One side that is set to miss out is Avenel, with the Swans going down to Tallygaroopna on Saturday to all but end their 2026 campaign.
Hosting the Redlegs at Avenel Recreation Reserve at the weekend needing a win to keep a faint hope of finals alive, the Swans were valiant, but they were ultimately unable to halt the charge of the finals-bound Tally, eventually going down 48-60 to bring their season to a premature end.
With a 7-7 record at the end of round 16, the Swans sit seventh on the ladder, two wins and 47 per cent behind Rushworth in sixth, meaning their season is all but done, with the deficit too great to overcome with a fortnight remaining.
At the pointy end, however, and with a stunning 32nd consecutive victory on Saturday, Shepparton East has created an unassailable lead, remaining two games clear of the closest challenger in Lancaster with two games remaining, although a near 70 percentage point differential ensures the Eagles won’t be caught and can safely celebrate what will be a deserved and dominant minor premiership.
The Eagles sewed up victory at the weekend rather comfortably against Rushworth, claiming a classy 54-38 victory at Central Park Recreation Reserve to continue what has been a season so good there are almost no superlatives left unused in describing it.
While a win would obviously have been a much better outcome for Rushworth, it wasn’t all bad news in defeat, as the Tigers have all but locked away a finals spot too, with Avenel’s loss confirming the current top six as finalists and ensuring the 2025 preliminary finalist will get another crack at September this season.
Elsewhere, Lancaster notched a second win on the bounce to move into the box seat to lock up second spot behind Shepp East, having claimed a 55-24 victory over Longwood on the road.
The Wombats improve to 12-2 for the year following the win to sit a game clear of third-placed Nagambie with two games remaining.
Merrigum (9-4-1) remains fourth for the time being following a 41-24 victory over Violet Town, adding to the Towners’ misery in the second half of the season by inflicting an eighth straight loss, while Girgarre accounted for Stanhope 45-34 as its strong end to the year continues.
Murchison-Toolamba proved too good for Undera in a 46-27 thumping to keep the Lions winless for another week, the Hoppers climbing up to ninth following their fifth win of the season.
While the finalists have been confirmed following the weekend’s action, there is still plenty of movement to occur inside the top six, with positions three to six separated by two wins, while fourth, fifth and sixth are all within half a game and a handful of percentage, making every goal critical over the next fortnight and teeing up an unmissable finish to the home-and-away season.
