For the fifth year running since the Bendigo Advertiser began compiling a champion club ladder, the Dragons have finished ranked No.1.

From 140 games across the three football and five netball grades, the Dragons won 108.

Sandhurst narrowly pipped arch-rivals Golden Square for the title of champion club, with the Bulldogs finishing second on 106 victories.

The only other club that had a win-loss record of greater than 50 per cent was Gisborne, which won 97 games.

Sandhurst and Golden Square have seven of their eight teams playing finals, which begin today at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.

Coincidentally, both clubs had their 17-under netball team as the only side to miss the finals.

The Dragons have claimed three minor premierships, with their under-18 footballers, plus undefeated B-grade and B-reserve netball teams all finishing on top of the ladder.

The football finals will have a strong city-based flavour to them.

Of the 15 teams that have made finals across the seniors, reserves and under-18s, 12 are city-based sides.

The only country-based club on the finals football field is Gisborne, which has all three of its teams in.

Nine of the 10 clubs have teams in the netball finals, including Castlemaine, which is in the A-grade play-offs for the first time since 1991.

For the third year in a row, Maryborough had no sides qualify for the finals.

● Who’s playing in this year’s Bendigo Football Netball League finals series:

SANDHURST (7 teams) – Football: seniors (4th), reserves (4th), under-18s (1st). Netball: A-grade (2nd), A-reserve (2nd), B-grade (1st), B-reserve (1st).

GOLDEN SQUARE (7 teams) – Football: seniors (3rd), reserves (3rd), under-18s (3rd). Netball: A-grade (4th), A reserve (1st), B-grade (2nd), B-reserve (2nd).

GISBORNE (6 teams) – Football: seniors (5th), reserves (2nd), under-18s (2nd). Netball: A-grade (1st), A-reserve (5th), 17-under (2nd).

STRATHFIELDSAYE  (5 teams) – Football: seniors (1st), under-18s (4th). Netball: 

B-grade (4th), B-reserve (5th), 17-under (5th).

EAGLEHAWK (4 teams) – Football: seniors (2nd), reserves (1st), under-18s (5th). Netball: B-reserve (4th).

SOUTH BENDIGO (4 teams) – Football: reserves (5th). Netball: A-reserve (3rd), B- reserve (3rd), 17-under (3rd).

KANGAROO FLAT (3 teams) – Netball: A-grade (3rd), B-grade (3rd), 17-under (1st).

KYNETON (2 teams) – Netball: A-reserve (4th), 

B-grade (5th).

CASTLEMAINE (2 teams) – Netball: A-grade (5th), 17-under (4th). MARYBOROUGH (0 teams).