The 2026 Community Bank Strathmore home and away season has reached the pointy end of the year and there is still plenty to play for.
All the way down the ladder, the minor premiership, finals placings, and relegation spot are still yet to be determined with several key matchups across the last month set to decide the fate of the competition.
TOP SPOT
Up the top of the ladder, Keilor and Strathmore will both be hoping to claim top spot and sit out the first week of the finals.
Strathmore was the tearaway leader to begin the year with nine wins in a row, however has lost to Deer Park and Keilor in the past month which has brought it back to the pack.
The Blues lost three of their first four matches for the season but have come with a rush and are now on a nine-game winning streak.
Keilor are currently two games behind the Mores with a game in hand and the two sides are separated by less than six per cent.
Mick McGuane’s men have the more favourable run home with no games against top five sides, however they will face Deer Park at John McLeod Oval who did knock off Strathmore just weeks ago.
The reigning premiers face a difficult final fortnight with the side set to play Marby in Round 17, who they beat by only 13 points earlier in the year, and Aberfeldie at Clifton Park.
Keilor has won the minor premiership on both occasions since moving to a top five finals system.
THIRD, FOURTH & FIFTH
Pascoe Vale look to be out of the race for top spot after going down to Strathmore last week, but will still feature heavily come the back end of the year.
The Panthers are a game clear in third and do boast a healthy percentage, however they’ll still need to win at least two of their last four to guarantee the double chance.
Aberfeldie, Essendon Doutta Stars, and Maribyrnong Park will all battle it out for the remaining finals placings.
The Stars are currently hanging onto fourth spot and were the in-form team of the competition across May and June.
Douttas were handed a reality check by Keilor in Round 11 and went down to Strathmore two weeks later, but did defeat Hillside last weekend which was crucial for their finals aspirations.
Barry Prendergast’s side will likely need to win at least three of their final four matches to guarantee themselves a finals spot, however consecutive matches against Abers and Pascoe Vale could ultimately decide their fate.
Aberfeldie has hardly missed finals across the past 15 years, however are still a long way from locking in a finals spot.
The Rillas are currently in fifth and have had an indifferent year so far but do have a tricky final month.
After pushing Keilor all the way two weeks ago, it doesn’t get any easier with matches against Marby, Hillside, Douttas, Greenvale, and Strathmore all to come.
A win for Abers this week against Marby would move them into fourth spot, however a loss would drop them down to sixth.
The Rillas do have a far superior percentage than Douttas and Marby so three wins should be enough to claim fifth spot.
Marby is currently outside the top five however remain well and truly entrenched inside the finals race.
Many thought the Lions could’ve been a genuine contender to start the year with four wins from their first four, however six losses in a row meant those thoughts quickly vanished.
With their finals hopes quickly slipping away, Brodie Holland’s men breathed life into their season with three wins in a row against Deer Park, Greenvale, and Airport West.
The Lions have by far the hardest run home with matches against four of the top five before meeting with Hillside in Round 18 who they failed to beat earlier in the year.
A comprehensive win over Aberfeldie for the first time since 2021 could see them move up to fourth, however only four wins from their final five would ensure a finals appearance.
OUT OF THE HUNT?
In the lower half of the ladder Deer Park and Hillside look to be unable to challenge for finals, however seem to have avoided relegation.
The two teams will be three games and percentage outside of the top five after this weekend, however they remain 12 points above last spot.
Deer Park will be disappointed it hasn’t been able to back up last year’s final appearance with another one, however it did manage to topple Strathmore in Round 10.
Hillside will be rapt it isn’t involved in a relegation fight in its first season at the level and has recorded memorable one point victories over Abers, Marby, and Airport West.
Both clubs will now be looking to use the final month of the season as a springboard into a successful 2027 campaign.
RELEGATION BATTLE
This year looks set to be the closest relegation fight in recent memory.
The battle to avoid last spot is the tightest it has been since 2018 when West Coburg finished on the bottom with two wins and were only four points behind Douttas.
Since then, at least eight points has separated ninth and tenth while in the previous two seasons, the wooden spoon has been decided well and truly before the final month.
Heading into 2026, expectations were high for Airport West after a preliminary final appearance.
Despite losing 2024 Reynolds Medallist Tyson Young in the off-season, the Eagles kicked off their season on the right foot with a tight win over Essendon Doutta Stars.
Since then, things have continued to go downhill with Airport West notching up just the one and the club has now decided to part ways with coach Brent Taylor.
The Eagles aren’t on their own in the lower reaches of the ladder with Greenvale also sitting in a similar position.
After a ninth-place finish in 2025 and a new coach to start 2026, the Jets had minimal expectations for the season.
Anthony Rock’s first win as Greenvale coach came in Round 3 over Hillside, however the side occupied last spot for much of the first half of the year.
That all changed when the Jets defeated Hillside by 40 points which moved them above Airport West, however they remain only one per cent clear of them.
When Airport West and Greenvale met earlier in the year, the Eagles won by 37 points back in Round 7.
The two teams meet again in Round 16 which looms as a potential season-defining clash with Airport West hoping for a repeat of their earlier encounter this year.
For the rest of the run home, Greenvale would be eyeing off a win against Deer Park this week which would go a long way in ensuring its safety.
Airport West has the more difficult run home playing all of the top three teams again, however it would fancy its chances against Deer Park in Round 17.
Regardless of the outcome, it looks set to be a huge final month of home and away footy before an even bigger finals series.
