Redan captain Nathan Blomeley and Ballarat coaching director John Northey each praised the shift down the Western Highway, at yesterday's BFL qualifying final press conference at Saxon House.

The match was shifted from the Eastern Oval to Darley Park to allow the league's premier ground a chance to recover in time for next weekend's MECU BFL grand final.

Blomeley said the chance to play a final on a firm oval more than outweighed any disadvantage of not playing the match in Ballarat.

''Both sides would be happy to get on a good ground and I don't think supporters will mind heading down there to watch a better game of football,'' he said.

''Ballarat is a very tall team, so you'd think the move to a less muddy ground would suit them, but it hasn't really worked that way this year. They beat us when we played them in the wet a month ago and we beat them earlier in the year in the dry.''

Northey agreed it was important the league gave Eastern Oval every chance to improve by grand final day.

He said playing at Darley on Saturday would give his players something of a break from running around on a soaked, chopped up oval, while Darley Park's wider spaces would also be a welcome relief for a team that has played in heavy conditions for a month.

''Darley Park is a bit different. There is more room, so sides are able to run the ball a bit more and use the space,'' Northey said.

''At Eastern Oval it is a bit more congested and you need the majority of players around the ball. Hopefully at Darley we won't have that congestion.''