THE DEMONS have come a long way in their six years as an AFLW side and Saturday’s NAB AFLW Preliminary Final win showed that.

Facing the Brisbane Lions at the MCG, the team’s hard work was put to the test, as they went on to secure the club’s first ever NAB AFLW Grand Final berth.

And Melbourne foundation player Lily Mithen knows just how much work and commitment has been put in to get to this point.

“It’s been six years coming,” Mithen told Melbourne Media.

“We’ve thought we’ve been good enough, but we’ve just shown that we are good enough.

“It’s been six years in the making and I’m really excited to be a part of it.”

It was a slow first half on the scoreboard during Saturday's final, as both teams battled it out in the contest and in the wet conditions. 

Scores were level at half-time, but it was the home side who came out firing in the third term, kicking three goals to one. 

“We knew that we were good enough and we knew it was going to be a wrestle," Mithen said. 

“They’re such a good team, they’re a really good, contested team and that’s what keeps them in games.

“We just knew if kept strong at the contest and kept showing up, we knew we were good enough to open the game up.

“It was that belief and that hunger to keep pushing, keep applying ourselves to the game style that we know works.”

Having narrowly missed out on a Grand Final spot in 2020 and 2021, the Demons were all the more eager to push themselves that one step closer.

With the addition of talented stars and development within their existing list, Melbourne was finally able to get that one step closer, with Mithen as proud as ever of her team.   

“[I’m] super proud,” Mithen said.

“Year by year we’ve just kept getting better and adding different layers to our game.

“This year, the maturity and the belief in the group has never been stronger and has put us in a really good position.”

Hear more from Mithen post-match below.