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READ MORE - Season-ending top 60 player rankings
BENDIGO LEAGUE
EAGLEHAWK v GISBORNE
QUALIFYING FINAL
6pm Saturday at QEO
The Hawks will hit the finals riding a wave of momentum.
They haven't lost since a 30-point defeat to Gisborne in round seven and have since reeled off 11 wins by an average of 85 points.
Haven't conceded more than 45 points in their past four games, including round 16 against Gisborne when they held the Bulldogs to just 5.14 (44) in a 41-point win.
Gisborne's lead-in to September includes a pair of wins over fellow finalists Golden Square (17 points) and Sandhurst (45) the past fortnight - last week's win over Square without their former AFL trio of coach Clinton Young, Pat McKenna and Matt Goodyear.
Get that star trio back into the side on Saturday night and the Hawks will have their hands full in what's set to be a physical clash where a crack at Strathfieldsaye in the second semi-final is the prize for the winner.
This season:
Round 7 - Gisborne 17.23 (125) def Eaglehawk 15.5 (95).
Round 16 - Eaglehawk 13.7 (85) def Gisborne 5.14 (44).
GOLDEN SQUARE v SANDHURST
ELIMINATION FINAL
2.20pm Sunday at QEO
The 10th finals campaign in a row for Sandhurst - a feat only currently matched across the AFLCV region by North Bendigo.
The Dragons and Bulldogs ended the home and away season 12-6, but Sandhurst had the measure of Square in both meetings, winning by one and 20 points.
Golden Square was beaten up physically by the Dragons at Wade Street three weeks ago and you can be assured Bulldogs coach Bernie Haberman will have his players primed to ensure the same doesn't happen again.
Goals haven't been easy to come by in their two meetings this year, with just 33 kicked in total and the Dragons winning with scores of 66 and 65. With the increase in intensity that comes with finals football, perhaps it might take only 10 goals to get the job done.
This season:
Round 7 - Sandhurst 10.6 (66) def Golden Square 8.17 (65).
Round 16 - Sandhurst 9.11 (65) def Golden Square 6.9 (45).
SELECTIONS:
Luke West (79) - Eaglehawk (18), Golden Square (4).
Adam Bourke (78) - Eaglehawk (12), Sandhurst (3).
Richard Jones (77) - Eaglehawk (27), Sandhurst (11).
Kieran Iles (72) - Eaglehawk (17), Golden Square (11).
Anthony Pinda (72) - Gisborne (3), Golden Square (6).
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LODDON VALLEY LEAGUE
PYRAMID HILL v BL-SERPENTINE
PRELIMINARY FINAL
2.15pm Saturday at Inglewood.
Plenty of ground for the Bears to make up on Pyramid Hill.
The Bulldogs were comfortable 50 and 61-point winners over the Bears in their two home and away meetings, but this contest comes with the added pressure of playing for a spot in the grand final.
The Bulldogs have to regroup from their second semi-final loss to Mitiamo last week, which has used up their double chance after finishing on top of the ladder, while the Bears finished superbly against Maiden Gully YCW last Sunday to come from 12 points down at three quarter-time and win by 21.
The game features two of the top three place-getters in this week's Harding Medal in Pyramid Hill midfielder Billy Micevski (second) and Bears' ruckman Nathan Twigg (third).
Plenty of admiration for the way the Bears have built from a winless 2016 to now being just one win away from a 2019 grand final, but surely Pyramid Hill has had too good a season to not at least be playing off for the flag next week.
History says as much given since 1980 only Pyramid Hill (2009) and Marong (1993) haven't played in a LVFNL grand final after finishing on top.
This season:
Round 6 - Pyramid Hill 15.10 (100) def BL-Serpentine 6.14 (50).
Round 15 - Pyramid Hill 23.12 (150) def BL-Serpentine 14.5 (89).
SELECTIONS:
Adam Bourke (57) - Pyramid Hill (7).
Anthony Pinda (53) - BL-Serpentine (8).
Kieran Iles (53) - Pyramid Hill (13).
Luke West (53) - Pyramid Hill (12).
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HEATHCOTE DISTRICT LEAGUE
NORTH BENDIGO v COLBINABBIN
SECOND SEMI-FINAL
2.15pm Saturday at Heathcote.
Will it be North Bendigo into its sixth-straight grand final, or Colbinabbin straight through to its first decider since 2009?
Should be a ripper of a clash given their two meetings this year have been tight wins to North Bendigo by 13 and 11 points.
This time though the Grasshoppers have a massive weapon up their sleeve in star forward Daniel Connors, who hasn't played against the Bulldogs yet.
Connors' seven goals set the Grasshoppers alight in their qualifying final win over LBU last Saturday and has probably caused some sleepless nights for Bulldogs coach Matt Dillon this week.
This season:
Round 9 - North Bendigo 8.12 (60) def Colbinabbin 6.11 (47).
Round 18 - North Bendigo 13.10 (88) def Colbinabbin 11.11 (77).
LBU v MOUNT PLEASANT
FIRST SEMI-FINAL
2.15pm Sunday at North Bendigo.
Big test for the Cats to get off the canvas after squandering their 33-point second quarter lead against Colbinabbin in the qualifying final and losing by 29.
The Cats' best is brilliant as they showed in their first quarter last week, but so too is what Mount Pleasant is capable of - the Blues' 15 minutes of dominance in the third quarter against White Hills in the elimination final when they kicked eight goals to none was just superb.
So, who can bring their best for long enough on Sunday?
And given the headaches caused by Colbinabbin's Connors last Saturday, how will the Cats combat Blues' star Ben Weightman, who is coming off seven elimination final goals.
This season:
Round 6 - Mount Pleasant 15.16 (106) def LBU 15.11 (101).
Round 15 - LBU 17.13 (115) def Mount Pleasant 11.7 (73).
SELECTIONS:
Luke West (64) - North Bendigo (6), LBU (24).
Adam Bourke (61) - North Bendigo (10), LBU (22).
Kieran Iles (58) - North Bendigo (1), LBU (7).
Anthony Pinda (58) - Colbinabbin (3), LBU (18).
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NORTH CENTRAL LEAGUE
SEA LAKE NANDALY TIGERS v BIRCHIP-WATCHEM
SECOND SEMI-FINAL
2.30pm Saturday at Wedderburn.
This season:
Round 5 - Sea Lake Nandaly 15.4 (94) def Birchip-Watchem 7.6 (48).
Round 12 - Birchip-Watchem 6.9 (45) def Sea Lake Nandaly 5.5 (35).
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