By Luke Mathews
Deer Park and Avondale Heights will both finish their seasons when they face off at Canning Reserve.
It's been a very difficult year for the Heights which has seen their coach Paddy Byrne sacked and their time in Premier Division come to an end after they picked up only the one win back in Round 1 against Greenvale.
On the other hand, Deer Park have had an up and down first season in Premier Division which has seen them win six games including an upset win over an in-form Airport West last week.
When the two sides last met back in Round 7, it was Jamie Madigan’s side who came away with the four points after they defeated Avondale Heights by 48 points thanks to an eight-goal final term to help seal the victory.
Danko Bzenic will be one to watch on Saturday for Avondale Heights. The forward has been a shining light for the Heights in a difficult year kicking 26 goals from 17 games in 2024.
Aberfeldie will host Greenvale at Clifton Park in a game that has huge finals ramifications and will likely shape the finals.
After Greenvale and Airport West both lost last weekend, the Jets held their spot in the top five but are in desperate need of a win if they want to stay there.
If Greenvale come out on top they are guaranteed finals footy, however a loss and an Airport West win will see them watching finals footy from the sidelines.
Abers, meanwhile, will stay in fourth spot with an elimination final ahead.
When the two sides met in Round 9, it was Aberfeldie who came away with the victory, defeating the Jets by 25 points.
For the Jets to win and qualify for finals footy, Josh Porter will need to step up once again. The forward has been in fine form in recent weeks kicking six goals in his last two appearances against Keilor and East Keilor, but was held goalless the last time these two sides met.
If the mercurial forward can have another day out it could see his side’s season extend by at least one week.
Strathmore will be hoping to make it three wins in a row in the lead up to another finals series when they take on East Keilor at Lebanon Reserve.
Saturday’s match doesn’t mean much in terms of finals ramifications with the Mores set to play Pascoe Vale in a qualifying final next week, while East Keilor have failed to back up last year's finals appearance and have slipped to ninth on the ladder.
When the two sides last came up against each other back in Round 1, it was Strathmore who picked up their first win since last year's preliminary final, winning by 73 points thanks to four goals each from Amin Naim, Mitch Purcell, and Athan Tsialtas.
With the VFL season now over for many clubs, Strathmore could be boosted by the return of Matthew Foley, Kyle Weightman, and Cooper Keogh.
If all three superstars take the field for the home side on Saturday, it could be a difficult day for the Cougars.
Keilor will be hoping to finish off the home and away season on a positive note when they take on Essendon Doutta Stars at Nipper Jordan Oval.
It’s been another almost perfect season for Mick McGuane’s men in their hunt for back-to-back premierships with the Blues picking up 16 wins from their 17 matches and are two games clear on top of the ladder.
Douttas have avoided relegation once again but have slipped to eighth on the ladder and haven’t won since upsetting Aberfeldie back in Round 14.
When the two sides last met back in Round 9, it was business as usual for Keilor, winning by 147 points thanks to 12 goals in the third term.
Chris Kosmas will be one to keep an eye on at Nipper Jordan Oval in Saturday. With his VFL services now finished, Kosmas' focus will now be on winning another premiership for the Blues.
The midfielder has been in fine form for the Blues this year with 28 goals from just 12 games and another big game on Saturday could be a sign of things to come.
Pascoe Vale will host Airport West at Raeburn Reserve in a season-defining games for the Eagles.
After a stunning turnaround from a 0-7 start to upsetting the reigning premiers two weeks ago and looking like charging towards a finals berth, the Eagles slipped up last week against Deer Park and have left themselves with a lot to do against Pascoe Vale on Saturday.
A win wouldn’t guarantee the men in green and white a finals berth with Brent Taylor’s men needing Greenvale to lose to Aberfeldie on Saturday as well if they want their season to continue.
Meanwhile, Pascoe Vale are certain to finish in second spot and play Strathmore in a qualifying final.
When the two sides last met back in Round 7, it was the Panthers that handed the Eagles their seventh loss for the year, winning by 64 points thanks to eight goals from Ahmed Saad.
It'll take another big effort from the Eagles, but it's now or never.
By Joseph Ibic
The finals start with West Coburg and Hillside kicking off Strathmore Community Bank Division One action at Greenvale Recreation Reserve this Saturday.
The Burgers go into the finals series in good form having won their final regular season match by 108 points and four out of their last five by over 60 points.
The two sides faced off twice in the season, once in Round 2 where Hillside were victorious in a thrilling match that was decided by just three points, and also in Round 13 where West Coburg got revenge, defeating Hillside by 33 points.
From these past games it is clear that if both teams are at their best, it will be a cracking contest.
Hillside will go into the qualifying final having lost their last game of the season to Maribyrnong Park by 50 points.
While this doesn’t sound great for their form and confidence, they did a better job against Marby than what West Coburg did the week prior.
Josh Covelli will be the one to watch for a number of reasons with the star forward two goals away from triple figures, but he was also the one to break the game open in the first meeting between these two sides.
He proved unstoppable in the final quarter and lifted the Sharks to a stirring win.
The winner will meet Marby for a spot in the decider, with the loser to face the winner out of the eliminator.
St Albans will take on Oak Park in an elimination final at Salesian College Oval on Sunday.
St Albans go into this weekend's final with a far superior home and away record as they lost just the four matches across the season and have won four of their last five leading into this week's match.
The two sides faced off twice in the home and away season with St Albans coming out on top both times.
First in Round 5 by 39 points and more recently last week where the Saints won by 22 points.
In both those games, Josh Carter scored four goals and is someone Oak Park will need to pay close attention to this weekend.
Oak Park head into the match as underdogs as they finished fifth on the ladder after the regular season and are yet to defeat a team ranked higher than them.
However, the Oakers have won six of their last seven games and head into the finals in good touch despite a loss to the Saints last week.
By Joseph Ibic
The Division Two finals kick off this Saturday with Taylors Lakes taking on Burnside Heights at Salesian College Oval for a spot in the grand final.
Taylors Lakes finished the season in first place with an almost flawless home and away record which saw them lose just one game, while also drawing another.
The Lakers' success has been down to their incredible offensive abilities as they are the highest scoring team in the division.
The two teams have faced off twice during the season, the first time was in Round 11 where Taylors Lakes were victorious by four points in a thriller.
The second time was just last week and was a 15-point win for the Lions.
Luke Nappi scored four goals for Taylors Lakes in their most recent meeting and will be one Burnside will look to keep quiet this weekend.
Burnside Heights have enjoyed a great season so far as well finishing in second place with just the three losses.
Unfortunately for them, two of those losses came against Taylors Lakes and they remain the team they will have to overcome if they are to win the premiership.
The replenished tall stocks have been damaging for the Bears this year and will need them to fire again and stretch the Taylors Lakes defenders.
Bears leading goal kicker Daniel Hovey was held goalless last week, and will be one Cole Harvey will need to stamp his authority on the game.
Westmeadows and Northern Saints will battle it out in an elimination final at Greenvale Recreation Reserve on Sunday for a place in the preliminary final.
Westmeadows head into Sunday's final as the higher ranked team having finished third.
However, due to a shaky finish to the season they aren’t as firm favourites as they may have looked a few weeks ago.
In their last four games before finals, the Tigers recorded just one win as well as two losses and a draw.
Both teams have faced off against each other twice this year with Westmeadows winning the first encounter in Round 4 by 39 points, before the Northern Saints hit back in Round 11 defeating Westmeadows by 24 points.
The Northern Saints' last four games of the season were enough for them to secure a finals berth but were not without some shaky moments as well.
The Saints won two of their last four while also drawing their last match of the season against Glenroy.
Rain played a factor in their last meeting with tough, contested footy playing more in the Saints' favour with Westy damaging when able to run, carry, and use efficiently by foot.
Section Road will be conducive to that footy but with rain potentially around, we'll have to wait and see how this one plays out!
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
AVONDALE HEIGHTS v DEER PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Canning Reserve
ABERFELDIE v GREENVALE
Saturday 2:15pm at Clifton Park
STRATHMORE v EAST KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Lebanon Reserve
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS v KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Nipper Jordan Oval
PASCOE VALE v AIRPORT WEST
Saturday 2:15pm at Raeburn Reserve
WEST COBURG v HILLSIDE
Saturday 2:15pm at Greenvale Recreation Reserve
ST ALBANS v OAK PARK
Sunday 2:15pm at Salesian College
TAYLORS LAKES v BURNSIDE HEIGHTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Salesian College
WESTMEADOWS v NORTHERN SAINTS
Sunday 2:15pm at Greenvale Recreation Reserve
