The top-ranked Seagulls head to the finals as hot favourites to clinch their first flag since 2003.

They claimed the minor premiership with a 94-point shellacking of the Box Hill Hawks at Box Hill City Oval on Saturday.

The blue and golds have been far and away the best team over 18 home-and-away rounds, but they will be measured by their results in the finals.

The team has a chance to go down as one of the greatest in the club's rich 133-year history before the likelihood of the AFL recruiters swooping in for some of their talented players.

The Seagulls hold all the aces. They have the best personnel as shown over the course of the season; they hold an all-important double chance in case of a slip-up and have the experienced Peter German in the coaches box.

The 2009 VFL coach of the year has the big-game knowledge to steer the Seagulls to their 14th top-flight flag.

The 185-game player with North Melbourne has won premierships with Burnie in the Tasmanian Football League and Subiaco in the West Australian Football League.

He is immune to getting caught up in the moments of reflection on a job well done and should provide the level head to point his team in the right direction.

"It's not as if you always have a complete handle of what is going on," he said.

"You'll get challenged in a lot of ways by injuries or by players' form or by AFL alignments.

"There's a lot of things you don't factor in and all of a sudden they could come in to play.

"I'm sure the players are a bit excited, but I go a week at a time and I'm probably bit more apprehensive than excited."

Any apprehension from the Seagulls fans would be erased with a second viewing of their dismantling of Box Hill on Saturday.

They were in total control from start to finish.

Seagulls' Ben Jolley led the way in the midfield, and the tandem ruck duo of Will Minson and Jordan Roughead was a sight to behold.

The Seagulls big man stocks have been light on since an early injury

to up-and-coming youngster Ayce

Cordy.

"It's a luxury we haven't had all year," German said.

Matt Little was the leading Seagulls forward with five goals.

The 24-year-old claimed the Frosty Miller Medal for the most goals in the VFL home-and-away rounds with 80 for the season.

The Seagulls meet arch-rivals Port Melbourne back at Box Hill City Oval in the qualifying final on Saturday for the right to go straight to the preliminary final. "It's probably one of the great rivalries in Victorian sport," German said.