The top eight sides from the Smithy’s VFL regular season will feature in finals action this week, with four enticing clashes to look forward on Saturday
FIRST QUALIFYING FINAL: GEELONG CATS VS TASMANIA
Geelong and Tasmania will meet for the first time in the Smithy’s VFL when they do battle at GHMBA Stadium on Saturday,
Despite a blemish in the penultimate round of the home and away campaign, the Cats have looked seemingly flawless for much of the season, scoring the most points and conceding the least points throughout the year.
Helping Geelong secure their first minor premiership since 2013 includes George Stevens, who is averaging over 30 disposals and nearly eight clearances across his 16 games in 2026.
He’s also showcased an ability to impact the scoreboard, kicking majors in his last three games whilst dipping below five score involvements in a game just once in his previous six VFL encounters.
It’s allowed the likes of Jesse Mellor and Jamieson Ballantyne to each hit the scoreboard regularly, both averaging two goals a game or greater, with Mellor having produced multiple goals in his last seven games leading into Saturday’s final.
In defence, Lennox Hofmann can always be relied upon to get things moving and has been in his side’s top two for total rebound 50’s in the last four matches.
Tasmania meanwhile are looking to dream big in their inaugural season. A victory against the Cats would make it two wins against the top two sides in the competition in the last three weeks.
In fact, their record against top four sides stacks up ahead of the finals campaign, with a win against Werribee three weeks ago, a draw against the same opponent in Round 7, and a narrow five-point loss to Box Hill in Round 15.
The Devils have been renowned for their pressure and intensity around the contest this season, highlighted by having three players inside the top 12 for average tackles in the Smithy’s VFL competition. The leader of that trio, Bailey Boag, is also averaging 25 touches and 7.4 clearances.
Jeremy Webberley’s side will also aim to match Geelong’s high scoring power, which they look capable of doing having scored 95 points or greater in four of their last five matches. Jed Hagen looks to lead on that front, having booted 37 majors this season.
Robbie Fox and Jye Menzie are experienced heads that will go a long way towards Tasmania getting first use out of the middle but also have an impact in the defence and up forward respectively.
The Cats are deserving favourites but their two losses have come at Saturday’s venue, and Tasmania are more than capable of making any match a competitive one.
2026 SEASON
GEELONG CATS
1st (16-2, 167.8%)
STREAK: Won 1 (2026: WLWWWWWWWWWWWWLWWW)
TASMANIA
4th (11-6-1, 114.7%)
STREAK: Won 3 (2026: WWWLWLLWWWLLDWLWWW)
LAST MEETING
This is the first meeting between the two clubs
FIRST ELIMINATION FINAL: ESSENDON VS WILLIAMSTOWN
Essendon will break their seven-year finals drought when they host Williamstown at Windy Hill on Saturday.
The Bombers came with a flurry to end the 2026 home and away campaign and come into the finals series with the best form of any other side, having won their last six matches.
Most impressive of that streak was their 25-point victory over Box Hill in Round 18, where they kept the Hawks to their lowest score since Round 3, 2024.
The feat is made more spectacular by the fact that only three other sides in the competition have conceded more points than Essendon this year, all of those teams finishing in the bottom four.
Tyler Sellars will look to ensure the Seagulls don’t score easy. He is fourth in the competition for total marks, averaging over eight a game, and has also averaged over six rebound 50’s a game in his previous four outings.
Inside forward 50, Jade Gresham is an in-form as ever, having kicked 11 majors in his last three games including five against the Swans just a fortnight ago.
If they are to win their first final since 2019, they will need to overcome a Williamstown side who they have defeated just once in their last four meetings.
The Seagulls continued their perfect Wildcard Final record last week, with a comfortable 38-point win over Carlton at DSV Stadium.
Alex Mirkov’s stellar form in the ruck continued in the triumph, amassing 40 hit outs. He had a season-high 20 disposals as well as five clearances in the Round 6 encounter with the Dons.
Jake Gresier’s influence continues to shine for Justin Plapp’s side, with another 32-disposal performance that also included six rebound 50’s. If Essendon allow the veteran to demonstrate his intercepting power, which he did in the Round 6 contest when he had 10 intercept possessions, he will be very hard to contain.
What will please Williamstown coming into this match is their recent high scoring, in which they kicked 121 and 110 points respectively in the previous fortnight. Even more pleasing would be the fact that they’ve had four different players kicking four goals or more in those two matches, highlighting their ability to share the load.
If they produce a similar effort against an Essendon side who has conceded over 96 points a game this year, they’ll feel confident in causing an upset away from home.
2026 SEASON
ESSENDON
5th (11-7, 100.7%)
STREAK: Won 6 (2026: WWWWWWLLWLWWLLWLWL)
WILLIAMSTOWN
8th (10-7-1, 106.8%)
STREAK: Won 2 (2026: WWLWWDLLWWLLLWWLWWW)
2026 MEETING
Round 6 – Windy Hill
ESSENDON 4.3 9.5 9.7 11.9 (75)
WILLIAMSTOWN 3.2 4.7 8.13 12.16 (88)
BEST
Essendon: William Setterfield, Nick Bryan, Jared Eckersley, Cameron Nyko, Hussien El Achkar, Tyler Sellers
Williamstown: Joel Fitzgerald, Diesel Moloney, Jake Greiser, Toby Triffett, Hugo Hall-Kahan, Alex Mirkov
GOALS
Essendon: Liam McMahon 3, Hussien El Achkar 3, Jared Eckersley 2, Boston Dowling, Ty Kitchell, Will Bella
Williamstown: Diesel Moloney 4, Joel Fitzgerald 2, Damon Hollow, Tom Fullarton, Conor Willis, Heath Ollington, Liam Conway, Nick Colenso
LEADING DISPOSALS
Essendon: Elijah Tsatas 34, Zak Johnson 28, William Setterfield 25, Archie Perkins 20, Tyler Sellars 19
Williamstown: Joel Fitzgerald 40, Jake Greiser 27, Josh Hamilton 22, Toby Triffett 21, Alex Mirkov 20, Finn O’Dwyer 20
SECOND ELIMINATION FINAL: PORT MELBOURNE VS SYDNEY SWANS
Port Melbourne will return to finals football for the first time since 2019 when they take on the Sydney Swans at ETU Stadium on Saturday.
The Borough, who were coming into this season off three-consecutive six-win campaigns, have lost just two of their last seven matches on their way to a top six berth.
That’s despite the fact they have averaged just over 83 points a game this year, the least of any side that finished in the top 10 in 2026.
It’s a stark contrast to their Saturday opponents who are the second highest scoring side in the competition and recently piled on 22 goals in their wildcard final victory over Frankston last week.
But Port Melbourne’s resurgence has been about more than just scoring. Ben Hobbs has claims to be the recruit of the 2026 season following his switch from Essendon, averaging 28.4 disposals and 7.7 clearances in his 16 games for the club.
He’s been well supported by Tom Hird, who is fourth in the competition for total tackles and has averaged over 22 touches in his last three games. Hird also had a standout performance in Port Melbourne’s clash with Sydney earlier this year, where he produced a game-high 34 disposals.
But the Swans will be full of confidence, as their young outfit dismantled the Dolphins last Saturday to win their first ever final in the Smithy’s VFL competition.
Jevan Phillipou’s hot form continues after a bag of six majors in the win, meanwhile the likes of Ben Pignatelli, Joe Harrison and Nicholas Anddreacchio stood up tall in the absence of some usual contributors throughout the year.
Ned Bowman was another to perform incredibly well in defence last week, amassing 24 disposals at 92% efficiency, whilst also having 13 rebound 50’s and seven score involvements.
Having not met each other since 2023 when this season commenced, this will now be the second time the two clubs will do battle this year.
The hope for the Swans is that they can replicate their performance from Round 3, in which they defeated the Borough by 21 points at Saturday’s venue. They did concede more scoring shots during the contest, but Sydney’s ability to be clinical in front of goal was on show during the victory.
In fact, only twice since Round 11 have they kicked more behinds than goals in a match.
But Port Melbourne have lost just four matches since that early defeat and will fancy their chances to claim a finals triumph in front of their home deck.
2026 SEASON
PORT MELBOURNE
6th (11-7, 97.3%)
STREAK: Won 2 (2026: WWLLWWWLWWLWWWLLLW)
SYDNEY SWANS
7th (10-7-1, 122.5%)
STREAK: Won 1 (2026: WLLWWDWWWLLLWLWWWWL)
2026 MEETING
Round 3 – ETU Stadium
PORT MELBOURNE 2.4 6.12 7.13 7.15 (57)
SYDNEY SWANS 3.2 5.2 11.3 12.6 (78)
BEST
Port Melbourne: Thomas Hird, Joshua Tovey, Joshua Sparkman, Lachlan Rankin, Joshua Green, Max Rider
Sydney Swans: Patrick Snell, Will Edwards, Hayden Mclean, Joel Hamling, Nicholas Shipley
GOALS
Port Melbourne: Max Rider 2, Jack O’Sullivan 2, Dom Bedendo 2, Connor Downie
Sydney Swans: Hayden McLean 3, Joel Hamling 3, Jesse Dattoli 2, Liam Heatherton, Charlie Peters, Jevan Philippou, Tom Ryan
LEADING DISPOSALS
Port Melbourne: Thomas Hird 34, Lachlan Rankin 29, Josh Sparkman 28, Josh Green 25, Josh Tovey 25
Sydney Swans: Nicholas Shipley 27, Patrick Snell 26, Caiden Cleary 23, Billy Cootee 20, Joel Hamling 18
SECOND QUALIFYING FINAL: WERRIBEE VS BOX HILL HAWKS
Werribee will return to finals action against perennial finalists Box Hill in what shapes to be a huge qualifying final at Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval.
After their 2024 premiership, the Tigers struggled to back up their feats in a seven-win 2025 campaign.
However, under new coach Dan Lowther, they have returned to their dangerous best and highlighted by a 10-game unbeaten run in the middle of the year, the Tigers finished in second position.
Werribee possess the two leading tacklers in the competition, which includes the ever-reliable Dom Brew who averaged over 23 disposals, nearly seven clearances and over eight tackles in 2026.
The other man in that duo, Charlie Lazzaro, has enjoyed a terrific first season in yellow and black after coming across from Port Melbourne, with averages of 23.8 disposals and 6.8 tackles.
Up forward, Brady Wright has showcased the ability to win a game off his own boot, scoring 45 goals this season, which include 10 matches where he’s produced three or more majors in a game.
And if it’s not Wright kicking the goals, as was the case in the Tigers’ most recent match where he went goalless, he will have the likes of Anthony Depasquale and Jack Riding by his side, who are coming into this match off seven and five-goal hauls respectively.
They’ll look to be at their best against a Box Hill outfit who haven’t dropped outside of the top four since Round 9.
That is despite an inconsistent few months where they have won four of their previous seven games.
But the Hawks are not a team to write off, and they’ll have a point to prove after winning just two of their previous six finals matches in the Smithy’s VFL.
They’ll have sharpshooter Brodie McLaughlin at their disposal, who has kicked multiple goals in four of his previous five games and has 47 total goals for the season.
Meanwhile at the other end, captain Stu Horner will hope to celebrate his 100th game for the Hawks with a victory. He has been immense in defence this year and has averaged 10 intercept possessions in his last three games heading into the finals campaign.
You can also expect the likes of Sam Butler and Bodie Ryan to deliver as they have each and every week for David Mirra’s men.
Whilst these two sides haven’t faced off this year, they have featured in a qualifying final match up before. The Tigers would win that 2023 match up by 20 points on their way to a Grand Final appearance.
2026 SEASON
WERRIBEE
2nd (13-4-1, 120.2%)
STREAK: Won 1 (2026: WLWWWWWWWWWDLWWLLW)
BOX HILL HAWKS
3rd (12-6, 114.4%)
STREAK: Won 2 (2026: WWLWLWLWWLWWWWWLLW)
LAST MEETING
Round 7, 2025 – Melbourne Avalon Airport Oval
WERRIBEE 1.5 2.6 4.7 11.11 (77)
BOX HILL HAWKS 2.2 6.5 10.9 14.9 (93)
