’ve chipped away at it all year, we’ve had our moments, you can’t have the highs without the lows and we’ve definitely had the lows.
“But today, it was a team effort by every single person and I could not have asked for any more out of any of my girls.”
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