By Liam Durkin and David Braithwaite
RESULTS from Round 17 of Gippsland League football have officially locked in the finals picture, meaning all five matches in the final round will have no bearing on the composition of the top five.
Moe had already secured the minor premiership heading into the weekend and strengthened its position with a convincing win over Warragul at Western Park.
Traralgon could move no higher than fifth before its clash with Morwell, while Leongatha and Wonthaggi met in what shaped as a preview of their likely qualifying final.
Sixth-placed Maffra remained a mathematical chance of sneaking into the finals, needing to defeat Drouin and hope Morwell could upset Traralgon.
The Eagles completed their part of the equation, but their finals hopes were effectively extinguished when Traralgon opened a 33-point halftime lead over Morwell.
Bairnsdale too strong for Sale
Sale had one of its best opportunities of the season to secure its first win when it hosted Bairnsdale at Sale Oval, but the Redlegs pulled away after halftime to record a 68-point victory.
Bairnsdale 19.17 (131) defeated Sale 9.9 (63).
The Magpies remained well in the contest through the opening half and went into the main break only 12 points behind, before Bairnsdale's greater experience began to tell.
Jack McLaren kicked four goals for Sale and was among the Magpies' best alongside Kaden McCulloch, Darcy Van der Voort, Cooper Whitehill, Mitch Thacker and Dean Feltis.
Jordan Dessent celebrated his 200th senior game for Sale with two goals.
Randall Stewart, Rex Hargreaves, Oscar Morrison, Tyran Rees, Cooper Vickery and Sam Townsend were prominent for Bairnsdale, while Brayden McCarrey finished with four goals.
Sale now faces the toughest possible finish to the home-and-away season, travelling to play minor premier Moe in Round 18.
With Moe set to earn the first week of the finals off after finishing on top, the Lions will have the opportunity to maintain match conditioning before their break.
The Magpies are now certain to finish at the foot of the ladder and remain without a victory heading into the final round.
Attention at Sale is already beginning to turn towards 2027, with the club announcing Clayton Kelly as its under-18 coach.
Kelly is a respected Sale figure and former senior player who also spent time with Wonthaggi Blues before the club's merger with Wonthaggi Rovers to form Wonthaggi Power. He was part of the Blues' run to the 2001 Gippsland League Grand Final, also played state league football in Queensland and has previously served as a senior assistant coach at Sale.
The appointment comes as the Magpies look to rebuild their youth pathway after not fielding an under-18 side this season.
There are encouraging signs further down the pathway, with Sale's fourths performing strongly and a number of players set to graduate into the older age group. The club also has an under-15 team sitting inside the top three of its local junior competition.
Maffra finishes strongly at home
Maffra kept its slim finals hopes alive for as long as possible with a 36-point victory over Drouin in its final home match of the season.
Maffra 16.12 (108) defeated Drouin 11.6 (72).
The Eagles made the stronger start, with returning forward John Butcher kicking three goals early, before Drouin responded with three goals in time-on to reduce the quarter-time margin to two points.
Maffra pushed its advantage out to 15 points during the second term after kicking three of the first four goals, including two to Max Stobie, but the Hawks again responded with the final two goals of the half.
The Eagles led by five points at halftime before creating some separation in the third quarter with four goals to one.
A six-goal final term completed the victory.
Butcher finished with six goals, while best-on-ground Alex Carr kicked three.
Sam Anderson, Tom Phillips, Tom Scott and Jack Armstrong were also among Maffra's best.
Lane Ward, Jack Walsh, Brodie Atkins, Zayne Atkins, Denver Lund and Kaiden Walmsley were Drouin's leading performers.
Earlier in the day, Maffra great Adrian Burgiel made an appearance for the Eagles' reserves and kicked four goals.
Maffra finishes its season away to Bairnsdale and has the opportunity to end the year with a 9-9 record.
Drouin will host Leongatha, with the Parrots carrying a 13-game winning streak against the Hawks into the contest.
Moe breaks game open after halftime
A devastating burst of six unanswered goals after halftime powered Moe to a commanding victory over Warragul at Western Park.
Moe 19.10 (124) defeated Warragul 9.8 (62).
The Lions held a 22-point advantage at the main break before producing a match-defining 15-minute period early in the third quarter.
Moe kicked six consecutive goals without a behind during the surge, while Warragul managed just 1.1 for the term as the margin quickly became insurmountable.
Riley D'Arcy led the scoring with five goals, Ben Crocker kicked four and Harry Pepper added three.
Nathan Scagliarini was best-on-ground for the Lions, with Myles Poholke and veteran Tom Long also influential.
Liam Serong was Warragul's best, while Tom Hobbs, Patrick Mulqueen, Tom Stern, Sam Whibley and Xavier Olsson were also prominent.
The result leaves Warragul heading towards an elimination final, while Moe will finish the home-and-away season on top of the ladder.
Leongatha wins qualifying final preview
Leongatha strengthened its grip on second place with a 37-point victory over Wonthaggi in the South Gippsland Showdown.
Leongatha 11.8 (74) defeated Wonthaggi 4.13 (37).
In a likely preview of the qualifying final, the Parrots established a 19-point halftime lead before kicking six goals to three across the second half.
Former Essendon captain Dyson Heppell was best-on-ground for Leongatha, while Nick Argento and Pat Ireland were also among the Parrots' leading players.
Zavier Lamers kicked four goals.
Jai Williams, Aiden Lindsay and Brodie Mabilia were among Wonthaggi's best.
Heppell will need to play in the final home-and-away round to meet finals qualification requirements.
Traralgon locks away fifth
Traralgon ensured its finals place was beyond doubt with a comfortable 50-point victory over Morwell.
Traralgon 15.14 (104) defeated Morwell 8.6 (54).
The Maroons led at every change and broke the game open with a six-goal second quarter.
Jackson McMahon produced one of his strongest performances of the season, kicking four goals at an ideal time of the year.
Tye Hourigan was sent forward and contributed three majors, while Luis D'Angelo, Connor Ambler, Joel Scholtes and Liam Willaton were also influential.
Traralgon fielded a predominantly local line-up, using just 25 player points.
Dan Musil was Morwell's best, with ruckman Isaac Abas, Burkeley Macfarlane, Campbell Blewett, Cody McKay and Max Linton also prominent.
McKay kicked three goals for the Tigers.
Both sides finish the home-and-away season against finals-bound opposition.
Morwell will face Warragul, while Traralgon travels to Wonthaggi ahead of its elimination final campaign.
Round 18
With the top five now settled, the final round will determine form and momentum rather than ladder positions ahead of the 2026 Gippsland League finals.
Round 18 will feature:
Moe v Sale
Bairnsdale v Maffra
Drouin v Leongatha
Morwell v Warragul
Wonthaggi v Traralgon
