THE RUN HOME: DIVISION 1 – THREE TO GO

Western Football Netball League statistician Andrew Muscat casts his eye over each TIV Division 1 Men’s team and their run home to end the home and away season.

Werribee Districts: 1st – 44pts 144.10%
R16: Parkside (Home)
R17: Spotswood (Home)
R18: Caroline Springs (Away)

Opinion: Werribee Districts won a tight close contest by beating Point Cook by six point which has kept the Tigers two points clear on top of the ladder ahead of Caroline Springs. They now have two home games in a row which should result in wins against Parkside and Spotswood which look likely with both teams out of the finals race. Then the big clash in the final round against Caroline Springs which most likely decide top spot and minor premiership.

Caroline Springs: 2nd – 42pts 129.11%
R16: Altona (Home)
R17: Point Cook Centrals (Away)
R18: Werribee Districts (Home)

Opinion: Caroline Springs kicked clear in the last quarter to shrug off Spotswood in a tough encounter at Donald McLean Reserve and banked an important vital four points to keep in touch with Werribee Districts for top spot. Next week’s clash against Altona will be a danger game for the Lakers who are hitting good form at the right time of the year. Then Point Cook Centrals at Windorah Way Reserve which should be a win and then the final game for top spot against Werribee Districts. Caroline Springs is in good shape to finish either first or second.

Yarraville Seddon Eagles: 3rd – 34pts 111.74%
R16: Hoppers Crossing (Home)
R17: Point Cook (Home)
R18: Spotswood (Away)

Opinion: Yarraville Seddon enjoyed the week off with the bye and now have a good run home looking a good chance to finish off their home and away season with three wins which will keep them in third spot. Although Altona’s win against Hoppers Crossing has the Warriors only six points behind the Eagles and with the percentage difference between the two teams being only 2%, Yarraville Seddon must win all three games to stay third or face the probability of Altona taking their spot for the double chance.

Altona: 4th – 28pts 109.96%
R16: Caroline Springs (Away)
R17: Parkside (Away)
R18: Point Cook Centrals (Home)

Opinion: Altona produced an impressive performance in a great win over Hoppers Crossing and now have kept a top three spot alive for 2024. They will need to win all their remaining three games and need to rely on Yarraville Seddon falling over with a few upset losses. It’s looking unlikely for the Vikings to get third spot and the double chance particularly with Caroline Springs to play next week at home, but the Vikings are certainly hitting their form at the right time of the year and could be a danger team to face in the finals in 2024.

Hoppers Crossing: 5th – 26pts 87.02%
R16: Yarraville Seddon Eagles (Away)
R17: BYE
R18: Point Cook (Home)

Opinion: Hoppers Crossing suffered a tough loss against Altona and now face a battle with Spotswood to stay inside the top five after Round 18. The Warriors have a poor percentage and must win their remaining two games with a bye in the run home to stay ahead of the Woodsmen. They face the Eagles at Yarraville Oval which will be a tough task for the Warriors and finish the home and away season against Point Cook which looms as a danger game and the Bulldogs could potentially ruin Hoppers Crossing’s finals hopes with an upset win.

Spotswood: 6th – 24pts 102.10%
R16: BYE
R17: Werribee Districts (Away)
R18: Yarraville Seddon Eagles (Home)

Opinion: Spotswood suffered a tough loss to Caroline Springs which now has made the task for getting into the finals really hard for the Woodsmen. They have the week off with the bye and in the final two games face two of the top three teams in Werribee Districts and Yarraville Seddon. It’s going to be a really tough task for Spotswood to get into the five unless they win their last two games and Hoppers Crossing suffer losses to Yarraville Seddon and Point Cook. Unfortunately for the Woodsmen, it’s looking likely it will be the third straight year that they’ll miss the finals.

Parkside: 7th – 18pts 97.33%
R16: Werribee Districts (Away)
R17: Altona (Home)
R18: BYE

Opinion: Parkside produced their first away win for the season and their second victory against Point Cook Centrals for 2024. Whilst the finals are likely out of contention for 2024 for Parkside, they have the opportunity to finish the season off in a really positive way with games against Werribee Districts who are not playing their best footy at the moment and with Magpies pushing the reigning premiers to only eight points in the earlier clash between the two, Parkside will certainly go into this clash with confidence. Thet then face Altona who are sitting fourth at the moment, but Parkside could produce a scalp at home by toppling the Vikings with an upset win.

Point Cook: 8th – 12pts 72.16%
R16: Point Cook Centrals (Home)
R17: Yarraville Seddon Eagles (Away)
R18: Hoppers Crossing (Away)

Opinion: Point Cook produced a very brave effort against Werribee Districts to fall short by six points of an upset win. They now face their cross-town rivals against Point Cook Centrals which will decide the wooden spoon for 2024. Whilst there is no relegation down to Division 2, neither of the two clubs want to finish on the bottom so the Bulldogs will look to turn the tables against their neighboring rivals after the Sharks produced the upset win against the Bulldogs in their earlier clash. In their last two games they face finals teams Yarraville Seddon and Hoppers Crossing which will be a tough task for the Bulldogs.

Point Cook Centrals: 9th – 12pts 70.02%
R16: Point Cook (Away)
R17: Caroline Springs (Home)
R18: Altona (Away)

Opinion: Point Cook Centrals suffered a heavy loss to Parkside for the second time this season and now find themselves at the bottom of the ladder. Their clash against their cross-town rivals Point Cook is the game that will decide the wooden spoon and knowing they defeated the Bulldogs earlier in the year, they will look to produce that performance again to avoid finishing last. With Caroline Springs and Altona in the final two games of the season, this week’s clash against the Bulldogs will decide if they can avoid the bottom of the ladder with two tough opponents to finish the season.