Going into the final round of the NPL Men’s campaign, a lot has already been decided. South Melbourne have clinched the Premiership, Dandenong City secured the final place in the top six and Manningham’s position in the bottom two has been confirmed.
The wrestle on the final day of the regular season will be for an advantage in the Finals series, with teams from second to fifth all having the potential to be shuffled around.
Of those four, Oakleigh and Hume play each other, whilst Avondale and Heidelberg both clash with teams below them on the table.
The main prize is second place, carrying with it a bye to the second week of finals. Avondale hold the advantage in that respect, with a one-point lead over both Oakleigh and Hume, Heidelberg a further two points behind.
But even if top two proves unachievable for the teams below, securing third or fourth and a home Elimination Final will also be highly sought after.
The winner from Oakleigh v Hume will lock that home final up, whilst the loser would leave the door open for Heidelberg to overtake.
In one of the more outlandish possibilities, a draw in that fixture and a one-goal victory margin for Heidelberg would see all three teams' level on points and goal difference at the end of the 26-round season.
With goals scored the next tiebreaker, Heidelberg would be the team likely to slip to fifth in that equation.
With all games kicking off simultaneously on Sunday afternoon, there’s bound to be plenty of changes in the live ladder throughout the day, allowing for a thrilling conclusion to the NPL Men’s regular season.