WIN the game and remove any element of doubt.

That’s the No.1 aim for Bears Lagoon-Serpentine ahead of Saturday’s Loddon Valley league round 18 clash against Calivil United.

Having played catch-up all season following their 0-4 start, the Bears finally have their finals destiny in their own hands in that they go into the game at Serpentine knowing that a win will lock up their finals berth.

However, if the Bears (32 points, 129.1%) are beaten by a hefty margin, there is the prospect their spot in the top five could be stolen by the sixth-placed Demons (28 pts, 115.8%).

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“We’ve tried to do the calculations this week and it’s probably something like 65 points we’d need to be beaten by to drop out of the five, but the simple message to the boys is win the game and we play finals,” Bears coach Greg Gadsden  said on Friday.

“Lose and it will then come down to the differential, so we obviously want to take any of that out of the equation by getting the win and controlling what we can.”

Since their 0-4 start to the season the Bears have won eight of their past 11 games to fight their way into the top five.

“We’ve been playing for our season the past month or so… we had the chance to really set ourselves up with the Mitiamo game (round 15) but got beaten, so we’ve had to regroup again,” Gadsden said.

“We’ve got ourselves back into a position now where we can play finals and it’s shaping as one of those seasons where all clubs that make it will be thinking they will be a chance to win a flag given how even the competition has been.

“We’d like to think we’d be no different if we can get there… it’s obviously a tough gig from fourth or fifth, but if you get in there then you’re as good a chance as any.”

While there will be plenty of attention on the Bears v Demons clash, the final round also features a battle of the top two teams in the first night match under lights at Marist College when Maiden Gully YCW hosts Newbridge.

The match between the Eagles and Maroons will get under way at 5.30pm.

• Saturday’s games – Marong v Bridgewater, Mitiamo v Inglewood, BL-Serpentine v Calivil United, Maiden Gully YCW v Newbridge (5.30pm).

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