Division 3 finals await this weekend as only the top five teams are left to see which side will win the 2026 premiership.
Macleod ensured its place at the top of the ladder and secured the minor premiership with a 34-point win over Montmorency. The Roos put on five goals to none in the first half to make a certainty of the result and will put their feet up in the first week of finals.
Phebe D’Arro was best on ground with a couple of goals and Abbie Jackson also kicked two. Janie Cahir and Mairead and Niamh Csar were also among the Roos’ best.
Ellie Thomas, Bridie Watson, Scarlett Smith and Maddi Wilde were the best players for Montmorency, who narrowly missed out on fifth spot due to their inferior match ratio compared to fifth-place Epping.
Epping will meet Eltham for the second time in as many weeks in an elimination final on Sunday. But they’ll be hoping to turn the tables after going down by 60 points last weekend to the Panthers.
Four goals to Eltham’s Tiah Bishop, three to Marlo Gardam and two to Eliza Heath was too much firepower for the visitors, who couldn’t find enough avenues to goal of their own.
Nancy Cakau and Paige Binning continued their excellent individual seasons for Epping, but they will be hoping for a different result this time around on Sunday.
St Mary’s tuned up for its first final this week with an 89-point win over Wallan. The Burra were far too good in the battle of the birds, keeping the Magpies scoreless for the day.
Charly Bandera secured the Division 3 leading goalkicker with a bag of five goals to take her season tally to 26, while Ashley Leeson booted three goals and Jasmine Stone and Lily Cotter also had good days for the visitors.
Jordan Stanyer, Hannah Paton and Melanie Hope gave their all for Wallan on a tough day and they’ll be hoping to be back bigger and better in 2027.
St Mary’s will meet Whittlesea in the first qualifying final, with the Eagles also in good form after a 27-point win over Diamond Creek.
There was little separating both teams in the first half as Whittlesea led by seven points at the main break, but they extended away in the second half with four goals to one to secure the win.
Ashley Fitzpatrick, Harper McPherson-Goulding, Olivia Hodgson and Tahlia Brander were named among the best for the Eagles, who had six individual goal kickers on the day.
Diamond Creek’s best players were Stefanie Memos, Tiana McClain, Laura Di Domenica and Bentley Butler, as their season came to an end with a 5-8 record.
Laurimar and Thomastown closed out the round with the chance to finish their seasons on a high note and it was Laurimar who prevailed by 18 points.
A goal apiece to Sarah Campbell, Hayley Dyer and Tara Dyer was enough to get the job done as the Power’s defence was able to hold the Bears goalless for the day. Courtney Dark and Lize-Carina Jankowitz were given praise from the Power coaching staff for their efforts across the afternoon.
No best players were published by Thomastown at the time of writing, bringing a close to a season where wins were hard to come by for the Bears.
Division 3 – Finals Week One
Qualifying Final 1
St Mary’s vs Whittlesea – Sunday 2 August, 12.00am at Oval 2, La Trobe University
Elimination Final
Eltham vs Epping – Sunday 2 August, 10.00am at Oval 2, La Trobe University
Finals Week One Bye – Macleod
