You got the sense the St Pats and Old Scotch round 18 battle was going to be a ripper.
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And it delivered.
In a seesawing affair, the Saints got up 7.7 (49) to 7.6 (48) at John Cunningham Oval on Saturday in NTFA division one.
They turned the tables after the Thistles beat them by 14 points in round nine.
They led by nine points at quarter-time before the Thistles went into half-time one goal ahead.
Scores were level at three-quarter time before they battled it out until the final siren.
Kyle Harper, Jacob Perkins, Julian James and Jake King were big players in the win while Callum Harrison's three goals proved crucial.
Connor Bryant, Jackson Young, Richie Heazlewood and Nicholas Miller were among the Thistles' best and they had an even spread of goal-kickers.
The victory meant the Saints retained top spot and finished minor premiers, with four more premiership points than second-ranked Lilydale.
It was also the Saints' first match since July 16 as they had two byes in a row.
With almost their full list available it was a chance for the players to push their case for finals selection.
Old Scotch went into the clash wanting to tidy up their goal-kicking and skill execution.
The Lilydale, Old Launcestonians clash offered fans another great preview ahead of finals.
The Demons came from 17 points down at the half to record a 9.8 (62) to 7.6 (48) triumph at home.
Sonny Whiting's five majors were a highlight of the performance and Logan Reynolds, Bailey Hawes and Reuben Rothwell were busy throughout.
Billy Tuckerman, who played his 200th game for the club, was also in the best.
Alex Downie and Tom Chugg bagged two apiece while Matt Spohn, Downie, Jake Goodyer and Charlie Fry played well for OLs.
Perth pushed East Coast and were up at quarter and half-time.
The Swans eventually gained the upper hand and ran away with a 12.16 (88) to 8.11 (59) away win in Sam Child's 150th senior game.
Robbie McManus kicked two in a terrific display and was well-supported by Pearce Robinson, Sam Maddern and Child, who kicked a goal in his milestone match.
Michael Murfet snagged three majors and Scott Fenton got two.
The Magpies' better performers were Billy Walker, Joel Murray, James Newsum, who nailed two goals, and Jakob Williams.
Meanwhile, Meander Valley put in a spirited performance in their final bout of the year.
They led Evandale by four points at half-time of their match at Morven Park.
The Eagles lifted in the third term to eventually run out 6.9 (45) to 4.5 (29) winners.
Sam Gowans and Callum Peck were the multiple goal-kickers for Evandale while Sam Archer, Liam Russell, Hamish Preece and Liam Burk hit the scoreboard for the Suns.
The Eagles' Justin Hutton, Beau Calow and Taj Mountney were handy while Meader Valley's best were Burk, Nick Davis, Liam Shegog and Joe Lowe.
St Pats, Lilydale, Old Scotch, East Coast and Old Launcestonians have made finals. Perth, Evandale, UTAS and Meander Valley finished as the bottom-four sides.
The qualifying final is on Saturday while the elimination final is on Sunday next weekend.
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