By Evan Tudor
Round 14 opens at Shark Park when Hillside hosts Maribyrnong Park in a battle between two ladder neighbours.
While a ticket to this year’s finals series may now be out of reach for the Sharks and Lions, Saturday’s encounter provides good opportunity for these evenly matched sides to go full throttle.
When these sides last met, it was Maribyrnong Park that took the chocolates, winning in Round 2’s 11.10 (76) to 8.3 (51) high-scoring thriller.
Tegan Matthews kicked five in the contest, and after last weekend’s three-goal display against Keilor, will look to put another bag up against the Sharks.
After last year’s winless campaign, the Lions have well and truly been on the up in 2026 and have an opportunity for a second consecutive win.
Hillside remains a determined and win-hungry side despite what the scoreboard has shown in the past few weeks.
Hillside will be hoping that this is the week where revenge is taken for that earlier meeting.
Caitlin Sargent kicked four in that match but has had a quiet few weeks in front of goal in the latter part of the season. Will this be the week where she returns to the Sharks’ playing list and dishes out some more Hillside highlights?
Annalise Wilkie continues to be one of Hillside’s best week in week out alongside Hannah Ibrahim, both of whom provide stability for the side throughout its rocky times.
Will the Lions again take bragging rights over the Sharks, or will Hillside produce some late-season magic?
Another clash between two finals fancies is here, with Strathmore set to host Oak Park at Lebanon Reserve for Nelson Alexander EDFL Match of the Day.
It’s set to be a crucial game that’ll help construct this year’s top four, with Oak Park sitting strongly on second after winning its past eight.
Strathmore holds the third rung, with last weekend’s defeat to Essendon Doutta Stars putting a spanner into the works.
The Kangaroos are on the verge of picking up a ninth straight victory.
The extraordinary streak dates to Round 4, with the Roos’ last defeat coincidentally at the hands of Strathmore the weekend prior.
Harnessing the likes of goalkicking specialties such as Sarah Dargan, Tayah Kelly, and Sasha Nelson will be critical in this match.
If the trio can be part of the mix again, it’ll put the Roos up in a good position to finally sing the song over the gold and navy blue.
But will Strathmore put an end to Oak Park’s streak?
Last weekend, the Mores’ own run of six victories came to a close against the Stars.
It’s a result that many may not have seen coming, with Strathmore’s reign on the ladder’s pole position coming to an end.
Returning there will be the Mores’ goal.
Talia Motta and Milla Murphy’s goalkicking masterclasses continue to light up the field each week, with the dangerous duo joined by Maeve Langston who has written her name into the scoresheet these past five weeks.
Sarah McKinnon will also be another to watch after picking up two straight best-on namings.
A win in Saturday’s contest would see the winner conclude the round on top of the table, with ladder-leaders Aberfeldie taking the bye this weekend.
Will Oak Park finally rise to the top, or will Strathmore get the job done over the Roos again?
Moonee Valley will look to pick up back-to-back wins when it welcomes Keilor to Ormond Park.
After the Fog and Blues both put on positive displays in their latest hit outs, an exciting clash awaits us on Saturday.
Following last weekend’s bye, the Fog are back out on the field ready to ignite a spark in the dying stages of their season.
When the Fog last faced the Blues in Round 6, it was the black and white attack which was victorious in a dominant win.
Charlotte D’Ambrosio, Matilda Zander, and Nadia Valenti combined for 14.
While we haven’t seen all three make a joint appearance on the field for quite a while, Moonee Valley will still look to take the upper hand in this match.
But after a record result last weekend, Keilor will certainly want its best efforts on display.
While the Blues went down to Maribyrnong Park last weekend, heads were certainly held high back at Joe Brown Oval, with the side recording its highest score of the season.
It’s positives like those that can fuel a team’s fire, with Keilor showing continuous improvement in its hunt for a win.
Sarah Ingram kicked two against the Lions and has been a standout of recent times.
Kicking one goal last weekend, Olivia Castello will look for another impactful performance.
A thrilling clash could be waiting over at Pattison Street, and it’s only a matter of time until we see how it plays out.
By Gus Court
Keilor Park and Sunbury Lions will kick off Round 14 action at Keilor Park Recreation Reserve.
The Devils enter this contest off a draw and a loss, but are locked in to an elimination final regardless of the final two results.
The Lions have had some tough outings in recent weeks, and will be wanting to finish the year strongly.
It was an 87-point win for Keilor Park when these sides met in Round 2, Georgia O'Donovan (four goals) and Sophie Shaw (three goals) doing the damage on the scoreboard.
Kayla Theodore has been on fire for the Lions in recent weeks and will hope for another strong performance.
Taylors Lakes will welcome East Sunbury to Lionheart Reserve to continue the action.
The Lions are still searching for their first win, while the Thunder are after win number five for the season.
These sides met in Round 5 where it was East Sunbury that took out a 20-point win.
Erin Carroll and Molly Connell proved hard to stop for East Sunbury, while Rebecca Foggie and Courtney McCormack led from the front for Taylors Lakes.
Can the Lions cause an upset, or will the Thunder return to winning ways?
Eric Boardman Reserve will see Sunbury Kangaroos and Tullamarine do battle for the first time this season.
The Demons have been in good form recently with wins over Taylors Lakes and Roxburgh Park in the last two weeks.
The Kangaroos have struggled with numbers of late and will look to get back on the park after last week's forfeit.
Nicole Knudsen and Tylah Bell continue to be two of the main contributors for the Kangaroos and will require some attention.
For the Demons, co-captains Charlotte Jackson and Tricia Devine lead from the front and will look to give their side more success to close out the season.
An interesting contest awaits Highgate Recreation Reserve with Craigieburn taking on Coburg Districts.
The Eagles sit in third spot with the double chance still up for grabs after five consecutive wins.
The Lions are out of finals contention, but have had a strong second half of the season with five wins from their last seven games.
It was a 24-point Craigieburn win when these sides last met in Round 8.
The Eagles started strongly and were able to control the game from there with Harmony Tavita (two goals) and Sienna Gioupas important.
Can the Eagles keep their second chance hopes alive, or will the Lions continue their strong form?
Twilight footy at Willowbrook Reserve will close out the round with Westmeadows hosting Gisborne.
The Tigers will be looking to remain undefeated, while the Bulldogs will look to take a scalp to close out the season.
It was a 75-point Tigers win in Round 6 when these sides last played.
Stefanie Maiorana (four goals), Danielle Linton (three goals), and Courteney Munn (three goals) were hard to stop in front of goal.
Amy O'Kelly played a lone hand for Gisborne on the day with its only goal in a best-on-ground performance.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
HILLSIDE v MARIBYRNONG PARK
Saturday 1:50pm at Hillside Recreation Reserve
STRATHMORE v OAK PARK
🎥 Streamer
Saturday 1:50pm at Lebanon Reserve
MOONEE VALLEY v KEILOR
Saturday 1:50pm at Ormond Park
KEILOR PARK v SUNBURY LIONS
Saturday 11:50am at Keilor Park Recreation Reserve
TAYLORS LAKES v EAST SUNBURY
Saturday 11:50am at Lionheart Reserve
SUNBURY KANGAROOS v TULLAMARINE
Saturday 11:50am at Eric Boardman Reserve
CRAIGIEBURN v COBURG DISTRICTS
Saturday 11:50am at Highgate Recreation Reserve #2
WESTMEADOWS v GISBORNE
Saturday 4:50pm at Willowbrook Reserve
