by Nicholas Duck
Six became four last week as two teams packed their bags in the West Gippsland Football Netball Competition.
This week a local side is aiming for their second preliminary final in as many years in a do-or-die encounter while a top of the table encounter will see one side book their ticket to the grand final.
Sunday September 3, Bass Recreation Reserve
Nar Nar Goon vs Warragul Industrials
A preliminary final is on the line for Warragul Industrials as they look to cause another upset against Nar Nar Goon.
The Dusties officially put an end to Tooradin-Dalmore's premiership defence last week in an incredible match of momentum swings, coming back from 16 points down at three quarter time to register a famous win.
And now, one week later, they have the chance to make the preliminary final for the second consecutive year from sixth position.
It's an incredible spot for them to be, really, when you consider that in other leagues the team that finishes at the bottom of the finals positions would be cannon fodder for the top team.
Instead in West Gippsland sixth can knock off the reigning premiers in the first week of finals and everyone says 'fair enough'.
It's a testament to the game style coach Harmit Singh has Warragul Industrials playing - they're not a team that's going to throw in the towel at any stage.
And they're going to need that combative edge this week as well given the calibre of the team they're facing.
Nar Nar Goon's best has been good. Premiership good, in fact.
An indifferent start to the year is all that's really kept them from finishing higher than fourth, but with arguably the best offence in the competition they're a freewheeling, free-scoring unit that can pile on the pain in an instant if you're not careful.
They were the only team to defeat flag favourite Inverloch-Kongwak this year, meaning when they're up and running there aren't many who can stop them.
For the Dusties this will likely be a game won and lost on defensive discipline.
Stop the Goon's Dermott Yawney and pals from threatening the scorers too much and they're a red-hot chance. Fail that and this could slip away from them very quickly.
The show goes on, but can it go even further?
Warragul Industrials fans should note that the club's under 16s team will also be playing off against Phillip Island for a spot in the grand final at 9am on Saturday September 2 at Nar Nar Goon.
Saturday September 2, Nar Nar Goon Recreation Reserve
Inverloch-Kongwak vs Phillip Island
Just a couple of weeks after playing out a last-gasp draw the top two teams in the competition will look for a grand final spot when Inverloch-Kongwak and Phillip Island do battle.
It was a bit of an epic last time around as the Bulldogs scraped through with the two points they desperately needed to keep themselves from falling into an elimination final position.
Now there's even more on the line as the winner will essentially have one hand already on the cup.
Right now, it's hard to go past Inverloch-Kongwak right now in terms of their overall form - they've lost just one match, dominating the league for almost the entirety of the home and away season.
Given they had basically nothing to gain in the final round and would have won had they kicked a little straighter, it might not be worth reading too much into that result.
Phillip Island continue to be a dominant force in the competition as per usual, but they won just one of their final four matches, leaving some cause for concern.
The Sea Eagles will need to be careful, however. Lose this and they could be on a crash course with Nar Nar Goon, the only team to have beaten them so far.
With the dominant year they've enjoyed a straight sets exit would be nothing short of disastrous.
Either way, expect this game to tell us plenty about how the premiership race sits just weeks out from its conclusion.