GSFL OPINION: The final round has so much significance for the top four sides and their flag quests

The importance of round 15 cannot be underestimated for those teams that are about to embark on a finals campaign and a tilt at a premiership flag. For all intents and purposes the three league fixtures in the final round of this year’s Great Southern Football League competition are dead rubbers. The only small thing that can change is Royals and Albany swapping places in third and fourth place given they are level on points and separated by only percentage. The co-tenants will play each other at Retravision Stadium regardless of this Saturday’s results and who finishes higher really doesn’t matter, or like one of the region’s football personalities said recently, if you finish third you get to do the dishes. So with three games that effectively won’t change how week one of the finals look, why is the last round so important? Momentum is massive in football and if you want to challenge for a premiership then you need to be playing your best football in the next month. That all starts now. In a season where little separates the top four teams, being that little bit off could be the difference between reaching a grand final or eliminated in a preliminary final. COVID has made us look at footy a little differently and all clubs have faced periods this season where multiple players have been missing on the same day. Injuries and unavailability has also played a part and in general teams have struggled to get their best line-up on the park. That is why this Saturday is so important for the four teams left in this year’s flag race. It is a chance to find some winning form on the eve of the finals, get some more continuity in their playing group and prepare for what will be a brutal first week of the finals. For a number of teams in the finals, this last game of the season might be a chance to welcome back some key players from injury as well. Defending premiers Railways enter as the No.1 seed but they have been without star midfielder Logan Stubber for the second half of the season. Jayden Scott is now injured, Jack Steel has a broken collarbone and the Tigers have had big changes nearly every week in a far from settled side. Mt Barker’s depth has been tested with injury concerns and by their own admission it probably hasn’t stood up. Nathan Krakouer hasn’t played since May, Scott Price tweaked a groin recently and Josh Davenport missed last week. The Lions have had Kleemann medallist Cameron Allison on the sidelines with a re-aggravation of his hamstring injury, Jayson Ford may return late in the finals from a broken jaw and first choice players Joel Flick and Ben Altus were on the sidelines last week. Their season has had plenty of interruption and the Lions are another team that have been forced to plug holes here and there as the games have rolled on. Finally the Sharks, who have been a struggle to get a real gauge on at times this year. Dane Holdman, Jayden Zilm and Matt Galantino haven’t seen much footy, captain Tait McLean got injured in the last couple of weeks and Jesse Barrett is gone for the year with a broken leg. Coach Jamie Ramm probably hasn’t settled on his best 22 yet but time is quickly running out. This final round is so critical for team balance, momentum and building belief before the real stuff begins. A casual approach to the final game and you run the risk of starting poorly the following week in a far more important game. Teams will want to make minimal, if any, changes to personnel going into the finals so I’d expect plenty of those names missing to roll back in this week. The Tigers and Sharks have the advantage of facing top four opposition this week while the Lions and Bulls meet easier encounters against the bottom two. No matter who the opposition, the top four teams will be desperate to find some touch and most of all head into a huge finals series with the confidence of a win. The finals are nearly here but round 15 will give us a good insight into who looks ready to lift the GSFL premiership cup aloft in less than a month.