AINSLIE'S finals drought is well and truly over after it claimed a place in the 2009 AFL Canberra grand final when it defeated Eastlake yesterday.
It will be the first grand final Ainslie has made since winning the 1997 premiership.
Ainslie ended Eastlake's season in an upset 10.6 (66) to 4.7 (31) win.
The result was only the second finals game Ainslie has won since 1997. The other win came only last weekend when the Tricolours beat Queanbeyan in the minor semi-final.
In wet and muddy conditions at Manuka Oval, Eastlake suffered an early blow when influential ruckman Chad Gibson went off injured.
It threw the Demons' structure out early as Stafford Cooper moved from the forward line to the middle of the ground.
For the rest of the game Eastlake struggled to find a forward target, while Ainslie's forward pair Ben Hughes and Tim Inkster marked almost everything that came their way.
The tough conditions ensured a low-scoring first half which ended with Ainslie leading 21 to 13.
But then Ainslie produced a match-winning third quarter.
For more, pick up a copy of today's Canberra Times
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