The Grasshoppers (8-4, 149.3%) and Hawks (7-4, 125.1%) are locked in a battle for third spot, with Saturday’s clash at Colbinabbin set to have a major bearing on who snares the double chance and a likely qualifying final match-up with Leitchville-Gunbower next month.

Between 2002 and 2012 Huntly never beat Colbinabbin, but the Hawks have since won seven of the past nine encounters between the two teams, including the past three meetings.

• Saturday’s games – Leitchville-Gunbower v Heathcote, Colbinabbin v Huntly, LBU v North Bendigo, Mount Pleasant v Elmore.

MEANWHILE, the average margin in Heathcote District league games is the highest it has been for 20 years.

After 13 rounds – and 52 games – the average margin in senior games is a massive 75 points in what has been a season of blowouts.

The current average margin is the most in the league since 1997 when the figure was 74 points.

So far this season 16 of the games have been decided by at least 100 points, with top two North Bendigo (six) and Leitchville-Gunbower (five) having combined for 11 triple-figure wins.

While there have been 16 games with margins of at least 100 points, only four have been decided by single figures, and only once has the average margin of a round been less than 50 points.

• HDFL margins in 2017:

Round 1 – 187, 98, 48, 42. Average: 93 points.

Round 2 – 149, 50, 41, 24. Average: 66 points.

Round 3 – 124, 47, 23, 19. Average: 53 points.

Round 4 – 133, 78, 59, 47. Average: 79 points.

Round 5 – 117, 69, 21, 6. Average: 53 points.

Round 6 – 93, 69, 26, 2. Average: 47 points.

Round 7 – 136, 68, 35, 28. Average: 66 points.

Round 8 – 165, 100, 82, 78. Average: 106 points.

Round 9 – 137, 129, 54, 21. Average: 85 points.

Round 10 – 225, 74, 30, 7. Average: 84 points.

Round 11 – 132, 66, 14, 2. Average: 53 points.

Round 12 – 188, 100, 73, 55. Average: 104 points.

Round 13 – 170, 117, 47, 33. Average: 91 points.