Two games are of most interest in the final round of Premier Division with fourth spot still up for grabs, although it would take a minor miracle.
Greenvale are sitting one the outer by a game and 10 per cent and face Airport West this week at Hansen Reserve.
The Jets losing to Essendon Doutta Stars last week has put a big dent in their finals aspirations but the hope is not lost on them with a number of VFL players available to return.
Airport West meanwhile, will be looking to send off Trent Rogers in style after an impressive stint at the helm bringing the Eagles back into the top flight and showing immense signs of competitiveness in 2023.
The other contest that will factor into the final spot of the top four is East Keilor and Aberfeldie.
It’s East Keilor’s to lose at the moment but if they suffer another defeat like they did last week, the door is well and truly open for Greenvale.
Barring any incredible scoring feats, it’d need to be a 10-12 goal win for Greenvale and 10-12 goal loss for East Keilor that’d open that spot right up
The last time Greenvale played Airport West, it was a five-goal win for the Jets while Aberfeldie defeated East Keilor by five goals themselves.
If history repeats, it won’t be enough for the Jets.
History repeating is something that Mick McGuane and his Keilor side will be aiming for as they have the chance to go undefeated again when they face Essendon Doutta Stars.
Douttas have been playing some confident footy in recent times after avoiding relegation, securing the future of Barry Prendergast, and knocking off Greenvale last week in a nailbiter.
Despite that, Keilor has been on another level against every side they’ve faced so confidence may only get Douttas so far.
Much like East Keilor, Pascoe Vale’s spot in double chance territory is theirs to lose when they play Avondale Heights.
They sit two points above Strathmore who last week drew with Abers, and this week will play Maribyrnong Park.
Kicking Rookie Me Division One finals action off on Saturday at Coburg City Oval is Deer Park and Rupertswood in a Qualifying Final.
Both teams ended the season on the same amount of points with percentage the only major difference following a sublime month of footy from the Lions where they registered 181 scoring shots.
That run was part of a five-game winning streak that was ended by Rupo in the final round when the Sharks enjoyed their second win of the season against Deer Park by less than a goal.
Rupertswood powered home to kick five goals in the final quarter and take the two-point win.
Their two wins is made even more impressive by the fact that the venerable Dean Galea has been absent from Rupo’s lineup in both games with the Sharks finding other avenues to goal.
Zak Saad and Fraser Phelan-Smith booted three goals each among nine goal scorers in their one-point triumph back in Round 6, while Clayton Bonello kicked five in their most recent win along with four from Saad.
Team selection for Deer Park will be a curious factor with the VFL wildcard games on this weekend.
In both games, they’ve been heavily reliant on Todd Elton and Lachie Smart who have well and truly delivered, but would love a greater contribution from Nicolas Aleksovski and Luke Goater if he’s named to create more headaches for the Rupo defence.
That said, creating shots on goal has not been an issue in their two meetings with their most recent effort of 9.17 last week against Rupo down significantly on their 51 per cent conversion average in front of goal (296.287).
Outside of a comfortable loss to the undefeated West Coburg, Rupo’s biggest loss has been just 15 points back in Round 1 so they’re a fighting side from Salesian College.
Brent Swallow also now has a month of footy under his belt after missing a few games, and with the addition of Galea into their forward line, this one is poised to be a third classic between the two sides.
St Albans v Hillside III will take place on Sunday at Coburg City Oval in a do-or-die clash.
This Elimination Final will be the second week in a row that these sides have met with the Saints taking a 19-point victory in the last contest at Shark Park.
Hillside fought back after St Albans held a comfortable lead at the main break, but the Saints were able to hold on and secure the win in their first completed match against Hillside.
Their first meeting was abandoned at three-quarter time which saw Hillside leading by 18 points.
St Albans are marginally stronger at both ends of the ground in terms of points for and against, but team selection could also play a factor in this one.
Hillside were without Zak Wunhym, Anthony Prestia, and Josh Covelli last week which could bolster their lineup significantly with the full-time availability of Bailey Ryan.
St Albans welcomed back Andre Srour, Ajdin Elkasovic, and Stephen Heppell but were without Victor Micallef and the suspended Jarrod Tuppen who’ll again miss this week.
In what was an expectedly placid affair last week, you can expect the intensity to kick up a notch with the season on the line.
A Grand Final spot is on the line when Oak Park takes on Taylors Lakes on Saturday at Salesian College.
The Kangaroos have had an incredible season dropping just two games on their way to the minor premiership, while Taylors Lakes have bounced back from a five-win season under the tutelage of Steve Burns to secure their double chance.
Oak Park are ranked first in scoring and second in defence, while the Lions take the defensive crown and second spot in scoring.
Two of Taylors Lakes’ three losses have come at the hands of Oak Park who have enjoyed comfortable 55 and 30-point victories against the Lions, but both sides will look a little different from their last meeting.
Jake Toa returned to Taylors Lakes late in the season and has created a solid one-two combo with Andrew Gallina in the ruck/forward rotation.
Jack Burns, Chris Vulic, and Josh Vassolo were also missing from that side and should feature this Saturday.
For Oak Park, dominant ruck Hirsi Twomey’s absence compounds the presence of Toa, while half-back Max Gleeson will also miss.
The Kangaroos have had the upper hand on Taylors Lakes and the competition for much of the season and have shown solid depth rotation at times this year, but Taylors Lakes have found their form and best 22 in recent weeks to provide a good challenge.
Northern Saints and Sunbury Kangaroos are fighting for their seasons in this do-or-die clash at Joe Brown Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Kangaroos scraped into the top four in the final round with Burnside Heights defeating Coburg Districts by a point and have had an incredible run since starting the season 0-5.
Out of their eight losses, five have been by nine points or less so this Kangaroos outfit is certainly better than their last minute entry to the finals suggest.
Northern Saints on the other hand split their last 12 games after winning their first four games.
Tamer Abdallah’s men were in the box seat for a top-two finish for a large portion of the season and have shown a high level of offensive potency throughout 2023.
Khoder Taleb has led the charge on that front finishing as the season’s leading goal scorer with 62 goals following a whopping 16 goals in the final round.
He overtook Rhys Magin in that game who currently has 57 goals, while Brody Watts (30 goals) and John Corso (22 goals) have also provided solid avenues to goal for the Kangaroos in 2023.
The season series between these two have been split down the middle with Northern Saints winning by 23 points the first time around, and Sunbury Kangaroos winning by 20 points the second time around.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
AIRPORT WEST v GREENVALE
Saturday 2:15pm at Hansen Reserve
EAST KEILOR v ABERFELDIE
Saturday 2:15pm at Overland Reserve
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS v KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Nipper Jordan Oval
STRATHMORE v MARIBYRNONG PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Lebanon Reserve
AVONDALE HEIGHTS v PASCOE VALE
Saturday 2:15pm at Canning Reserve
DEER PARK v RUPERTSWOOD
Saturday 2:15pm at Coburg City Oval
ST ALBANS v HILLSIDE
Sunday 2:15pm at Coburg City Oval
OAK PARK v TAYLORS LAKES
Saturday 2:15pm at Salesian College
NORTHERN SAINTS v SUNBURY KANGAROOS
Sunday 2:15pm at Joe Brown Oval
