Strathmore went to school on powerhouse Keilor during the season in a bid to conquer a team which has been nigh on unbeatable in the past three years.
The Mores faced a difficult September examination in Saturday's Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division major semi final at Greenvale Recreation Reserve.
The result? The perennial contender passed with flying colours and sent shockwaves through the competition.
Strathmore powered to a 40-point win, 18.12 (120) to 12.8 (80), and delivered a game-breaking nine-goal burst in the third term to sink the Blues and earn a direct passage through to the grand final.
Watch a recap of the game here.
You have to go back to August 2017 against Greenvale for the last time Keilor conceded more than nine goals in a quarter.
It was also their heaviest defeat since July 2022, when they lost to Aberfeldie by 43 points.
The Mores could not have made a much greater finals statement given the Blues are 52-2 in the past three home-and-away seasons.
"We prepared really well for this week's game. Obviously Keilor has been the benchmark for a long time now, so we went to work right throughout the whole year knowing if you're going to win a grand final you need to beat Keilor," Strathmore coach Nick Ash said.
"We've been working pretty hard and reviewing their games and the way they play pretty heavily. We came in with a plan that we thought could work.
"We knew we needed a big third quarter to put some scoreboard pressure on them, otherwise (with Keilor) coming home with that strong breeze at Greenvale, we were going to have our backs up against it.
"The boys went out and executed accordingly, which was really good to see."
Ash heaped praise on his players for their selflessness, with Luke Jarrad, Sam Hayes, Christopher Scerri, Trent Dumont, Liam Cavanagh, and Corey Grindlay among the stars.
Strathmore finished the regular rounds in third spot with an 11-1-6 record, but has since swept aside the two teams who finished above them after starting the finals campaign with a 55-point win over Aberfeldie.
Ash, who is in his second season at the helm, said the Mores were as well placed as they have been in recent years as they chase their first senior flag since 2022.
He described the win over the Blues in the pressure-packed atmosphere of finals as "huge".
"You've got to perform at the business end of the year and that's where teams get evaluated on how good they are," Ash said.
"To go out there and execute like that and go in with a plan and see the boys put it all together, I couldn't ask any more as a coach.
"But we certainly know the job's not done. Making the grand final is an achievement, but obviously once we get to finals every team wants to win, so we know we've got a lot of hard work to do over the next two weeks to make sure we give ourselves the best chance on September 20."
Ash said he expected Keilor to bounce back hard as it prepares for a preliminary final against in-form Airport West this weekend.
The Blues succumbed to Pascoe Vale in the opening week of finals last year before reversing that result in the decider.
Ash said centre half back Cavanagh had led the way for the Mores in 2025, playing every game, while Athan Tsialtas has 43 goals to his name.
Big-name ex-AFL recruit Hayes has also been a consistent performer and has been in the best in both finals.
But the club's enviable batch of young talent continues to shine.
"We've had a lot of young kids come through the side this year," Ash said.
"Hugh Allison has probably cemented his spot from the halfway mark and had a really, really good year.
"Cooper West just gets better and better. He's been in the senior side for three years now I think and you probably look at him and say he's been there for 10 years with how calm he is."
Will Janky has also impressed, along with Lachlan Plant, who has played 12 senior games this year but missed selection for the semi final.
"There might be six, seven, eight kids under the age of 22 playing in the senior side," Ash said.
"Obviously you need to surround them with the right people and the experienced heads, which we've got. You've still got the evergreen Adam Iacobucci and Luke Jarrad running around and doing their thing. To have them in the side directing these young kids is really pleasing as a coach."
Ash said the Mores faced some pleasant selection headaches for the grand final, with the likes of former VFL player Andrew Gallucci, Kade Mueller, Daniel Mammoliti, and Haidyn Shade playing reserves on Saturday.
Skipper Daniel Mighell is also pushing to return having not featured since Round 15 because of injury.
"There's blokes certainly pushing hard to get in, but on the flipside of that, we've probably played two of our better games for the year and got through pretty much injury free, so it's always hard to change a winning side," Ash said.
"But they're certainly putting their hands up and challenging the blokes who are in there.
"I suppose the proof will be in the pudding the next two weeks which 22 we go with, depending on who we play as well."
