THE Eastern Football League's best defence will take on the league's best attack when Norwood faces Vermont in the major semi-final at Bayswater Oval this Saturday.
The Norsemen, who won the minor premiership, spent the weekend on the sidelines as the Eagles beat Scoresby in the qualifying final.
The winner of the match will take the early spot in the EFL division 1 grand final.
Norsemen coach Kevin Tibaldi said his side had to stop the potent Eagles' forward line if they were to win. "We know we've had the best defence in the league this season and they've probably had the best attack. So it could come down to how well we play or how well they play."
The Norsemen lost their most recent meeting with the Eagles, who are the only team to score 100 points or more against them this season.
"Stopping their attack will be important," Tibaldi said. "Vermont is in red-hot form right now but we will go in with confidence. We have identified a few things we can fix up from our last match against them."
The Norsemen do hold a double chance, meaning if they lose to the Eagles they will need to make the grand final the long way. "We want to win but the bottom line is you need two wins from here to win the premiership. The loser of this game will play three matches but the equation will stay the same."
Tibaldi said his players were looking forward to entering the finals fray and would do so with a full list.
The Eagles beat Scoresby without star midfielder Ryan Mullet and former AFL player Heath Black. It remains to be seen whether both will return to face the Norsemen.