State of Play hosts Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani preview the big topics ahead of this weekend's VFL and VFLW action.
VFLW finals format means the fight for second is on
Collingwood has slipped to third on the VFLW ladder after losing a thriller to North Melbourne Werribee in the Grand Final rematch, with Williamstown’s strong percentage wedging in between the two combatants. This year, the top two sides will enjoy a week off in the first weekend of the finals before hosting a preliminary final. As the reigning premiers charge towards a third-straight flag, the fight for second is heating up. We may not know the final outcome until the final round of the season when Williamstown meets Collingwood, in what will be a must-watch game.
Top 10 shaping matchesÂ
Tasmania heads to DSV Stadium on Saturday to take on the Seagulls, where the VFL team will be looking to continue its press on the top six. Williamstown, for the third season in a row is in a Wildcard spot and has itself a mini-finals series against fellow standalone sides for the remainder of the season. The Gulls are perennial finalists and will know what they need to do. Meanwhile, on Sunday, second-placed Werribee hosts fifth-placed Port Melbourne. The last time these sides met this late in a season with so much on the line was Round 16, 2019, when both sides were vying for positions inside the final eight. Werribee walked away with the spoils then and will be keen to make it eight wins in a row to secure its spot in the top two. Port Melbourne is chasing four wins in a row, a feat it hasn't achieved since that same season.
A high-scoring Kangaroos side
North Melbourne Werribee remains unbeaten in the VFLW as it chases an historic threepeat. Kept to its lowest score of the season (37 points) against Collingwood last week, the Kangaroos face off against the bottom-placed Casey Demons in Round 10, who’s defence has been under siege this season, conceding an average of 55 points per game. North Melbourne averages a score of 72 points this season and broke the 100-point barrier against Tasmania. There’s no reason to believe the Roos can’t do so again this weekend.
Coburg on the verge of historic finals return
Cast your mind back to September 6, 2008. It’s been 6,522 since Coburg Football Club ran out in a VFL final. Victory this weekend would give the club nine wins for the season, with three matches remaining against Sandringham, Williamstown, and Southport. The Lions are comfortably inside the Wildcard section of the ladder, which are considered finals games, and knocking on the door to the top six. They’ll need to overcome another drought-breaking piece of history this weekend, beating Essendon at Windy Hill. It’s a venue they haven’t won at since the opening round of 2002.
Don’t count out the Sandy Zebras
Despite sitting in seventh spot, a win and 25% behind Carlton, Sandringham is still very much in the mix for a spot in the VFLW finals. This weekend the Zebras will tackle Darebin before they face off against the Western Bulldogs. The Dogs have the bye this weekend and sit inside the top six with an inferior percentage to the Zebras. Rather than waiting on other results to fall their way, they’ll have destiny in their own hands from here on in with matches against Williamstown, North Melbourne Werribee, Essendon, and Casey to finish the season.
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