ABERFELDIE v STRATHMORE
THIS is clearly the biggest game of the round, as the winner will at the very least finish higher on the ladder.
With Keilor and Greenvale expected to win elsewhere, it’s going to be hard for Aberfeldie to sneak into the top two.
It’ll therefore be interesting to see how Adam Potter approaches this.
Does Aberfeldie go all out and hope either Avondale Heights or Essendon Doutta Stars do them a favour, or do they self-preserve ahead of a knock-out Semi Final at Windy Hill on the first Sunday of September?
If it’s the former then Strathmore’s in for a hard day, because the reigning premier has arguably been the form team of the division over the last month, including strong wins over Greenvale and Maribyrnong Park.
Strathmore has won seven straight but haven’t been overly convincing in their recent close wins over Avondale Heights and Essendon Doutta Stars.
A win should be enough to guarantee a top two finish but a loss will see them slip to fourth, which would result in another date with Aberfeldie as the away team at Windy Hill in the following weekend’s knock-out semi.
If the rumours of some potential injuries to key players are true, then it could be telling.
This week’s edition of EDFL Teams will make for interesting reading on essendondfl.com.au.
WEST COBURG v PASCOE VALE
The Burgers shot themselves in the foot after a promising start to their game against Avondale Heights last week.
Omar Saad’s two first quarter goals helped kick-start West Coburg but all their momentum came to a quick halt once they had to start kicking into the wind in the second.
Outgoing coach Digby Morrell was left bitterly disappointed as his side failed to regain control, eventually going down by 45 points after conceding 11 goals to two after quarter time.
It left the Burgers in last place and .80 per cent below Essendon Doutta Stars.
So if both the Burgers and Stars get the same result, then percentage will decide who goes down.
In what will be Morrell’s last game with the club, the young Burgers need to save their best for last in order to avoid relegation, because Pascoe Vale won’t hold back.
The Panthers made light work of their local rival, Glenroy, last week, in a game that turned out to be a dead rubber.
With finals now mathematically out of their equation, Pascoe Vale is free to inflict as much damage onto another local rival as possible.
Kyle Hardingham and his men would love nothing more than to send their neighbours back down to Essendon Ford Division 1 and with the star power of Matt Watson, Dean Soncin, Eamonn Ogden and the Ross brothers all on the park, they should have far too much firepower here.
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS v GREENVALE
The scenario here is very similar to that of the game above but with one key difference; the favourite still has something to play for.
Greenvale welcomed both Marics and Nat Caruso back into its side last week and it paid immediate dividends, with the Jets managing to hand Keilor its first loss since Round 6.
It was a reminder that Greenvale’s top-end talent is as good as anyone’s.
As long as they can stay healthy, the Jets will be in the premiership conversation.
Second spot is up for grabs but the Jets find themselves in the unusual position of barracking for Aberfeldie.
Providing Greenvale looks after its own backyard here against Douttas, the Jets will jump to second if Aberfeldie beats Strathmore.
But if Strathmore gets up, then percentage will keep Greenvale stranded in third spot.
Therefore the margin here is very important for both sides.
You do have to be careful in handing Greenvale the win because earlier in the year this game came down to the wire at Section Road.
But assuming the Jets will win, then it’s important they win well, not only to give themselves a shot at the top two, but to help sink Douttas back down to Essendon Ford Division 1.
Douttas scrapped hard against Strathmore.
Do they have the energy to do that again for one last time here?
KEILOR v AVONDALE HEIGHTS
Keilor was handed a reality check last week up at Greenvale, which could work one of two ways.
It was either a loss the Blues had to have in the lead-up to finals or a sign that things could start to unravel.
They’ve already lost Nick O’Kearney for the year but now they have a new headache concerning David Gourdis, who earlier in the week was found guilty of umpire contact at the tribunal.
He’s been rubbed out for this game and Keilor's first final.
If the Blues win this then the minor premiership is theirs, and all things being equal, they will.
A draw between Aberfeldie and Strathmore is the only way the Blues can slip out of the top two if they lose, so there’s no point in taking any major risks.
But given some personnel adjustments may be required, this is Mick McGuane’s last chance to get his team balance right for September.
Avondale Heights will give the Blues a good test after displaying some good form in decent outings against Strathmore and West Coburg.
While their season is over, the Heights will take a lot of pride in potentially putting a dent into Keilor’s premiership hopes with an upset here at Joe Brown Oval.
GLENROY v MARIBYRNONG PARK
This is the only game of the round with nothing on the line.
Maribyrnong Park’s second half of the year has been bitterly disappointing after a promising start that had the Lions on top of the ladder on a near-weekly basis.
Injuries to key players, including a serious neck injury to star interleague rep Caleb Vearing, have de-railed Marby’s year and now the club has to re-group for 2019.
Glenroy is in a somewhat similar boat, as it too is in 2019 mode.
The Roys have also been quite ordinary late in the year and didn’t really give much of a yelp at Raeburn Reserve last week.
But knowing both Ross Terranova and Robbie Castello as I do, neither will be resting on their laurels here.
This will be a fast, free-flowing game of footy and it’ll be played with plenty of spirit.
It’s amazing how a final-round win can give you momentum leading into the next pre-season.
