By Nicholas Duck
With one round remaining there are three teams trying to fit into two spots in the top five, with one thrilling draw this week sending punters all over Gippsland scrambling for their calculators to figure out who needs what to happen.
Here's what you might have missed this week.
Morwell vs Sale
Just when you thought things couldn't get any more dramatic.
Morwell and Sale have played out a thrilling draw as the race for the top five continues to throw curveball after curveball.
With scores level late in the match, Magpie Cody Henness had the opportunity to win the game with a kick after the siren from 35 metres out. He wouldn't want to watch the replay of his shot, the ball coming off Henness' boot the wrong way and flying out of bounds on the full, leaving the final result at 13.9 (87) apiece.
Remarkably, it's the first time these two have had a draw in their long and storied histories.
Knowing the bullet they had just dodged, Morwell players celebrated as if it were a win. It’s the second time they’ve escaped with a draw this season after Traralgon’s Tye Hourigan missed a late chance to sink the Tigers in their round nine encounter.
Neither team could get much of a foothold on the scoreboard throughout the day, 16 points being the largest margin of the game.
Sale now sit two points outside of the top five with one match remaining. Should they knock off Bairnsdale and Morwell or Wonthaggi falter, they can slip their way back in. For the Tigers their fate rests in their own hands now. Next week against Traralgon becomes that much more massive.
Charlie Burr, Tyler Brown, Aidan Quigley and Brandon McDonald (four goals) were their best.
Sale were well-served by Jonty McGuiness, Shannen Lange, Jack McLaren and Patrick Tainsh.
Bairnsdale vs Leongatha
Bairnsdale's bid to end its finals drought were brought to a crashing end on Saturday by a barnstorming performance from Leongatha.
The Parrots paid tribute to their captain courageous Tom Marriott in his 200th senior game, putting aside a wayward first half to break clear 15.15 (105) to 7.5 (47).
Leongatha maintained control of the contest for most of the day without being able to shake the Redlegs on the scoreboard until a five-goal burst in the third term.
Marriott, the longest serving captain in the club's esteemed history, was chaired off the ground by teammates in a fitting tribute to a player that has personified so much of the club's recent success.
Bairnsdale will now have to bide their time for another off-season if they are to make another play for the post-season next year. The season's been a successful one for them in terms of improvement, though some may have hoped for more.
Kim Drew and Jay Walker were dominant for the Parrots, while Ned Hume and Jack Hanily (four goals each) were effective up forward.
Ethan East, Will Mitchell, Max Neate and Lachlan Byrne-Jones kept the Redlegs ticking along.
Maffra vs Traralgon
Traralgon are shaping up nicely for finals after easily navigating past Maffra.
The bottom-placed Eagles have sprung their share of surprises this season but Traralgon weren't in the mood for any funny business, bursting out of the blocks early and never being headed to come out 16.12 (108) to 6.8 (44) winners.
The visitors kicked seven of the first eight for the day to have their opposition on the ropes not long after quarter time.
Four separate Maroons booted three goals, the visitors sharing the load in a big way.
Outside of a three-goal run in the second term and some signs of resistance in the third, Maffra had no answers for the Maroons' trademark slice and dice ball movement.
A double chance now officially locked up, Traralgon next faces a rematch against Morwell after their incredible draw earlier this year.
Sammy Hallyburton, Luis D'Angelo, Tye Hourigan and Dylan Loprese were all in imperious touch for Traralgon, while Alex Carr, Seth Smith, Thomas Scott and Jett Killoran were the better performers for Maffra.
Drouin vs Wonthaggi
Drouin sent off the Drouin Recreation Reserve's current surface not with a bang but with a whimper on Saturday as they were thoroughly dismantled to the tune of 85 points by a hungry Wonthaggi outfit.
Despite some 11th hour attempts from the Power to have the game moved from Drouin to a different ground over safety concerns, they showed they were more than happy to dive in once the first siren went.
The Power, still playing for a finals berth, proved far too strong around the ground, booting five unanswered goals in the first quarter and then seven in the third to put the Hawks to the sword, the final score 19.8 (122 to 5.7 (37).
On a tough day for the home side Jordan Kingi's excellent run of form continued, the half back using his piercing kick to effect on several occasions.
Kye Quirk dug in as always with 26 disposals, teenager Jaxon Huston showed plenty to like, big man Tim Hancock offered a solid presence aerially and skipper Jarrod Marshall never stopped trying to get his side going.
In general, however, the Power had far too many more winners around the ground, namely Jack Blair leading the charge at the contest and up forward with two goals.
Power ruck Jakeb Thomas was damaging around the ground, while star forward Cooper McInnes cashed in on Wonthaggi's inside 50 advantage to boot six goals.
Jaxon Williams, Kaj Patterson and Joshua Bates rounded out their best, but honestly you could have picked a few more, such was the Power's superiority.
Put simply, the Power outhunted and outworked the Hawks, particularly early where they deprived the home side of the ball.
They generated consistent inside 50s and under the weight of numbers, the Hawks' backs buckled.
For the second time in as many games, Drouin were five goals down in the first term.
It wasn't until the second term when Tim Hancock was able to fire through their first from long range that the Hawks seriously threatened at all.
Wonthaggi coach Jarryd Blair responded soon after with a running goal out the back and in general that's how the second term went, the two teams trading blows as Drouin eased their way into the match.
What they couldn't do was chip away at the margin, which stood at 36 points at half time.
Past that point, however, is when Wonthaggi showed why they were in a grand final last year. The Power piled on the pain, punishing some poor play with perfection and adding seven goals to their lead to make it completely unassailable.
It was a far cry from the Wonthaggi outfit we saw earlier this year that began the year with four straight losses.
Now settled into fourth, the Power must win against Moe next week to ensure they'll be there come week one of finals.
Lose and they're vulnerable should Morwell and Sale both prevail.
Drouin, meanwhile, will finish their year with a tough road trip to Leongatha. It's been a challenging year for the Hawks, who have now lost six straight.
On the bright side they've had the chance to blood plenty of promising youngsters, Tom Mapleson and Kyron Smith being the latest on Saturday to bring their total junior debutants of the year to 10.
A season without their true home ground looms next year, but before they get ready to tackle that they'll have one more chance to see if they can pull off an unlikely scalp.
Moe vs Warragul
Competitive without results has been the story of Warragul's season this year and Saturday was the perfect encapsulation of that, the Gulls brave but unable to overcome second-placed Moe.
The Gulls were within a couple of kicks for most of the 7.8 (50) to 11.15 (81) defeat, before the Lions pulled away late with four of the last five goals.
At times Warragul looked the better of the two teams, reflecting the fact that they knocked off the Lions earlier in the year.
Despite that, their inability to make their inside 50s count continued to be their Achilles heel in these kinds of matches.
Wasted chances, whether it be ill-directed kicks, dropped marks or questionable decisions killed them at times and stopped them from kicking goals that the league's best would nail.
Ruck Mitch Smart (23 disposals, 41 hit outs) once again dominated in the air, consistently helping to give his midfielders silver service to be his side's best.
Lucas Carter and Lane Ward both put in stints that belied their relatively young ages, Carter fighting hard defensively despite being outsized.
Recruit Jack Lewsey was again all class, racking up 35 disposals and showing why he has been one of the premier pick-ups for 2024, while Riley Senini and Xavier Olsson were similarly influential.
For the Lions the return of sharpshooter Harrison Pepper was a bountiful one, the small forward kicking four goals to give Moe's attack a new dimension.
His return also allowed Declan Keilty and Nick Prowse to stretch the Gulls' defence with their height, the visitors sorely missing Tom Stern and Liam Serong's aerial ability.
Intercepting backman Brock Smith reigned supreme for the Lions in a best on ground performance as Trent Baldi and Jacob Balfour crashed in the absence of hard man Riley Baldi, who exited the game early with injury.
Ben Daniher, Liam Masters and Scott van Dyk all contributed nicely.
As they have done in past weeks the Gulls began well, Chris Raso snapping the day's first goal after roving a pack.
Minutes later Harry Pepper got on the board with his first major from a mark, setting the back-and-forth tone of the day.
The Lions were able to pull away with four straight goals across the back end of the first quarter and the beginning of the second as there was clearly no love lost between the two teams with more than a few fiery clashes.
A nice snap from Lewsey brought the Gulls back to 13 points down before they could have – and arguably should have – been closer if not for a controversial moment soon after.
Ruckman Mitch Smart lined up for a long-range set shot, putting it right through the middle. Despite claims of a touched ball from the Moe defenders, the goal umpire signalled a six-pointer and players began to return to position.
Not long after, following deliberation with a fellow umpire, the goal umpire appeared to rescind, calling the ball touched and allowing the Lions to quickly play on from full back, much to the chagrin of the Gulls players and coaches.
It's not often you see an umpire change their mind – despite constant attempts from players - much less after they actually signal a goal, so the anger was perhaps warranted.
The Lions made them pay for it too, Pepper sneaking out the back to extend the margin out to 18 points.
The Gulls threatened to make a go of things, especially early in the second half when they reduced the deficit to single figures.
In the end though the Lions' quality and ability to finish up forward proved the difference, handing them the win.
It was a game that showed Warragul's strengths around the ball and their weaknesses forward of it. Still, the Gulls are a much more competitive unit than in years gone by, making teams earn their wins rather than rolling over.
A final game against Maffra at home looms as a chance at redemption and a chance for a fifth win, having become the Eagles' first victims earlier this season.
Five wins at the end of the year may not seem like much, and the Gulls should arguably have claimed a couple more, but there would be a base to build on heading into the off-season.
