Since last defeating the Blues in round two, 2009, the Demons had consistently matched it with their fierce Mallee league rivals, only to fall short of victory on eight consecutive occasions.

Having lost to Beulah twice in '09, Ouyen United played its nemesis four times last year and was defeated by one, 10, 15 and 26 points (the last of those losses in the grand final). Despite having been challenged so strongly on so many occasions, the Blues ended the year undefeated.

After bolstering their list over the summer, the Ouyen boys were confident when they travelled to Beulah in early April. Yet they were beaten again, this time by 20 points. In June, despite playing at home, Ouyen United lost again - this time by 10 points.

''I think it started to become a psychological thing for the boys,'' admits club president Tony Cua.

Last weekend, however, the tide finally turned when Ouyen United shot out to an early four-goal lead then controlled the remainder of the game and won by 28 points. Given the two sides are almost certain to meet on the last day of the season, the Demons now believe they can repeat the performance when it matters most.

''They had three fairly handy players out, but it was a win we really needed against them,'' Cua says. ''The fact it was at Beulah made the win even better. They're a terrific club, and we always enjoy socialising with them, but we just needed to beat them on the footy field.

''When we play them in the second semi-final, we can certainly go in with a good level of confidence. It's probably the best feeling we've had all season, to be quite honest.''

Based in a town of 1100 people, situated 100 kilometres south of Mildura in the heart of the Mallee grain-growing area, Ouyen United is a club which has brought together a number of communities.

Formed when Tempy-Gorya-Patchewollock (the club that produced Richmond and Geelong wingman Trevor Poole) and Ouyen Rovers merged for the 1997 season, the Demons also represent a number of other organisations which were put out of business by the region's continuing population decline. Ouyen Rovers, for instance, was a merger of the Kiamal and Tiega clubs, which were located in tiny settlements to the north and west of Ouyen. Rovers were very successful; their senior side won five Northern Mallee league premierships in their 15-year history.

For many years, there was also an Ouyen Football Club. It had an ill-fated stint in the Mildura-based Sunraysia league during the late 1970s and early '80s, during which it set an unfortunate record by conceding 200 points or more on 15 occasions (12 of those scores were conceded in the 1980 season alone). Ouyen FC folded in 1985.

Since making its debut in the newly formed Mallee league in 1997, Ouyen United has been consistently successful in all grades. The Demons won their first senior flag in 1998 when they toppled Beulah in a major upset, although the Blues have become the competition's benchmark club in the years since. Backed by a passionate farming community of its own, Beulah has qualified for eight of the MFL's 14 senior grand finals, winning five.

Ouyen United's second senior premiership, in 2006, was an extraordinary achievement. The Demons finished the home-and-away season in fourth place, but thanks to the talents of journeyman full-forward Robert ''Sonny'' Lindsay, they unexpectedly surged into the grand final. Their opponent was Woomelang Lascelles, a club that hadn't won a flag since 1993. On the big day, Lindsay took a number of spectacular marks and booted nine straight goals as Ouyen United prevailed, 17.3 (105) to 13.16 (94).

The Demons have been unable to repeat that feat in the past four seasons. They lost the 2007 grand final to their closest rival Walpeup-Underbool, then lost the '09 decider to the Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers.

Last year, Ouyen United coach Ryan O'Callaghan convinced former St Kilda player Brett Knowles to drive over from Adelaide each weekend. O'Callaghan, a born-and-bred Ouyen lad, had played a few games alongside Knowles in St Kilda's reserves team in the late 1990s. Knowles made an impact, as did Lindsay after a couple of years away, but the Demons had another grand final defeat, this time to Beulah.

A range of factors have helped the club fight its way to the top of the ladder this season. The continuing good form of Knowles and Lindsay is among them. Before yesterday, Lindsay had booted 81 goals in 13 games, his tally including six in the breakthrough victory over Beulah a week ago, which Knowles missed.

Some canny recruiting has helped as well. Glenn Joyce, who came to the club after a stint in the Northern Territory, has been consistently dominant in the midfield.

''He's just about the perfect footballer,'' Cua says. ''He tackles hard, has good skills, and when everyone else has stopped he just keeps going. He's a fitness fanatic - eats all the right food and drinks all the right stuff. He's in perfect condition when he runs out on the ground.''

Veteran ruckman Craig Deckert, who was recruited last month, has added some much-needed height to the Demons' line-up. Deckert was an outstanding player for Mildura in the Sunraysia league for many years, winning the league's best and fairest in 2001. ''He's good friends with our coach and he's been a real asset to the club,'' Cua says. ''He was overseas and when he got back we enticed him to sign with us before clearances closed.

''All in all, we've probably got a better balanced side this year than what we have in the past. But it all comes down to being injury-free. We need to get all our blokes out there and at this stage we're going OK. One of our good players, Brad Vallance, hurt his shoulder last week, but he should be right for the finals.''

When the Mallee league finals begin in three weeks, Ouyen United will play a major role in all grades, as its under-16 and reserves teams are undefeated.

But, as always, the main focus will be on the senior side, and its second semi-final meeting with Beulah next month will be the big test of its improvement.

''They're a very good side, a standout side,'' Cua says. ''We really need to apply a lot of pressure to them. For our whole club, it's looking really good at the moment, and I just hope that by the end of the year we've been able to snag that elusive flag.''

By Adam McNicol

Article first appeared The Sunday Age, August 7th 2011