"We have as good a chance as any,'' he said. "The beauty of this contest is that you are surfing to a formula. It's not just about individuals but a team effort.''

Elouera won a thrilling final in metre-high waves at Wanda Beach and picked up a handy $1500 cheque.

The team of Fowler, Joe Sears, Luke Wenert, Jake Stalker and veteran Glen Pringle combined to total 83.04 points and defeat Queenscliff Boardriders Club by a mere 2.74. Dee Why were third on 72.26 and Avalon fourth (69.68).

The Surftag format sees five-member teams given an hour in which each individual must catch three waves, with the second being a Powerwave worth double points.

All three waves for each surfer count in the scoring, and bonus points are awarded for teams that finish before the 60-minute mark.

The two-day event's last enthralling hour came down to a battle between Elouera's patience and local knowledge against Queenscliff's tenacity and tactics that had the iconic northern beaches club spending most of the final two and sometimes three waves ahead of their three rivals.

In the end, the early scores racked up by Fowler (21.70) and Sears (20.27) plus the excellent wave selection under time pressure by Wenert (13.40), Stalker (12.47) and Pringle (15.20) was the difference.

Fowler said the win was massive for the club and indeed the entire local area.

Local rivals Cronulla couldn't get past Sunday's quarter finals (where Elouera came second), their team disrupted by a weekend wedding, and Garie's two teams were eliminated in the Saturday heats.

The four finalists qualified for the national final and will be joined by semi-finalists North Steyne, Woonona, North Narrabeen B and North Narrabeen A. The final is at North Narrabeen on February 13- 14.