After sitting atop the ladder for the entirety of the season, there were no finals nerves for the Eagles, who accounted for reigning premiers Yea Tigers by 24 runs.
Opener Dallas Bergowicz was the star for Eastern Hill with the bat, setting the tone from the start with a brilliant 79 not out to anchor his side as it searched for a big first innings total.
Needing to limit the influence of dominant Yea bowler Andrew Chisholm, Bergowicz played the situation to perfection, seeing off the new ball before looking to attack as the bowlers tired.
After losing star all-rounder Ben Bryant for a second-ball duck, some pressure fell back on the Eagles as they sat precariously at 2-26.
This brought skipper Seamus Feery to the crease and he immediately brought an attacking intent to the wicket as he partnered with Bergowicz.
In what ended up being a match-winning partnership, the pair added a monstrous 107 for the second wicket to put the Eagles well in front of the game.
A pair of late wickets to Jack Christie helped Yea restrict the Eagles through the final overs, as the home team finished with an imposing total of 4-157 from its 45 overs.
With 158 runs separating Yea from a return to the grand final stage, Lawrence Heath (23) went about getting his team off to a positive start.
But quick Jake Sutherland was up to the task for the Eagles, snaring the first two wickets to pile the pressure back on the Tigers’ batting line-up.
Cameron Armstrong and Christie came to the crease and batted well, putting on 21 and 20 respectively to swing momentum back in Yea’s favour.
But a pair of run-outs was its downfall, as Nick Dundon (3-37) came back into the attack and wrapped up the tail to have the Yea innings finish on 133.
Broadford won its way into the decider with a dominant all-round performance against Kilmore at Harley Hammond Reserve.
Ashley Wood anchored the first innings for the home team, striking a masterful 70 off 89 balls from number five.
He was given fantastic support by Evan Mills (27) and Mitchell Collier (25) as they went about building an imposing total.
Ned Mckeown was the shining light for Kilmore with the ball, taking 4-32 from his nine overs to help keep the run rate in reasonable check.
But a late cameo by Jake Martin helped lift Broadford to a strong total of 8-178 from its 45 overs.
With a large mountain to climb at the start of the chase, the ever-reliable Kilmore opening duo of Dale Tassone and Kevin Craddock quickly went to work, putting together a 78-run stand for the first wicket to get the team off to the perfect start.
But just as the Kilmore faithful started to believe the side could pull off the come-from-behind victory, disaster struck as Craddock departed for 30 and Tassone for 51 in relatively quick succession.
With two new batters at the crease, Martin came into the attack and turned the game on its head, leaving the Kilmore batters completely confused on his way to a stunning spell of 6-22.
The Martin-inspired collapse saw Kilmore lose a remarkable 9-49 as its innings and consequently its 2021-22 season came to a crushing end on 143.
These results set up an intriguing grand final between the teams that sat in first and second on the ladder for the majority of the season.
In B-grade, Pyalong and Alexandra will square off in the big dance after registering victories on semi-final weekend.
Alexandra qualified for the decider in thrilling fashion, triumphing over Broadford by two wickets in a low-scoring affair at Tallarook Recreation Reserve.
The match was thrilling from start to finish and Alexandra pair Shane Parker (32) and Jason Reynolds (28) proved the difference between the teams with the bat after teammate William Ellis set up the match in the first innings with a damaging spell of 4-26.
The other semi-final was dominated by Pyalong, with a Daniel Sowden 69 the catalyst for what ended up being a clinical 66-run win.
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