by Nicholas Duck
The final round of the home-and-away season is here in the Gippsland League, and though the top four positions have been decided it's all down to number five as two sides try to claim the remaining finals spot. Meanwhile, some of the lower sides will be looking for some late glory as they look to the off-season and beyond. Here's how this week's action is shaping up.
Leongatha vs Drouin
Leongatha will look to complete their perfect home-and-away season in style this week as they meet Drouin at home.
The Parrots, who are currently on a stunning 25-game winning streak, are the clear favourites for the premiership, and will likely already be looking beyond this week as they try to once again win the flag. A number of their players will be very aware, however, of the club's 2016 season, where the team also won each and every one of their regular season matches only to lose twice in finals and see history slip away from them.
Still, they have a game to play this week, but recent history against the Hawks very much favours the home side. Leongatha has defeated Drouin in each of their past five meetings, including earlier this year where they held the Hawks to just five behinds as they romped to a gigantic 153-point win.
It was a season-low game for Drouin, who have hit some bumps in the road in the first year of their rebuild but had generally shown solid improvement up to that point.
The young Hawks will be hoping to make amends here, perhaps not in winning, but at the very least in making it a closer contest.
Still, it would take a bold tipster to go against Leongatha right now.
Morwell vs Sale
The race for fifth spot is still alive, but it's going to take something special from Morwell against the might of Sale.
The Tigers still have intentions on playing finals, but thanks to a pair of close losses a few weeks ago against Leongatha and Maffra, currently sit in sixth position. The equation for them is simple: they must win this match and hope that Maffra fails to defeat Traralgon.
The second part of that seems to be a solid chance of happening, but first and foremost Morwell has to win here, which will prove difficult.
Sale have won their last six games, with all of them bar one being by 40 points or more. Their size around the ground has become a real point of difference, and in many fans' eyes they have become the number one challenger to Leongatha's flag claims.
And one thing is for sure, they'll want to go into a finals series with some serious momentum.
Morwell have been brave this year, and have already defied expectations to be even in the race for finals this late in the year, but beating Sale? We'll wait and see if that's a bridge too far.
Traralgon vs Maffra
On the other end of the equation for fifth is Maffra, who have a simple mission against Traralgon. Win and they're in, lose and who knows what could happen.
The Eagles, safe to say, are not quite the dominant side that most of the Gippsland League has feared in years gone by, but have proven they're still not a team to be taken lightly.
And they'll be desperate here, no doubt about it. A statistic that goes in their favour too is the fact that the last four matches between these two sides have all been won by the visiting team, and in fact in their last 10 games at Traralgon's home it's been Maffra who have taken the points on eight occasions.
Still, Traralgon won't be rolling over, and given there's every chance these two teams will be meeting again in an elimination final in just a week, a win here would be a major psychological victory for them.
Some could argue Traralgon should be in a higher position than their fourth place would suggest, especially given that of all the teams they have been the most consistently troublesome for Leongatha to beat. But after some close losses, combined with a number of upset defeats, the Maroons have only themselves to blame for being outside the top three.
And despite Maffra's recent record at the Maroons' home, this is a different Maffra side, meaning Traralgon should be looking to get the job done here.
Warragul vs Bairnsdale
A season of disappointment for both sides here gives way to one last chance to get a win on the board for Warragul and Bairnsdale.
It's been a rather unfruitful year for both sides, with the Gulls having won three and a half games for the year and Bairnsdale not far behind on two wins.
Warragul have been able to challenge some of the higher sides at various points this year, such as their draw with the highly-regarded Wonthaggi and even a hard-fought victory over a bona fide contender in Traralgon. But they haven't been able to maintain the rage, and have won just one of their past seven, with that win being against the bottom-placed Drouin.
Many of those losses have been ugly, too, as their 23-point defeat last week against Maffra was their first by under 10 goals in some time.
Bairnsdale, meanwhile, have had things even worse, having lost all of their past eight games, including against the aforementioned Drouin. Their last win came all the way back in round nine, funnily enough against Warragul.
They'll be buoyed by the fact that they've won 15 of their past 17 games against Warragul, including seven of the last eight played at Western Park.
This will be a serious chance for both teams to find some much-needed late glory, and though Bairnsdale's record will hold them in good stead expect the Gulls to put up some serious fight.
Wonthaggi vs Moe
With a top three spot secure, it's all about taking momentum into finals for Wonthaggi as they meet Moe at home.
The Power have flown under the radar a little in their quest for the premiership, but will be well-placed when they play in a qualifying final against Sale next week. Their last five games have resulted in four wins and a draw, leaving them in some solid form coming into this game.
For Moe, a year that's gone horribly wrong can end on a positive note should they find a win here. The Lions appeared to be a contender early in the year after winning their first five games, but injury after injury has cursed them and ultimately left them out of the finals race.
They'll be pleased to welcome back one of their early-season stars this week, however, as Harry Pepper makes a long-awaited return. Pepper exploded at the start of the year, kicking 19 goals in his first four games, but has not been sighted after an injury in round eight against Leongatha. The Lions will be hoping his pace and x-factor can play a role here.
Remarkably, Moe has actually won their last four games against Wonthaggi at the latter's home fortress, with their last loss at the venue being all the way back in 2015.
That will hold them in good stead, but with both teams' years having diverged in very different ways, it's difficult to see Wonthaggi allowing that streak to continue.