However, it’s not out of the realm of possibility, with Merrigum needing to win its last fixture against flag contender Shepparton East and banking on Avenel losing its two remaining fixtures.
Travelling to Lancaster Recreation Reserve for round 16 and its second last game of the 2025 home and away season, the Bulldogs got one under their belt, sinking the 2024 runner-up Wombats.
In a relatively tight, back-and-forth contest, the visitor managed to get over the top by 11 goals, 37-26.
Merrigum A-grade co-coach Blynda Tranter reflected on the game and highlighted who she thought was the stand-out player.
“We got another win, which is fantastic, we felt like we were off to a good start every quarter,” she said.
“We won almost every quarter so it was a solid and consistent game by the girls.
“We had a few misses in our goals so we rotated some players around, all in all, everyone just played a strong game, so really proud of their efforts.
“Achol Padual was rock-solid at goal keeper, she won so much ball back, pressured the Lancaster goalers, rebounded and intercepted, she played a beautiful game.”
With a finals berth looking unlikely, Tranter said the main priority was to finish the season strongly, coming up against undefeated Shepparton East after the bye and then focusing on player retention for a stronger 2026 season.
“We’ve got the bye next week, and you don’t get any points for that and then Shepparton East to finish, so we would have to win well against them to have a chance, which is unlikely, but you never know,” she said.
“Those few early games cost us so we will most likely finish in seventh or eighth, but we’ll see what happens.
“We have turned our attention to finishing strong and giving the Eagles a good run for their money, we stuck with them for half a game last time.
“So for us, we want to put in a good performance against them, and then we’ll turn to 2026 with our recruitment already under way.
“We just want to make sure that we have good retention from this year’s squad and just build on the momentum we’ve found towards the back end of the season.”
Girgarre v Murchison-Toolamba
The Kangaroos continued their march back to the grand final.
The defending champions currently sit in third on the ladder, a game back from Nagambie after a win against Murchison-Toolamba.
Despite some resistance, it was a cruising finish for a side destined for finals, coming up against the Grasshoppers, who were already eliminated from post-season contention.
The final score was 54-40.
Danisha Wheeler and Holly Nelson were named best-on-court for their work in the mid-court and defence, respectively.
It was a much-needed win for Girgarre, which sits half a game in front of Rushworth.
The Kangaroos are doing all they can down the stretch to climb as high as possible, with catching the Lakers to claim second still a possibility.
Girgarre’s ladder position will come down to its match in round 17, when it battles Rushworth at Ironbark stadium before having the bye in the last round.
Stanhope v Tallygaroopna
Much like Merrigum, Stanhope is an outside chance to make the 2025 finals with the same record as the Bulldogs (6-9) but a worse percentage.
The Lions didn’t do their post-season aspirations any favours in round 16, suffering a defeat at the hands of a red-hot Tallygaroopna outfit.
While it was a close affair, the Redlegs got away to snag a bounce-back win after losing to Shepparton East the week before.
The final score was 44-36.
To have any chance to make the finals, the Lions will have to beat Lancaster in round 18 convincingly and hope that both Avenel and Merrigum stumble down the home stretch.
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