Leeton United finished the season as minor premiers, but the castle they had to steadily built came crashing down on Sunday when they were defeated in the major semi-final 8-7 by Lake Albert in what was a high-scoring affair.

Coach Rhys Jones said while the final score was disappointing, he couldn't fault the effort of his team.

"Our performance was still good I thought, it just wasn't the result we wanted," Jones said.

"We had chances and we didn't take them, so this is what happens."

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The side has now put that loss behind them, with Jones reporting the team was eager to make amends and players were still in good spirits at training this week.

They face a tough challenge in this weekend's preliminary final against Hanwood - a side they share plenty of rivalry with.

"The boys are very determined, there's a lot on the line," Jones said.

"We've got a massive rivalry with Hanwood, they beat us last year in the finals and we don't want that to happen again.

"They are going to be very well-drilled, so we need to be ready."

In terms of the Leeton side taking the field, Jones said there may be some minor changes to the team with at least one player away and some minor injuries for others.

"Darian Le Cornu and Ethan Murphy picked up niggling injuries on the weekend, but hopefully they are right to go," Jones said.

"We're just waiting to see if Anthony Trifogli has recovered from a groin injury."

It's a big weekend of football not just for reserve grade, but also Leeton's United's Blake Trophy team and women's side, who will also be playing in their preliminary finals.

It follows on from a huge win by the first grade Pascoe side successfully defeating Henwood Park last weekend to earn them a spot in the grand final, as well as an extra week off to prepare.

In terms of United's reserve grade clash against the old rivals, Jones believes the match will be won in the middle. "Our midfield has been absolutely fantastic this year ... on the weekend Luke (Mandaglio), Ethan (Murphy) and Sam (Pirrottina) all had great games," the coach said.

"Hanwood's midfield is probably the strongest part of their side.

"The boys are just going to have to stop their midfield from creating chances.

"If they can't create chances, then they can't score goals. So it's going to be about shutting them down there."