GFNL finals locked in after last home-and-away round as unlucky Colac miss out

Colac just missed out on the top-five, but the numbers show the Tigers were unlucky. Plus, see the full finals fixture for next week and this year’s risers and sliders.

Colac finished sixth. Picture: Mark Wilson

The Geelong Football Netball League finals spots are locked in, with Colac the unlucky side to miss out after its 28-point loss to St Joseph’s on Saturday.

Colac knew it needed a win to secure a finals berth with South Barwon — a win ahead of them — up by 36 points at halftime when the Tigers’ clash at Herne Hill Reserve began.

The Tigers needed everything to go their way to upset the undefeated Joeys, and injuries to Essendon VFL player Bailey Scott and Aaron Walters before halftime didn’t help their cause.

Forward Dustin Walters pegged the margin back to 14 points at the 10-minute mark of the third, but the Joeys kept the Tigers at bay from then on in what was coach Rowan McSparron

It sewed up top-spot and a perfect season for the Joeys, who were the side in Colac’s position last year, missing finals in 2023 by a win and percentage.

Colac finished sixth despite boasting a percentage of 149.9, compared to fifth-placed Bell Park’s 113.5.

Bell Park came close to producing a boilover against St Mary’s, trailing by just three points at three-quarter time, but the Dragons’ inaccurate 1.5 to 3.0 in the final term proved costly.

After finishing eighth last year, the Dragons’ upset win in round one over Colac showed they meant business in 2024 and it proved to be finals shaping.

The Tigers will also rue their late lapse against Leopold in round 14, where the Lions kicked the last three goals to steal victory by two points.

But outgoing coach Rowan McSparron and Colac fans can consider themselves stiff.

There is no doubt Bell Park had a more favourable draw, with the Dragons playing four matches against St Joseph’s (first), St Mary’s (second) and Leopold (third) this season.

In comparison, Colac played two games against all three of those difficult opponents.

Bell Park also faced St Albans, North Shore, Lara and Grovedale twice each, while Colac only played St Albans twice of that group.

The fact Dragons will enter an elimination final – who smashed them by 94 points a fortnight ago – with just one win against top-four sides this season is stark.

South Barwon dominated the Dragons in their last meeting. Picture: Mike Dugdale

But their encouraging performance against St Mary’s and that barnstorming win over Leopold earlier in the year should fill them with confidence ahead of their cutthroat final against South Barwon.

Tigers fans, don’t fret. AFL Barwon’s two-year rolling fixture is sure to even things out next year, with all teams playing each other three times across the club championship period of 2024-25.

Newtown & Chillwell was the biggest slider in 2024 after losing a host of key players over the off-season, winning half as many games and dropping from fifth to eighth.

Geelong West also had a significant drop-off, winning four less games.

Geelong West’s 91 loss to the Swans nearly cost them a ladder position, with a minuscule 0.05 separating the seventh-placed Giants and the Eagles.

Newtown & Chillwell led by 34 points at quarter-time on Saturday with the aid of a heavy breeze at Elderslie Reserve, but ended up losing by 38 points after conceding 15 goals in the second and fourth quarters.

Grovedale’s commanding win over North Shore saw them equal its points tally from last season, as did St Albans and Lara after the Supersaints’ upset win.

North Shore had two wins in its first month and lost its next fourteen games, but improved on its one win and a draw from 2023.

Originally published as GFNL finals locked in after last home-and-away round as unlucky Colac miss out