MGFNL Finals 2026 / Finals Week 1

With ten clubs represented in the post season when it comes to footy it truly is an exciting time of the year to be involved in the MGFNL. It would be fair to say there appears to be three stand outs in the senior competition, two in the Reserves and thirds while the fourths appear to have a clear cut favourite. But we don’t have to search too far or too wide to see sides, even in the senior competition, coming from outside the top few spots on the ladder to secure the ultimate prize. Think Yinnar 2022 when the Pies only qualified for the finals in Round Eighteen before going on a run from sixth to win it all.

It will be a fascinating watch across all four grades to see if the Home and Away form holds up for another four weeks or if season 2026 will again provide a Cinderella Story.

Good luck to all involved on and off the field!

Saturday sees all eyes on the Mirboo North Rec Reserve for the elimination finals. The late game pits Fish Creek up against Tarwin. Third placed Fishy are coming off a loss to MDU while Tarwin had a big win over Boolarra heading into the clash, which will be a stepping stone for one side and curtains for the other.

These sides have seen each other twice this year with Fish Creek taking the win by forty-five points back in Round Eight and by twenty points in a wet and windy clash in Rond Fifteen. Fishy haven’t been to Mirboo North this season while Tarwin enjoyed a strong win on the unique ground back in Round Twelve beating the Tigers by four goals.

On the basis of sixteen weeks’ worth of evidence Fishy rightfully head into the match as firm favourites. They have stars on every line and a midfield that is the equal of any in the comp but with a solid back six unit, some goal kicking weapons up front and an engine room that will grind all day Tarwin too have plenty to like about them heading into the match.

In Tarwin’s front half the trio of Toby Mahoney, Troy Harely and Rem Dal pozzo will have their names highlighted in the Fish Creek coaches notes. They have kicked a tick over 100 goals between them with each capable of booting a bag if let of the chain. Harley has been used to effect in defence across the course of the season but I for one hope Tarwin coach Lachie Jones fights fire with fire and employs him in front of the ball in an attempt to stretch Fish Creeks defence.

And with Jack Hayes absent from the Fish Creek side for the last few weeks the extra tall may really stretch Fish Creeks back six. Tom Valenta, who appears the perfect match up for Dal pozzo may need to play taller and work in with his coach Jarrod Walker to combat the aerial skills of Mahoney and Harley if Hayes, who has bene named, happens to remain on the sidelines.

At the opposite end of the ground Fish Creek tend to rely on their midfielders as much as key forwards to get the scoring done. Charlie Wilson the obvious exception to this of course noting that several times this year he has blown up the scoreboard with bags of goals against good sides. He and Thomas Cameron will provide the likes of Ricky O’Loughlin and Daniel Houston more than their share of worries as the ball comes into the Fishy front half.

The battle in the middle though is where it is at. Both sides have a serious arsenal to unload on each other and aside from a supply battle the Fishy mids will be peppering the scoreboard themselves. The Weidemann lads, Blaine Coates, Mitch Hicks, Luke Williams and even Brady Mitchell when he gets a squirt in the engine room up against Dylan Garnham, Ben Ellen, Jordan Bertacco ad Kyle Yann is exactly what finals footy is all about.

If we look at only recent form we can see Tarwin’s last couple of games have seen them crack the ton and have easy wins. The negative to that however is they were playing Toora and Boolarra who may not have been at full tilt given their fate was well known.

On the other side of the coin Fishy have gone Bye and then loss heading into the match- hardly the kind of form that excites.

Potentially a much closer game that many might think when third plays sixth but on the balance of 16 weeks form and a two nil record this season you’d think Fish Creek will be heading into week two of the finals while Tarwin enjoy a few cool refreshments and start planning for season 2027.

The Sunday game sees MDU take on Thorpdale at Hill End. Same set up here in that the winners stays on, and the loser is resigned to spectating for the rest of the final’s series.

The two sides met twice during the season with eerily similar results. Both sides won away with MDU collecting the points at Thorpdale 16-12-108 to 10-3-63 while in the return game a few weeks back Thorpy got up 15-14-104 to 10-7-67.

So, a win apiece and net scores of 26-19-175 to 25-17-167, fair to say there isn’t much between them then?

Recent form, usually a great predictor of outcomes, isn’t necessarily too reliable in this instance sadly. While MDU had their best win for the year over Fish Creek to close out the home and away season Thorpy rested near on a dozen first choice players and were hammered by Yinnar to the tune of 138 points.

So, with recent form out the window and their seasons record reading one all with just over a goal separating the combined scores in their two meetings maybe from at Hill End can be the determining factor? Thorpy strong winners at Willow Grove and MDU beaten comfortably perhaps tips the tables slightly in favour of Thorpy? Even if MDU finished ever so slightly higher on the ladder?

To the individual match up we go!

Jacob Patullo and Cougar Milson seem the probable pair to tangle with MDU’s forward half Batman and Robin in Pat Kerr and Nick Nagel. Nagel in particular will be front and centre in the minds of the Thorpy brains trust having booted five majors in their most recent meeting. While Kerr only managed a single goal that day Wayne Stewart and Jamie Youle chipped in with three each and will also have their names circled on the Thorpy whiteboard for some close monitoring forward of centre.

At the other end Thorpy have shared the goal kicking around this season more so than in years gone by. They still have the bear in the square, or is that the Moose on the loose, with Mat Powell more than capable of taking a game apart but their contributors have come in many varied forms. Shaun Falla and Shannon Pickering go at better than a goal a game this year and will need plenty of attention shown their way as will Mitch Gorman and Kieran Albanese if he can get himself back on the park.

The midfield battle will be a ripper with both sides likely to claim honours if asked to rank their prime movers. Ayden Rann and Antony Rosato are a couple of big bodied-mids who know how to get to where they want to go regardless of who is in their way while MDU work around Jamie Youle with any one of six or seven others rolling into the middle.

Absolute ripper this clash and the winner would definitely give themselves every chance the week after so plenty to play for here- MDU, just for mine.

Good luck to all participants and remember if you cannot get along in person Gippsland FM will bring you all the action of each MGFNL Finals Match, including live coverage of the Reserves Grand Final on 104.7FM.