The big win was a massive turnaround from the Bulls' 63-point loss to the Magpies in round 15 and put the other contenders on notice.

Forward Tory Dickson continued his whirlwind season with another haul of seven goals, outscoring the Magpies off his own boot.

From the moment they ran onto the field, the Bulls looked sharp and they soon grabbed a lead, with their ascendancy around the stoppages telling.

Perhaps the most important factor was their ability to shut down Scoresby's host of young running players. The teams traded goals in the third term, but Noble Park dominated the last quarter to close out a quality win.

Best players for the Bulls included Sam Monaghan, Dickson, Craig Anderson, Andrew McConnell, Peter O'Brien and Kyle Martin. With a week's break before the big one, the Bulls will freshen up while Scoresby and Balwyn clash for a spot in this year's grand final.

The Bulls will go into the grand final full of confidence with the brilliant performance against the Magpies and their equally impressive win over Balwyn the previous week. Noble Park will be trying to win its first premiership since its 2003 and 2004 flags.

Balwyn advanced into a preliminary final against Scoresby with a 28-point win over Norwood at East Burwood Reserve on Saturday.

Balwyn jumped to an early lead and never looked back with Peter Summers, Rob Cheevers, Charles Hendrie and Seamus Billings the best.

Balwyn's 9.19 (73) to 6.9 (45) victory was set up by a 2.6 to 0.1 opening term with Norwood struggling to find an avenue to goal, which set the tone for the day.

Former North Melbourne player Callum Urch finished with three majors for the victors while Leigh Williams was the only major goalkicker for Norwood.