READ MORE - weekend football teams
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
READ MORE - BFNL DECADE THAT WAS - the 2016 season
THE Heathcote District league finals arrive on Saturday with a sense of freshness and flag openness that has been sorely lacking in recent seasons.
For the past four years the HDFNL grand final has been fought out between the same two teams - North Bendigo and Leitchville-Gunbower - for two wins apiece.
Admittedly, all four games have been crackers with the biggest margin being the 26 points the Bombers won by in 2017, but such had been the dominance of those two teams across 2015 and 2018 there was always that sense of inevitably that they would be the last two left standing.
This year though there's guaranteed to be a new grand final match-up.
While it may well be North Bendigo on the big stage again, Leitchville-Gunbower won't be having finished sixth - and how hard must it be to swallow for the Bombers given just one measly point has proven the difference between their season being alive and over.
The Bombers join Newbridge (Loddon Valley) and Wycheproof-Narraport (North Central) as reigning premiers across the AFL Central Victoria region to miss the finals this year.
Only Eaglehawk in the Bendigo league has avoided the 2018 curse of the reigning premier.
As well as the Bombers, with the season also done and dusted for Huntly (wooden-spoon) that's two of last year's HDFNL top three teams not participating in the 2018 finals.
The Bombers are missing for the first time since 2012 and the Hawks since 2014, creating the opportunity for a pair of fresh finalists in Mount Pleasant and White Hills to step up.
For the best part of three decades in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s finals were synonymous with Mount Pleasant.
Between 1980 and 2008 the once mighty Blues played in 24 of 29 finals series and won 13 flags.
This decade, though, the Blues' only taste of finals action has been in 2014 when they beat White Hills in the elimination final by 16 points, but then lost to Lockington-Bamawm United by 33 in the first semi-final under coach Derrick Filo.
But two years after bottoming out and claiming a rare wooden spoon in 2017 - a season when they endured a goal-less game against Huntly - coach Darren Walsh and some strong recruiting has the Blues back where it matters.
And while they finished fourth, they have knocked over the two top sides in North Bendigo and LBU to prove their best is good enough - particularly if star forward Ben Weightman (79 goals) can have a day out.
One of the key points of interest ahead of the Mount Pleasant-White Hills elimination final at Lockington on Sunday is how will the Demons back up from last week's epic against Leitchville-Gunbower when their four-point winning margin allowed them to scrape in to fifth by a mere 0.1 per cent.
Given their shaky start earlier in the year, it literally took the Demons until the final kick of the home and away season - Mitch Dole's behind that gave White Hills back the percentage advantage over the Bombers - to secure their finals berth.
While they have only just qualified by the barest of margins, the fact the fifth-placed Demons have two of the competition's two marquee names in coach Sam Kerridge and dynamic forward Jed Lamb (51 goals) adds to the finals build-up.
Hopefully, for the sake of Demons' supporters there won't be a repeat of White Hills' past two finals scorelines - a 122-point loss to Huntly in the 2017 elimination final and 106-point defeat to North Bendigo in the 2015 first semi-final.
But before the Blues and Demons lock horns, Lockington-Bamawm United and Colbinabbin face off in the qualifying final at Gunbower on Saturday.
Both have taken steps forward this year given when they met on the corresponding weekend last season it was in the elimination final.
Colbinabbin won that encounter by 13 points, but it will be the Cats who go into this contest as favourites.
LBU has beaten the Grasshoppers both times this season by 36 and 13 points and has a full list to pick from with the exception of Nathan O'Brien (shoulder).
Contrast that with the luckless Grasshoppers, who have Ryan Hon (broken foot), Michael Battista (hamstring), Xavier Walsh (AC joint), Jono Barnett (broken leg), Pat O'Brien (calf) and Todd Clarke (broken arm) from their best 18 all sidelined.
Colbinabbin forward Daniel Connors is back though after a wretched season of injury in which he has played just three senior games, but if his body can hold up then the former Richmond player will be one of the genuine X-factors.
Meanwhile, in the Loddon Valley league it's week two of the finals and that leaves four teams left in the hunt.
With Calivil United having been knocked out of the premiership race, it leaves Pyramid Hill, Mitiamo, Bears Lagoon-Serpentine and Maiden Gully YCW as the four remaining contenders.
And with those four teams left it guarantees a premiership drought will be broken.
Combined, the Superoos (last flag 2009), Eagles (2002), Bears (1995) Bulldogs (1950) have premiership droughts that total 120 years.
Having finished on top of the ladder and earned the first week off, Pyramid Hill gets its first taste of finals action in Saturday's second semi-final against Mitiamo at Serpentine.
Will this be the year the Bulldogs under coach Adrian McErvale finally rid themselves of one of country Victoria's longest droughts?
It's not as though the Bulldogs haven't been without their chances of success - between 2005 and 2014 they played in three grand finals and six preliminary finals to no avail, while last year they finished top three, but were knocked out in straight sets, as they were in 2015, too.
By 5pm Saturday either the Bulldogs will be a step closer to that elusive flag or Mitiamo will have created an opportunity to hoist the premiership cup that it was denied by Bridgewater in 2015 and 2016 and Newbridge last year.
And that leaves the Bears and Eagles to fight for survival in Sunday's first semi-final at Mitiamo.
For the Bears to remain alive they need to break a streak of five finals losses in a row by an average of 65 points dating back to 2015.
That's not a flash record, but neither is Maiden Gully YCW's record this year against the Bears, who have won their two encounters by 38 and 22 points.
Finals footy - what a great time of the year.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.