The Mores are back into the four following their 23-point win over East Keilor.
They were only out for one week playing in the second half of the top flight split round and with a number of key returning players, they looked ominous from the outset.
It was a three-goal lead for Strathmore at the first change but it could have been more with their 11 scoring shots to just three from East Keilor
The Cougars clawed their way back into the contest during the third quarter but the Mores proved too strong in the end.
Tom Condon extended his lead in the goal kicking tally with another four goals, with Daniel Mammoliti, Mitchell Purcell, Andrew Gallucci, and Athan Tsialtas each kicking multiple goals.
Up the other end, Chris Stewart bagged four majors to go with three from Cameron Banfield, and two each from Matty Dennis and Frank Campisi.
East Keilor has a difficult run home to maintain their spot in the four with Keilor, Pascoe Vale, and Aberfeldie to finish the season.
Roxburgh Park were able to get over the line by five points against Keilor Park to keep themselves within striking distance of a finals berth.
It was a tight, low-scoring contest all day with the lead at every break just six points either way, before Roxy held on at the final siren.
Cooper McPharlane kicked five of the Magpies’ seven goals with Travis Cooke named their best.
Roxy will face Hillside this week with Tulla and Glenroy to follow, so if they’re to beat Hillside, they’ll consider themselves a big chance considering the Sharks play Deer Park and St Albans in the final two games.
They’re two games behind the Sharks and sit alongside Craigieburn who have two winnable games before facing West Coburg.
It was a slow start for Taylors Lakes against Coburg Districts trailing 35-6 at quarter time, before climbing back into the game to win by 25 points.
They kicked 16 goals to eight after the first quarter including a run of seven goals to two in the final term.
Taylors Lakes boasted 11 individual goal scorers with Bowey Larizza the pick of the lot with five.
Tom Gleeson kicked five up the other end to give his side every chance, but the loss makes the finals race all the more interesting.
Burnside Heights secured a big win over Hadfield which now has them and Sunbury Kangaroos just one game behind Coburg Districts battling for fourth spot.
Each of the three sides will face Oak Park in the final three games, with Burnside Heights and Coburg Districts facing off in the final round.
Inversely, Taylors Lakes now find themselves two games clear in double chance territory with their contest against Northern Saints this weekend a chance to lock in their top two spot.
In the final home and away game of the season, plenty was at stake in the match between Aberfeldie and Keilor with Abers looking to go through the season undefeated, and Keilor wanting to lock in a finals position.
What transpired was the second one-point game the two sides played out in 2023 with Keilor on the winning side this time around, breaking Abers’ undefeated run and securing fourth spot in the process.
Defence was strong from both sides with Keilor holding just a nine-point lead at the final break, but were kept scoreless in Aberfeldie’s final push which ultimately fell one point short.
Sarah Grunden kicked two for Keilor and was named their best alongside Leah Spargo.
Alicia Reivers and Erica Markesich kicked a goal each for Abers with Ellie Huggard yet again named their best, the sixth time this season she’s been named as such.
Strathmore got their season off to a flyer after knocking off the reigning premiers on Good Friday, but had to wait until the final game of the season to secure their second, a five-point win over Westmeadows.
The Mores held a three to four goal lead at every change but were challenged by a fast-finishing Westmeadows outfit who kicked three unanswered goals in the final term.
It wasn’t enough in the end with Strathmore hanging on. They had five individual goal scorers with Ashlee Thorneycroft named their best.
Tayla Mure and Danielle Linton each kicked two goals for Westy with Courtney Bligh named their best.
The minor premiership was up for grabs in the final round with Greenvale and Burnside Heights looking for top spot, but it was Greenvale securing the win in the end, a position they’ve held for most of the season.
Not much separated the two sides in the first half before the Jets scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to give themselves a solid buffer heading into the final change.
The Bears fought hard with a further 21 points of their own in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough to ground the Jets.
Alisa Magri kicked four goals for the Jets to secure her position on top of the leading goal scorers tally in Airport Toyota Women’s Division One.
It’s been a tough season for Tullamarine after their promotion but they finished the season valiantly with a narrow defeat to finalists in Gisborne.
The game was tight during the whole contest with both sides registering 15 scoring shots, Gisborne were marginally more accurate to secure the 50-45 victory.
The Demons improved every performance against Gisborne with the margins dwindling down from 116, to 28, to five.
Emily Angelidis and Stacey McDonnell each kicked two for Tulla with Taylah Hardman named their best.
Charlotte Noonan kicked four goals for Gisborne as they now move into finals footy.
After a difficult start to the season, Sunbury Kangaroos and Pascoe Vale have finished 2023 with some good results and their final games finished with victories against finals sides.
Sunbury Kangaroos defeated Coburg Districts by 28 points, a 51-point turnaround from their last contest.
Pascoe Vale knocked off Moonee Valley 2 by 18 points, a 91-point turnaround from their earlier meeting.
Both sides finished a few games out of finals footy but they gave themselves a chance, and more importantly, were able to get numbers on the park and enjoy their footy!
