Warners Bay coach Craig Atkins could feel that performance building for Lauren Allan.
The tireless 25-year-old was unstoppable as a clinical Panthers downed Broadmeadow 6-1 at John Street Oval on Sunday night to be the first team through to the NPLW Northern NSW grand final.
Allan scored twice and set up two other goals in a dominant major semi-final effort.
"I thought Lauren Allan was outstanding," Atkins said post-match on Sunday. "That's been coming.
"She probably hasn't been hitting the target as much as she would have liked. She's been saying, 'I should be scoring more', but tonight she just showed how good she is.
"She's an easy one to coach and I just love having her in the team."
The premiers had to withstand a barrage of early pressure from Broadmeadow before Allan broke the deadlock from the edge of the 18-yard box in the 21st minute.
The Panthers took a 2-0 advantage into the break after Allan's shot from a tight angle on the right was deflected into the goal by Magic centre-back Kalista Hunter in the 42nd minute.
Magic pulled a goal back through Rhali Dobson from the penalty spot in the 64th minute. The spot kick was awarded for contact on left-sided livewire Lucy Jerram in the area.
But the hosts then scored through Adriana Konjarski (73rd), Allan (75th) and Tara Andrews (88th), all from free kicks, before Allan delivered a curling cross into the box from the right in the 92nd minute and Andrews' classy glancing header rocketed into the top left corner of the net.
"Magic put it to us early and the girls had to weather the storm and we weren't playing our best football," Atkins said.
"But, to our credit, we were still 2-0 up at the break and the girls just dug deep and had to fight for a good period of time. Good teams find a way and we looked good once we got the ball on the deck.
"Things got quite intense after the penalty but it was up to the girls to dig themselves out of that. They put another four in and overall a good performance."
Broadmeadow, who did not play poorly but could not stop Warners Bay's seemingly limitless attacking threats, now face a buzzing Newcastle Olympic in the preliminary final at Magic Park on Saturday (6.15pm) with the winner earning the other grand final place.
Olympic will be riding high after twice coming from behind and producing two stoppage time goals to beat Charlestown 3-2 in the elimination semi-final, also played at John Street Oval on Sunday.
Azzurri, who finished the season third and seven points clear of Olympic in fourth, took a 1-0 lead into the break after Summer Taube scored from the penalty spot in the 45th minute. The goal opportunity was given after Laura Hall handballed in the box.
The 2020 champions equalised through a piece of Jemma House individual brilliance in the 67th.
Azzurri regained a one-goal advantage in the 81st minute when young gun Cassie Corder scored with a curling left-footed strike into the top left corner.
But Olympic again equalised in the 90th when Keea Parrish sent a long throw into the box and a desperate Brooke Summers pounced on the loose ball and chipped it into the net.
Parrish then produced the matchwinner when she scored from close range off Hall's 92nd minute corner.
It was heartbreak for Azzurri with a disappointed coach Niko Papaspiropoulos saying key moments had cost them.
"We just dropped standards for two instances and that was the difference," Papaspiropoulos said. "You can be the better team the whole game and it doesn't matter unless you finish it off.
"Credit to them, they took their moments. The few moments where they had to step up, they did. We threw away the lead twice. Just a shame to go out that way."
