Leitchville Gunbower’s seniors came within a kick of North Bendigo in their qualifying final, but must now make its way through an elimination final against Heathcote if it wishes to feature in the preliminary final. Photo: Aidan Briggs
With the Goulburn Valley and Murray leagues entering their final round of action, and the Picola and Heathcote League finals already in full swing, it’s shaping up as a big weekend for local football and netball sides.
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Leitchville-Gunbower is facing elimination in senior football and A-grade netball, with both games taking place in White Hills on Sunday.
Teams in all grades who have progressed to qualifying finals will earlier play in Heathcote on Saturday.
L-G’s senior footy side went down by a goal to North Bendigo in the qualifying final and will look to rebound against Heathcote.
The two sides split the season series, with the Bombers prevailing by a goal in round six, and the Saints hitting back with an eight-point victory in the second meeting in round 15.
The winner will go on to face the loser between White Hills and North Bendigo in the preliminary final.
L-G’s A-grade netball side successfully negotiated Heathcote in week one of the finals and will look to continue its run against Colbinabbin. Photo: Matthew Kappos
Photo by
Matthew Kappos
In A-grade netball, L-G managed to stave off elimination at the weekend by defeating Heathcote, 56-43, and will now look to continue its run against Colbinabbin.
The two sides proved evenly matched this season, with the Bombers taking the first meeting in round two, 54-46, while the Hoppers evened the ledger in round 11, 62-54.
The winner will progress to a preliminary final against the loser of White Hills and Elmore.
In the reserves, L-G is in for a qualifying final against White Hills, while Lockington-Bamawm United faces elimination against Mount Pleasant.
In the thirds, LBU has a chance to qualify for the grand final when it takes on White Hills.
In netball, LBU’s A-reserve side needs to get past Elmore to keep its season alive.
In B-Grade, LBU’s campaign is on the line against White Hills, while L-G could qualify for the decider with a win over Huntly.
B-Reserve sees LBU face off with White Hills for a grand final spot, while in under-17s, the Cats and Mount Pleasant will battle for a place on the final day.
In under-15s, LBU takes on an elimination final against Huntly, while in the under-13s either LBU or L-G will earn a finals place as the two sides face off.
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In the Picola and District League, Picola United and Mathoura are no longer factors in the seniors and A-grade, but several lower-grade teams are still in the hunt.
In football, Picola’s reserves need to get by Waaia to stay alive in the competition, while the Blues have a chance to do the same in the under-14s in a match-up with Strathmerton.
In netball, Mathoura’s C-grade side can advance to a preliminary final with a win over Waaia, while in under-15s, Picola and Katunga look to survive another week in an elimination semi-final.
Mathoura remains alive in the under-13s and must get through Tungamah on Sunday to continue their season.
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As teams head into a final home-and-away round this weekend, the make-up of the finals and teams’ paths to the flag will be decided.
While the six finals teams are set, the positions of the A-grade netball top six remain in flux.
What isn’t in doubt is the dominance of Rumbalara, who can cap off an undefeated regular season by defeating Tongala on Saturday, but the rest of the top six could see movement on the final day.
A game ahead and with a big buffer in percentage, Moama looks to be secure in second with a favourable match-up with Numurkah on the horizon at Moama Recreation Reserve.
At positions three and four, Finley and Nathalia could switch places should the purples come out on top, while five and six could also move around if Deniliquin Rams post a better result against last-placed Barooga than Tonny does against the undefeated Rumba.
After falling by a single goal last weekend, Echuca United will look to close out its season on a high against Congupna.
In senior football, there also remains scope for movement among the top six.
Moama, currently in third, has the potential to move into the top two, should Finley slip up against Nathalia, but could fall as low as sixth if it is defeated by Numurkah.
Meanwhile, one of Cobram and Mulwala will guarantee themselves a finals spot as the two sides face off, while the loser will see their season end on Saturday.
In other matches, Tongala will be hopeful of finishing its season 7-11 with a win over Rumbalara, while Echuca United will end the year with a visit to league-leaders Congupna.
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There is also one round remaining in the Goulburn Valley League with Echuca well-positioned in both of the top grades.
The Murray Bombers seniors side needs only to defeat Shepparton Swans at Princess Park to secure the minor premiership, while Shepparton Bears will be hopeful of claiming the honour for themselves should Echuca falter.
After starting 1-3 in A-grade netball, Echuca has been on a tear in recent weeks, a draw the only mark on its spotless record since.
The Murray Bombers look destined for third place, with Euroa a game and a significant goal percentage ahead of them, and fourth-placed Tatura trailing them by a similar margin.
Echuca should, therefore, expect a match-up with Seymour come week one of the finals, the Lions unable to escape sixth place regardless of this weekend’s results.
