Only one game remains of the normal season and six teams have already booked their place in the finals for September. However, it is going to come down to the wire for the last two positions, with some teams having to throw everything on the table this weekend.
The Adelaide Crows, GWS Giants, Geelong Cats, Port Adelaide, Sydney Swans and Richmond Tigers have all secured their finals place and will be playing next month regardless of their result next week. All these teams have left nothing up to chance and have performed consistently over the season to take their well-deserved place in the Top-8. Some will be fighting for better positions and opportunities for home finals and such, but they will all be there nevertheless.
Seventh and eighth place is where it starts to get interesting. The Melbourne Demons are looking like they have done enough already to secure one of these places but the last spot is absolutely up for grabs. The Demons currently sit on 48 points after defeating the Brisbane Lions and that should be enough for them, especially with their percentage of 106.4.
However, the Essendon Bombers, West Coast Eagles, Western Bulldogs and St Kilda all sit on 44 points with one game to play. The Dons have the highest percentage of the three with 106.1, and a win for them would basically guarantee them the last spot. This is easily the biggest game of the year so far for the Bombers, and they will not want to leave anything up to chance.
Fortunately for them, they come up against the Fremantle Dockers who have not had the greatest season, and hopefully for them won’t pose too much of a threat. The latest AFL odds have Essendon at $1.25 and Fremantle at $4.00, suggesting that they really should be able to get the job done on this one. But, this season has undoubtedly had its share of upsets, and the Bombers won’t have forgotten their round 15 loss to last placed Brisbane.
Another positive for the Bombers is that West Coast has to play league leaders Adelaide. This is a gigantic task for the boys from Perth, and they will have to play exceptionally well if they are to have any chance of grabbing a win. One positive for the Eagles though is that they are playing at home and will have the full support of a packed Domain Stadium cheering them on.
The last real team with any shot at making the cut is the Bulldogs. If the Bombers and the Eagles both lose and the Doggies can snatch a win against the Hawthorne Hawks they will take the final place in the eight. They will be confident that they can overcome the Hawks who have been far from their best all season, and were beaten by bottom dwellers the Carlton Blues last week. The major concern for their supporters though will be if Freemantle can take down Essendon. Their fate is a numbers game and they will need the luck of other results as well as the win to ensure they go through.
The poor old Saints still have a mathematical chance, but would need to beat the Tigers away from home and need all three of the other three teams to lose. It is possible but it seems like a bit of a stretch and it looks like Saint Kilda won’t be around come September.
So strap yourselves in footy fans, it’s going to be a nail-biting last round of Aussie Rules this weekend, and one that will decide if it’s the end of the road, or if their 2017 journey continues.
