Sale leave Traralgon marooned in fourth
The top three is now set in the Gippsland League, with the only question remaining - just who will claim fifth position? This is what you may have missed in this week's action.
Sale vs Traralgon
The top three is now set, and it will be Sale who will take a double chance into the finals after downing Traralgon in a dour, low-scoring affair.
The Magpies, who have played a free-wheeling brand of footy over the last few weeks to dominate all before them, were forced to play a much more conservative brand against a fellow contender, before ultimately grinding out a 6.10 (46) to 5.9 (39) victory.
Incredibly, all 11 of the game's goals were kicked by different individual players, such was the defensive nature of the match. At no stage did either forward line look settled, as both sides played with a ferocity and pressure befitting a game with such significant stakes, given the winner was guaranteed a top three spot and the loser all but sure to miss out.
In a game dominated by the defenders, it was Magpie Ryan Pendlebury who was the standout, helping to keep Traralgon goalkicking star Brett Eddy quiet. With one round to go, Eddy now sits six goals behind Warragul's Jed Lamb in the race for the league's leading goalkicker award, meaning he'll need a big final round if he is to claim it.
Pendlebury wasn't alone though, as Mitchell Thacker put in an almost equally rock solid performance down back, while wingmen Patrick Tainsh and Kane Martin provided plenty of defensive run all day.
In a tight game, even the smallest break can appear a massive margin. In the second term, it was Sale who broke the game open just that little bit to lead at half time by 15 points.
Both teams were scrapping and fighting with all their might and, as many expected, Traralgon fought back in the second half, largely thanks to the efforts of their own backmen in Haydn Hector, Tye Hourigan and young big man David Brinker-Ritchie.
The Maroons dragged the margin back to 10 points at the final change, and though they pushed hard in the final term - kicking the only goal of the quarter from either side - it wasn't enough. Sale consigned the rivals from down the road to a guaranteed fourth-placed finish.
Sale are now, in many people's minds, the main challenger to Leongatha's seemingly untouchable grip on the league. They have a game against Morwell to go, in which they can end the Tigers' faint finals' hopes. After that, they will be looking at a week one finals game against Wonthaggi.
Traralgon, meanwhile, are not out of the premiership race, but will be up against it if they want to make it.
History tells us, you need to finish top three if you want to win the flag. However, given the Maroons have pushed Leongatha the hardest of any side, they have the tools. They may very much be regretting dropping some of their earlier close losses though, particular against the likes of Warragul and Morwell where they were solid favourites.
Bairnsdale vs Wonthaggi
Wonthaggi have secured their place in the top three, and a double chance in finals, thanks to a thumping win over Bairnsdale.
The Power looked sharp and ready to rumble from the very first bounce, piling on six goals to one in the first term to show they meant business. It was of little surprise, given they would have known that with fellow top three contenders Sale and Traralgon meeting elsewhere, a win would guarantee them an advantage in finals.
In the end though, their eventual 15.18 (108) to 5.5 (35) win didn't just seal their top three position, but saw them jump up to second as well, such was the dominance of their victory.
The Power shared the load up forward, as Harry Dawson, Jack Hutchison and Hunter Tiziani all kicked three goals each. Eight different players all found the big sticks.
By comparison, just four Bairnsdale players kicked a goal, with Byron Vickery being the only Redleg to manage more than one.
Wonthaggi controlled the game for the most part as the Blairs, both Jack and Jarryd, went to work on the ball to give their side consistent first use.
With a game to go, the Power have now guaranteed a match-up against Sale in the first week of finals as they look to finally capture another premiership.
Bairnsdale, meanwhile, enjoyed some solid performances from the likes of Nathan Dennison, Josh Wykes and Liam Giove in their final home game of the year. They now turn their attention to next week's very winnable game against Warragul to try and finish their season on a high note.
Moe vs Leongatha
Leongatha are a quarter of the way to raising the bat, making it 25 straight wins over the weekend, though not without some testing times against Moe.
The Parrots appeared to have a real dogfight on their hands for much of the first half, before their class ultimately shone through in a second half clinic, allowing them to win 15.12 (102) to 8.7 (55).
The Lions, as injury-riddled and underdone as they have been in the latter stages of the season, played some of their most gritty football in weeks. They took it right up to the champs for longer than many fans may have expected. In fact, Moe actually managed to lead the game at quarter time, and were only trailing by five points at the half time break.
Given the last time these two sides met, the result was a resounding 96-point win to the Parrots. It was a solid effort from a team that was mathematically still in the finals race.
Still, it wasn't to last.
Cameron Olden put in a season-best performance, showing just why he has featured prominently in Richmond's VFL side in the past, to kick five goals. Aaron Hillberg also continued his strong season in front of goals with four, as the Parrots alleviated any potential scoring issues they may have had without Jack Ginnane or Aaron Heppell on the park.
As the Parrots got on top in the second half, it wasn't just the forwards though, as Matt Willcocks, Luther Juric and Tom Marriott all got to work around the ball.
For Moe, Scott van Dyk, Brady Cocksedge and Trent Baldi were their usual prominent selves. But, as every other side has found this year, once Leongatha got up and running, there was just little any of them could have done to stem the tide.
Moe's effort was still strong, but their lack of height around the ground has proved an Achilles' heel for much of the year. It once again reared its head, with Leongatha's speed and prowess in the air hurting the Lions on more than one occasion.
The Parrots will end their home and away season at home against bottom-placed Drouin.
Moe, meanwhile, with the door to finals totally shut, will play Wonthaggi next week. They will be left to ponder what might have been after a brilliant start to the season gave way to a total collapse.