A gritty 47-run preliminary final victory over Fremantle has put Rockingham-Mandurah in its second Western Australian Premier Cricket grand final in four seasons.
The minor premier Mariners will meet Claremont-Nedlands at the WACA Ground this Saturday and Sunday after captain Craig Simmons spearheaded another fine team performance at Lark Hill.
Simmons won the toss and immediately chose to bat on a true and firm wicket that would stay that way over the whole weekend.
Rockingham-Mandurah's batting unit made the decision a prudent one with their best output of the season making 8/332 from 90 overs.
The first wicket gleaned 86 runs as Brandon Burt provided the acceleration with Tyler Robertson adding the starch.
Burt, promoted up the order to turn up the heat on the Port, flashed nine boundaries and a six in his 59 from 88 deliveries as Robertson occupied the crease for 178 minutes to score 41.
Aaron Burrage made his first significant contribution of the grand final qualifier with 77, his third half-century of 2018/19.
His 85-run stand with debutant Sam Day put the home side in a position to power home in the last hour of day one at 4/220.
Day, presented with his baggy maroon cap by 2016/17 Martin Baird medalist Shaune Guppy, backed in the faith shown in him by the Mariners' brains trust by scoring 70 from 104 balls.
His third half-century in four matches came with four boundaries, two sixes and the ability to find the gaps in the field.
Simmons' typically blazing 56 from 41 deliveries with eight fours catapulted the score well over 300 and bought the Mariners' bowlers a full day at the visitors' batting, if not complete comfort.
Western Australian captain Mitch Marsh and opening batsman Sam Whiteman came into Fremantle's line up for Sunday's chase and threatened to take their club side to the grand final with a 122-run second wicket union.
But Marsh was eventually stumped by Kane Standing off Simmons' bowling for 53 with the Port boys at 2/154.
Whiteman, who struck the winning runs for Rockingham-Mandurah in the grand final triumph over Fremantle in 2015/16, continued his fine post Big Bash League form in a renaissance as an opener making 116 for the visitors.
The left-hander's dismissal by Burrage at 5/212 put time and run pressure on the batting.
The skipper Simmons finished with 5/95 from 36 overs, his fourth five-wicket haul, taking him to 52 wickets on the season and seeing his side through to a date with the reigning champions.
