Heading into the Finals, Sydney and City were regarded as the favourites to fight it out for the championship given hey topped the regular season standings, and that is how it has turned out.

The reigning champion, which finished six points clear of City in the table, looked on course for victory even before the half-hour mark against Perth, as Milos Ninkovic capitalised on a kind ricochet before turning home, and Adam Le Fondre made it 2-0 soon after when he netted in the process of tackling goalkeeper Liam Reddy.

City had booked its passage earlier in the day, though it took them a little longer to make the breakthrough, Jamie Maclaren converting a 68th-minute penalty after he had been tripped.

A Tomoki Imai own goal then sealed Western's fate, as City reached their first ever Grand Final.