By Luke Mathews
AVONDALE HEIGHTS 9.8 (62) def. by DEER PARK 27.16 (178)
MATCH CENTRE
Deer Park have ended their season on a high defeating Avondale Heights by 116 points at Canning Reserve.
Saturday’s win was Jamie Madigan’s side’s seventh victory for the year and sees them finish seventh on the ladder in their first season in Premier Division.
The win was set up in the first quarter with the visitors piling on seven goals before quarter time before finishing strongly with 10 goals in the last term to cruise to a triple-figure victory.
Jackson Barling’s superb end to the season continued with the forward kicking five goals for the first time this year to back up his bag of four from last week, while Nicolas Aleksovski and Jack Dorgan both had solid games with four goals each.
Despite the difficult end to a tough season, Ben Hempel stood tall for one of his best games of the year with three goals, while Myles Gollant and Jacob Cutri fought hard all day.
ABERFELDIE 4.14 (38) def. by GREENVALE 10.13 (73)
MATCH CENTRE
Greenvale have booked their spot in the finals, defeating Aberfeldie by 35 points at Clifton Park.
Going into the game, the Jets needed the four points to guarantee their spot in the finals and the win now sees them finish fifth and return to finals action.
After an early stalemate which saw Abers take a two point lead into the first change, the Jets dominated the final three quarters kicking nine goals to Aberfeldie’s three to run away with the victory.
Daniel Micevski and Callum Di Pietro did the damage up forward for the Jets with three and two goals respectively, while Will Madden put in a solid performance.
Despite not having much to play for, Jack Middleton and Luke Davis fought hard all day and were both among Abers' best.
The two sides will now face off again next Sunday to keep their season alive.
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STRATHMORE 25.14 (164) def. EAST KEILOR 7.12 (54)
MATCH CENTRE
Strathmore have ended the home and away season with momentum defeating East Keilor by 110 points at Lebanon Reserve.
Despite not holding any ramifications for finals, Saturday’s game was the perfect tune up for next week and showed that Nick Ash’s side will take some beating in the final month of footy.
The game was over inside the first quarter with the home side piling on nine first-quarter goals to open up a 49-point lead, before finishing with 11 second-half goals to cruise to another comfortable victory.
Amin Naim's stunning form continued with the youngster kicking five goals for the third time this year, while Kyle Weightman and Callum Clinnick starred with three goals each.
Despite another difficult day, Peter Barbopoulos backed up last week’s performance with another two goals while reigning Reynolds Medallist Matty Dennis finished the year strongly.
Strathmore will now gear up for a qualifying final against Pascoe Vale on Saturday, with Keilor awaiting the victor.
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS 7.7 (49) def. by KEILOR 16.14 (110)
MATCH CENTRE
Keilor have recorded win 17 for the year, defeating Essendon Doutta Stars by 61 points at Nipper Jordan Oval.
The win caps off an almost perfect home and away season for Mick McGuane’s men with the Blues picking up 68 of a possible 72 premiership points.
Surprisingly, the Stars jumped out to a four-point quarter time lead, however it was one-way traffic from then on with Keilor kicking five goals in the second and third terms to record another comfortable victory.
Corey Ellis made a successful return for the Blues while Chris Kosmas and Matthew Bartlett both finished the regular season on a high with strong performances.
Despite going down, Douttas fought hard all day with Liam Ryan, Darcy Runting, and Angus Murray all showing plenty of positive signs heading into 2025.
Keilor will put their feet up and will wait for the winner of Strathmore and Pascoe Vale on Saturday week.
PASCOE VALE 12.15 (87) def. AIRPORT WEST 12.13 (85)
MATCH CENTRE
Pascoe Vale have come from behind late to defeat Airport West by two points at Raeburn Reserve.
Despite needing a win and other results to go their way, the loss now means the Eagles won’t feature in finals footy and will finish the year in sixth spot on the ladder with seven wins.
The game was evenly poised for most of the first three quarters with scores level at half time, and Pascoe Vale with their noses in front by four at the final change.
The Eagles dominated the early stages of the final term with five behinds and two goals inside the first 10 minutes to open up a 13-point lead.
The Panthers got the margin back to a single point with two goals in as many minutes before Airport West extended their lead to eight points when they goaled at the 17-minute mark.
Another three behinds for the Eagles followed before Pascoe Vale kicked two goals at the 28 and 30-minute mark of the game to seal the victory as Airport West were left to rue missed opportunities with nine behinds in the fourth quarter.
Ahmed Saad continued his fine form with six goals, while Adam Figliola and Matthew Watson starred once again with two goals each to help their side snatch victory.
Despite going down, Anthony Aloi and Luca Muratore finished the season strongly with two goals each while Flynn Gentile was dominant in his first game of EDFL footy for the year.
Pascoe Vale will now go into a blockbuster qualifying final against Strathmore next Saturday with the winner to take on ladder leaders Keilor in two weeks' time.
By Eric Forman
OAK PARK 5.0 (30) def. ABERFELDIE 4.5 (29)
MATCH CENTRE
In the famous words of Anthony Hudson: "Who would've thought the sequel would be just as good as the original?"
Oak Park claimed back-to-back Airport Toyota Women’s Premier Division premierships winning a one-point thriller over Aberfeldie at Windy Hill.
It was a rematch of the 2023 grand final with Oak Park this time entering the match with winning form over Abers.
Conditions at a picturesque Windy Hill were perfect for footy and the stage was set for an evenly poised decider.
Read the full match report here.
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By Joseph Ibic
WEST COBURG 15.15 (105) def. HILLSIDE 12.13 (85)
MATCH CENTRE
West Coburg recorded an outstanding win over Hillside in the qualifying final by 20 points to set up a date with Maribyrnong Park.
The Burgers started off slowly trailing by 10 points at quarter time and three points at half time, before a strong second half saw them secure a hard-fought victory following a tense final quarter.
Ibby Taha was once again crucial for West Coburg up front kicking four goals, while Patrick McCallum and skipper Dane Lucas were also immense.
Hillside’s star forward Josh Covelli provided one of the highlights of the day when he slotted goal 100 of the season, finishing the match with five majors.
Hillside led during the last quarter but some late West Coburg goals pushed the lead out.
Ultimately though, it was a strong effort for Hillside who have the double chance next weekend and will know they're not far off.
Hillside play St Albans in a semi final next week, while West Coburg takes on Maribyrnong Park for a spot in the decider.
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ST ALBANS 12.19 (91) def. OAK PARK 12.5 (77)
MATCH CENTRE
St Albans claimed a hard-fought victory over Oak Park on Sunday by 14 points to keep their season alive, and win their first senior men's final in 14 years.
It was Oak Park who started strong to take a lead into the first change, but St Albans kicked into gear from there.
The Saints' inaccuracy kept the door open for Oak Park who only added 14 points through quarters two and three.
With 52 seconds left in the third quarter, the forecasted storms swept through and players were forced off due to lightning.
Play resumed 38 minutes later with the fourth quarter to play out as usual.
Trailing by 21 points upon the restart, the Kangaroos had to come out swinging and that's exactly what they did kicking the first three goals to be within a kick.
The game went back and forth before the Saints sealed the game.
Bol Kolang was huge up front scoring four goals, three of which in that final term.
Hutchison Medallist Victor Micallef put in a huge performance alongside Josh Klaromenos and Matt Gundry.
Oak Park's season has now come to an end but it something to be proud of as the first men's season to play finals after being promoted into Division One.
St Albans will now prepare for Hillside in an eliminator on Sunday.
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By Joseph Ibic
TAYLORS LAKES 18.6 (114) def. BURNSIDE HEIGHTS 16.7 (103)
MATCH CENTRE
Taylors Lakes claimed an 11-point victory over Burnside Heights in a high-scoring thriller to book their spot at Windy Hill.
The Bears were running hot to start the contest kicking five unanswered to quarter time.
A brilliant second quarter from the Lions, however, saw them steal back the lead by half time, which they ultimately had by the end of the game.
It ebbed and flowed all day despite the Bears losing some key cogs early in the game.
Luke Nappi was important for Taylors Lakes once again scoring four goals up front, while Lachlan Rayner put up a best on ground performance that ended up getting his side over the line.
It was Burnside's third loss against Taylors Lakes this season and once again there wasn’t much to separate the two sides.
The Bears looked to have the Lions' measure early on, but a spirited Taylors Lakes fightback proved too strong for Burnside in the end.
Burnside lives to fight another day and will take on Westmeadows in the preliminary final, while Taylors Lakes head straight to the grand final.
WESTMEADOWS 9.18 (72) def. NORTHERN SAINTS 10.11 (71)
MATCH CENTRE
Westmeadows won a one-point nail biter against Northern Saints to continue their season another week.
The Tigers were down by 42 points at quarter time with the Saints maximising the breeze, but fought their way back across the four quarters to claim one of the best wins of the season.
It was all Westmeadows after quarter time and although a lightning delay temporarily halted their momentum, it didn't stop the Tigers from claiming their first senior men's finals win in 14 years.
Luke Smith was once again fantastic for the Tigers putting in a best on ground effort, while Riley Hearne was crucial when the game got close.
It was a heartbreaking result for the Northern Saints who looked to be in complete control at quarter time but fell away across the remainder of the game culminating in a shock one-point loss.
The Saints will, however, have plenty to build on for next year, where they will look to go that extra step.
Westmeadows takes on Burnside Heights in a preliminary final for a spot in the big dance.
