Gisborne, despite losing to Golden Square in round 17, will finish on top of the table, while Strathfieldsaye and Golden Square will round out the top three and earn the double-chance for the finals.

Old foes South Bendigo and Sandhurst are expected to meet in the elimination final after the Dragons edged out Kyneton on Saturday.

The Dragons moved into fifth place - 13.05 per cent ahead of the Tigers.

Sandhurst plays Castlemaine in the final round, while Kyneton hosts the winless Maryborough.

To reel in Sandhurst's percentage advantage, the Tigers would need to kick a cricket score and hope that Castlemaine tests the Dragons.

For example, if Sandhurst was to win by a scoreline of 100 to 40, Kyneton would need to win with a score of approximately 250 to 10 to move ahead of the Dragons on percentage.

The only other way Kyneton could force its way into the top five is if South Bendigo was to lose to eighth-placed Kangaroo Flat.

On form that would appear highly unlikely.

The Bloods thumped Maryborough by 115 points on Saturday, while the Roos were belted by 113 points by Strathfieldsaye.

Mathematically, Eaglehawk is still in the mix for fifth after defeating Castlemaine by 40 points on Saturday.

However, the Hawks need plenty of help from other results to have any chance of playing finals.

They need to defeat Gisborne at Gardiner Reserve next week, hope that South Bendigo and/or Sandhurst choke in their matches and, potenitally, keep an eye on how their percentage compares with Kyneton.

At the top end of the table, Golden Square reminded BFNL fans that its best footy is good enough to win the flag when it defeated Gisborne by 10 points in the mud at Wade Street.

The victory didn't change Golden Square's ladder position, but it was a confidence-booster with the finals a fortnight away.

Golden Square joined Gisborne as the only clubs to have defeated all opponents at least once this season.

READ MORE: BFNL MATCH REPORTS FOR ROUND 17