The Division Three finals series may be set but their’s still more rounds to play in the other four divisions. Media Manager Ryan Long takes a look at each side’s run home and predicts where they may finish.
Premier Division Run Home
- East Ringwood (14-2, 167.59%)
Run Home
R17: Rowville (H)
R18: Vermont (H)
It was a great weekend for East Ringwood, they thumped Norwood and boosted their percentage while Balwyn lost to South Croydon, creating a two-game and percentage buffer.
Mathematically they can still finish second, but even if they do lose the next two games, Balwyn would have to win both their remaining two and make up the 11% to jump East Ringwood.
Finishing on top would be massive for the powerhouse club who are desperate to get stuck into September footy.
Predicted Finish: 1st
2. Balwyn (12-4, 156.68%)
Run Home
R17: Noble Park (H)
R18: Blackburn (A)
Minor Premiership hopes may have been snuffed out on the weekend.
The likely outcome is a Qualifying Final with Rowville, but if the side does lose to Noble Park this weekend who are coming off an upset over Blackburn, suddenly they may be tied on wins with both Rowville and Vermont if both sides win.
Their percentage is clear ahead so the only way to miss the double chance would be for the Tigers to lose two and have both the Hawks and Eagles win two from two.
Predicted Finish: 2nd
3. Rowville (11-5, 143.33%)
Run Home
R17: East Ringwood (A)
R18: Noble Park (A)
Massive 130-point win to put the Hawks back on track.
This weekend is massive as they take on the Roos. Have to expect that Vermont will defeat Norwood which means a loss for the Hawks will leave them fourth heading into Round 18.
Even in that case, Vermont still finishes with East Ringwood in Round 18 while the Hawks take on the Bulls.
A win on the weekend will keep the Hawks in control of their destiny.
Predicted Finish: 3rd
4. Vermont (11-5, 116.36%)
Run Home
R17: Norwood (H)
R18: East Ringwood (A)
Should add another win to their column when the Eagles host Norwood on Saturday.
For the double chance, as mentioned above, Rowville has a tricky match to finish off the season, facing East Ringwood. If results go their way, Vermont will sit third at the end of the round, needing to beat the Roos themselves in the final game of the season.
To Vermont, none of that matters right now, they are solely focused on defeating Norwood this weekend, then reassess next week.
Predicted Finish: 4th
5. South Croydon (10-6, 107.60%)
Run Home
R17: Berwick (A)
R18: Doncaster East (H)
Yet another twist in the Premier Division race for the final spot in the top five.
South Croydon retook control of their destiny as they pulled off a fantastic victory at Balwyn, while Blackburn threw away four points with a home loss against the Bulls.
The equation is now simple for the Dogs, win their final two games and they’re in, most likely meeting Vermont in an Elimination Final at Jubilee Park.
They’ll be wary… but on paper, they should beat both Berwick and Doncaster East.
This week’s unlikely results mean the Dogs are in the box seat for a return to the finals but they can’t afford to be complacent.
Predicted Finish: 5th
6. Blackburn (9-7, 145.39%)
Run Home
R17: Doncaster East (A)
R18: Balwyn (H)
Oh no.
You couldn’t have scripted a worse weekend of results for Blackburn. Losing at home to the Bulls and then finding out that South Croydon had rolled Balwyn on the Tigers’ home deck.
Even just one of those results going the other way would have kept the power in the hands of the Burners.
Pathway to the finals from here?
Need to start by winning their final two games which includes a win over second-placed Balwyn. They’ll also need South Croydon to drop one of their next two which seems a little more unlikely due to their opposition. Doncaster East seem more likely than Berwick to cause the upset.
In saying all of that, they face the Lions themselves this weekend at Zerbes Reserve, and must win to keep themselves alive in Round 18 unless Berwick do them a huge favour!
Predicted Finish: 6th
7. Noble Park (6-10, 106.31%)
Run Home
R17: Balwyn (A)
R18: Rowville (H)
May have just ended Blackburn’s season with one of their best victories for the year on the road.
The Bulls have two difficult games on the run home but they will count themselves a chance this weekend to stun another top-five side.
Predicted Finish: 7th
8. Doncaster East (5-11, 76.17%)
Run Home
R17: Blackburn (H)
R18: South Croydon (A)
A second 130-point loss in 2024 was not what the Lions saw coming.
What do they have left in the tank? Blackburn and South Croydon would love to beat the Lions while also having them beat the other!
Predicted Finish: 8th
9. Berwick (1-15, 43.17%)
Run Home
R17: South Croydon (H)
R18: Norwood (A)
Put up a great fight against Vermont and look the more likely side between them and Norwood to stay in the division.
Predicted Finish: 9th
10. Norwood (1-15, 37.29%)
Run Home
R17: Vermont (A)
R18: Berwick (H)
They will be pleased that the Eagles were able to do enough to keep Berwick to just one win for the season.
Premier Division relegation battle is still on the cards.
Predicted Finish: 10th
Predicted First Week of Premier Division Finals:
BYE: East Ringwood (1)
Qualifying Final: Balwyn (2) v Rowville (3) @Bayswater Oval
Elimination Final: Vermont (4) v South Croydon (5) @Jubilee Park
Division One Run Home
- Park Orchards (16-1, 156.43%)
Run Home
R18: Mitcham (H)
It’s an odd feeling heading into the final round of the Division One season with no games set to affect the first week of the finals matchups.
Park Orchards will take the first week off in the finals before playing the winner of the Mitcham and South Belgrave Qualifying Final.
Predicted Finish: 1st
2. Mitcham (13-4, 140.06%)
Run Home
R18: Park Orchards (A)
Twelve wins from the last 13 games of the season, the Tigers have officially locked in the double chance with their seven-point victory over Beaconsfield.
They can now enter next week’s clash with ladder leaders Park Orchards without needing to win.
Two of their four losses this season have come against the Saints but that’s a very similar situation to last year so it wont worry the Tigers as they get set for another big September campaign.
Predicted Finish: 3rd
3. South Belgrave (13-4, 139.78%)
Run Home
R18: North Ringwood (H)
The first three quarters on Saturday didn’t go to plan for South Belgrave but they finally broke away in the last quarter with eight goals to one.
Double chance is now secured.
Unlike last year, the pressure isn’t on South Belgrave. They still remain as arguably the strongest team on paper, one of the more intriguing sides to watch this September.
Predicted Finish: 2nd
4. Montrose (11-6, 138.62%)
Run Home
R18: Wantirna South (A)
They keep winning, but unfortunately for the Demons, so do the Tigers and Saints.
Officially locked into the Elimination Final against Beaconsfield. They haven’t beaten the Eagles yet this year, so it does provide the senior side a massive challenge on the following Sunday.
They’ll be desperate to get spearhead Ryan Garthwaite back for the first week of finals.
Predicted Finish: 4th
5. Beaconsfield (10-7, 127.77%)
Run Home
R18: Bayswater (H)
Close but no cigar.
The Eagles were brave on the weekend, but they couldn’t knock off the Tigers which officially locks in their Elimination Final spot. Even if they did beat the Tigers, they probably were always going to miss the top three because of their percentage.
Two wins this season against Montrose will give them a slight mental edge. But the reality is, it all means nothing on the day. They lost on this stage last season so they’ll be eager to avoid another first-week finals exit
Prediction: 5th
6. Mooroolbark (8-9, 86.81%)
Run Home
R18: Doncaster (A)
Likely to win again on the weekend which would take their end-of-season record to 9-9.
Would be a fair assessment of their overall season, looked great at times but they’ve also been on the other end of some heavy deficits.
Predicted Finish: 6th
7. North Ringwood (5-12, 85.04%)
Run Home
R18: South Belgrave (A)
Have already been on the move for season 2025, signing Matt Price as next year’s senior coach, a great choice for the club!
Prediction: 7th
8. Bayswater (5-12, 76.42%)
Run Home
R18: Beaconsfield (A)
The final game of the season is out at Holm Park Reserve, they were close to an upset on Saturday, can they get one more win to finish the 2024 season?
Prediction: 8th
9. Doncaster (3-14, 55.80%)
Run Home
R18: Mooroolbark (H)
Wantirna South’s loss on the weekend officially keeps Doncaster safe in Division One for another year.
Prediction: 9th
10. Wantirna South (1-16, 59.37%)
Run Home
R18: Montrose (H)
Loss on the weekend sealed their fate, Wantirna South will be playing in Division Two in 2025.
Prediction: 10th
Predicted First Week of Division One Finals:
BYE: Park Orchards (1)
Qualifying Final: South Belgrave (2) v Mitcham (3) @Tormore Reserve
Elimination Final: Montrose (4) v Beaconsfield (5) @Tormore Reserve
Division Two Run Home
- Boronia (16-1, 244.26%)
Run Home
R18: Ringwood (H)
Minor Premiership has been locked in for a while now but with the amount of movement from second to sixth, there’s no clear answer to who they’ll play in the second semi-final.
The reigning premiers ended Heathmont’s season last week and they have the potential to do the same to Ringwood this weekend with a big win to dent their percentage.
Predicted Finish: 1st
2. Waverley Blues (11-6, 102.71%)
Run Home
R18: The Basin (H)
Best win of the season for the Waverley Blues!
After losing four out of five games, Waverley have put together back-to-back wins to almost lock them into second spot on the ladder.
They’ve picked the right time to regain form and now need to just beat The Basin at home to guarantee the double chance. We’ve seen crazier results happen before and they can’t be complacent, even against a winless Bears side… but they’d really have to blow it to drop to fourth from here.
Win and they’ll wait to see who they’ll face in the Qualifying Final, Mulgrave or Croydon.
Predicted Finish: 2nd
3. Mulgrave (11-6, 97.24%)
Run Home
R18: Templestowe (H)
They’re in! The Lions’ nine-point win against Ringwood secured their finals place and put the side in pole position for the double chance.
Like the Waverley Blues, all they need to do is win and they’ll book their position in the Qualifying Final. However, they face a much more difficult opposition, the Lions host the Dockers who are vying for the final spot in the top five.
Win this weekend, they likely meet the Waverley Blues in the Qualifying Final, if not Waverley, it’ll be Croydon.
Lose this weekend, they drop to fourth if Croydon beats Heathmont and will face Templestowe for the second week in a row.
Predicted Finish: 3rd
4. Croydon (10-6, 130.01%)
Run Home
R18: Heathmont (H)
It’s been a horror week for the Blues.
Results have not only gone wrong with their own games but also the other games in the division, seeing Croydon drop to fourth.
An Elimination Final seemed out of the question a couple of weeks ago but suddenly it’s going to take a lot to get them out of it.
Defeating Heathmont this week is essential but they’re relying on either Waverley or Mulgrave to lose, the Lions being the more likely option of the two. If all three sides win, Croydon will meet either Templestowe or Ringwood in an Elimination Final.
We saw the Jets make the Grand Final last year from fourth but it’s obviously not the ideal pathway to the big dance.
Predicted Finish: 4th
5. Templestowe (9-8, 116.08%)
Run Home
R18: Mulgrave (A)
The up-and-down Dockers are back on the winners’ list and more importantly, back in the top five with a percentage booster against Lilydale.
Defeat the Lions this weekend, they’ll make the finals (Unless Ringwood beats Boronia and jumps them on percentage), in that scenario, the two sides likely meet again the following week.
Lose and Ringwood win, Templestowe finish sixth.
Both sides lose? It comes down to percentage which at this stage favours the Dockers slightly, less than two per cent.
Not much in it… they’d probably have to lose to Mulgrave by roughly three goals more than what Ringwood lose to Boronia by to miss, depending on the final scores of both contests.
Predicted Finish: 5th
6. Ringwood (9-8, 114.67%)
Run Home
R18: Boronia (A)
Missed opportunities in front of goal hurt the Redbacks and so did Templestowe’s big win over Lilydale.
Hard to see the Redbacks getting over the Minor Premiers… but again, we’ve seen stranger things happen before so it can’t be ruled out of the possibilities.
If they lose, they want that margin to be as low as possible and hope Mulgrave put Templestowe to the sword to jump them on percentage.
The Dockers belted the Lions earlier in the season by 49 points and Ringwood lost to Boronia by five goals. The season has thrown together plenty of strange results so it’s not out of the question but it’s going to be difficult for the Redbacks from here.
The Live Ladder will be up and running again on Saturday!
Predicted Finish: 6th
7. Heathmont (7-10, 93.40%)
Run Home
R18: Croydon (A)
The loss to Boronia has knocked the wind out of the sails for the Jets as their season comes to a conclusion on Saturday against the Blues.
Predicted Finish: 8th
8. East Burwood (7-10, 74.28%)
Run Home
R18: Lilydale (H)
Two solid back-to-back wins at least give the Rams something to cheer about, can finish 7th if things go their way in the final round.
Predicted Finish: 7th
9. Lilydale (5-12, 66.94%)
Run Home
R18: East Burwood (H)
Five wins for the year is a big improvement from the last few seasons for Lilydale.
They’d like to make it six though.
Predicted Finish: 9th
10. The Basin (0-17, 49.67%)
Run Home
R18: Waverley Blues (A)
A very disappointing season for the senior side comes to an end on Saturday at Central Reserve.
On the bright side, they’ve debuted many of their young kids, something to look forward to next season.
Predicted Finish: 10th
Predicted First Week of Premier Division Finals:
BYE: Boronia (1)
Qualifying Final: Waverley Blues (2) v Mulgrave (3) @Walker Park
Elimination Final: Croydon (4) v Templestowe (5) @Walker Park
Division Four Run Home
- Chirnside Park (13-3, 153.33%)
Run Home
R19: BYE
With eight straight wins to finish off the Home and Away season, the Panthers are heading into the finals with all the momentum.
How you want to look at having the bye this weekend is subjective, but on such a roll, it may have been better to have a game this Saturday in the lead-up.
If Scoresby loses to Forest Hill on Saturday, the Panthers will be Minor Premiers.
Either way, it doesn’t matter, both sides will meet at Bayswater Oval the following weekend.
Predicted Finish: 2nd
2. Scoresby (12-3, 201.22%)
Run Home
R19: Forest Hill (A)
As mentioned with Chirnside Park, their Qualifying Final opponent has been locked in for a couple of weeks now.
A win this weekend and they’ll take home the Minor Premiership for the first time since 2010.
Predicted Finish: 1st
3. Kilsyth (10-5, 142.15%)
Run Home
R19: Whitehorse (A)
A thumping win over the Lions will give the Cougars some much-needed confidence.
This week’s clash against the Pioneers is intriguing with both sides knowing they’ll meet each other in back-to-back weeks.
Have met just once in 2024 with Kilsyth winning comfortably, it’s a different proposition at Springfield Park but a second win over the Pioneers would cement the side as favourites heading into their finals match-up.
Predicted Finish: 4th
4. Whitehorse (10-5, 129.14%)
Run Home
R19: Kilsyth (H)
Locked into an Elimination Final (1st Semi Final), set to face Kilsyth in back-to-back weeks.
The form has significantly dropped off in the last month, they get back on the winners list with a two-point win over the KangaRams but it certainly wasn’t convincing.
They’ve been very good at home so tipping them to get across the line this weekend but they’ll be desperate to regain a couple of their stars ahead of finals.
Predicted Finish: 3rd
5. Croydon North MLOC (3-12, 68.22%)
Run Home
R19: Nunawading (A)
For the second week in a row, Croydon North MLOC has challenged a top-four side, falling short on both occasions.
Gives the club something to look forward to next year, expect them to win this weekend.
Predicted Finish: 5th
6. Forest Hill (3-12, 51.70%)
Run Home
R19: Scoresby (H)
Just one more game to finish off the year as the club looks ahead at putting together their plans for season 2025.
Predicted Finish: 6th
7. Nunawading (2-12, 50.15%)
Run Home
R19: Croydon North MLOC (H)
After a lot of promise early on in the year, it’s been a disappointing finish for the Lions as they limp to the finish line.
Predicted Finish: 7th
Predicted First Week of Division Four Finals:
Qualifying Final: Scoresby (1) v Chirnside Park (2) @Bayswater Oval
Elimination Final: Whitehorse (3) v Kilsyth (4) @East Ringwood Reserve
