MGFNL Season 2026 - Round 12 Preview

With many of the league’s top sides taking on clubs in the bottom areas of the ladder this week there is a better than average chance a few clubs will be cheering on the wet weather we have experienced at the back end of this week. Not that we are suggesting anything like the halcyon days of Moorabbin where it was an open secret players and officials took turns watering the centre wicket via a fire hose on game eve, water is far too valuable a commodity for that sort of behaviour these days, right??

But of course, if a few at the top are playing a few from the bottom it must mean that a few in the middle of the ladder are locking horns this week too. And what a cracking couple of matches they present when tenth placed Mirboo North, possibly just beyond the last chance saloon, welcome eight placed Tarwin to town and seventh placed Hill End have fourth placed MDU come to visit.

Factor in that sixth placed Newborough have the bye, and therefore are afforded four points, and Round Twelve of the MGFNL Senior Football season could be the one we all look back on at the end of the year as the weekend teams locked in their finals fate- one way or the other!

Mirboo North v Tarwin

Sitting ten points and a whole lot of percentage outside the top six Mirboo North’s season may have entered the dreaded “mathematically possible” phase. For the uninitiated this is a time of the season where the maths says you could still play finals football, but the previous eleven weeks’ worth of evidence suggests otherwise.

But, as Lloyd Christmas says, so you’re saying there is a chance?

Their opponents, Tarwin, are a far more realistic hope of participating in the post season sitting just half a dozen points outside the top six but, crucially, with a superior percentage to the sides directly above it.

So, what does this all mean heading into this week? Well, Tarwin need to win to maintain their somewhat realistic finals hopes and Mirboo North want to win to keep their slim hopes alive but to also provide some meaning to the remainder of their season.

Tarwin coach Lachie Jones hinted at the importance of this week’s match up last week saying “we know what’s at stake against Mirboo North so we will look to get a win on the board” which to me sounded like the words of a leader that will have his side ready and raring to go.

With a midfield that runs at least six or seven deep and a competitive ruck man the Sharks will fancy their chances of keeping their season alive. Kyle Yann has been in excellent form of late and has been superbly supported by skipper Ben Ellen. With a couple of key pillars patrolling the front half in Troy Harley and Toby Mahoney and the mercurial Rem Dal pozzo hitting the scoreboard each week the Sharks look to have the ascendency when it comes to scoring.

But of course with their unique home ground and the ability to play a potentially wet and  muddy ground better Mirboo North will lock themselves in for a dour battle between the arcs and look to manufacture a game where six/seven <insert maniacal hand movements from anyone aged between four and fourteen> goals might well be enough.

Pat Lewis will be central to this as will Hudson Kerr. If they can get enough of the ball from the clearances going the Tigers way it will allow the smaller Mirboo North forwards to hit the scoreboard. Even though Shark defenders Fergus Warren and Louis Armstrong have been in decent form of late they may not get suitable match ups with Mirboo North coach Damian Turner a chance to go small-ball in his front fifty.

Turner last week noted that “challenges keep coming with Tarwin next” before adding “hopefully we can keep building on the few goals we have set”. With luck those few goals include springing the odd surprise in the back end of the year.

And if that happens to start as of this week listeners of Gippsland FMs game of the week can hear all about it on 104.7 FM or online. 

For me though the Sharks have too much to play for and a little too much firepower up front and should get the job done.

Hill End v MDU

The battle between Hill End and MDU has all the elements to be a cracker. MDU sit in fourth spot level with Thorpdale on twenty-eight points. Hill End, and Newborough, form the chasing pack sitting on their heels on twenty-six points. Your classic eight point game looms large!

Hill End are yet to take a big scalp this year but have acquitted themselves well against some of the better sides. This is a prime opportunity for the Rovers to announce themselves as finals bound and they’d love nothing more than to do it on their home ground in front of their ever growing fan base.

Tom Johnstone has been huge for the Hillmen this year and will have his work cut out against a strong MDU rucking cohort. Johnstone’s ability to dictate stoppages will be pivotal with both sides having the ability to burst from the middle to score.

Ashton Hermanus added an additional string to his bow last week playing a negating midfield role but will be needed forward to light up the scoreboard this week. The lighting quick small forward will provide MDU coach Rhett Kelly with plenty of headaches once the ball hits the ground in the Hill End front half.

At the other end it is Pat Kerr and Jay Nagel that provide the avenues to goal. The twin towers have managed nearly sixty goals between them and will be tasks one and two for the Hill End defence. With wet weather on the cards, for only the second time this season, it will be interesting to see how it is the Demons cultivate a winning score should the rain arrive.

After last week’s game Rhet Kelly said looking forward  it was a “big challenge next weekend as we head across to play Hill End over there, who are shaping up nicely” and that big challenge could be the difference between finals and missing out.

A ripping game and on the basis of cheering for the underdog and the fact they’re at home I am taking Hill End by less than a goal.

Fish Creek v Boolarra

Boolarra looked like a much better side than their current ladder position indicates in overcoming Toora last week. They transitioned the ball well from defence to offence and had multiple targets in their front half. The challenge for coach Brendan Mason and his team is to now do the same against a side that will provide much more pressure on the ball carrier.

Fish Creek have been awesome since their round one loss winning their next nine in a row, often by large margins.

Like Boolarra they have a strong engine room consisting of a couple of Weidemann’s, Mitch Hicks, Blaine Coates and the hard as nails Luke Williams. The battle of this group against the Mason’s, Matt Dyer, Mason Porykali and the under rated Tim Potter in Boolarra’s midfield will be well worth the twelve dollars at the gate.

The issue for Boolarra is though that Fish Creek also have a dominant front and back half and bat way too deep for the Demons. Likely to be without focal point Will McTaggart (is this the week we see Berryman in the late game?) the responsibility for kicking a winning score will fall to his teammates. Luckily Fishy have more than a few capable of hitting the scoreboard.

When you consider that Fish Creek have had five individual players kick more goals than Boolarra’s leading goal scorer it tells you just how much of a task the Demons face this week.

With Fish Creek fresh off a bye and looking to set themselves for a battle for top spot against Foster in just a few weeks’ time the margin here might get a little ugly, unless of course the weather intervenes.

Morwell East v Yinnar

After a subpar performance coming off the bye last week things get no easier for Morwell East this week when Yinnar come to town. Twenty odd years ago these two clubs played in a raft of big games and a pair of grand finals not to be forgotten but this year only the visiting Pies can think about finals, let alone Grand Finals.

Simply put the home team Hawks are over matched by a side that is looking to go one, if not two steps better in season 2026 than they did in 2025. And given percentage could yet determine a top two spot for Yinnar they will leave nothing in the tank should the opportunity arise to inflict a big loss on East.

Stony Creek v Foster

When you can cover the loss of Brett Eddy and still kick twenty goals you are doing plenty right. And that is exactly what Foster did in Round Eleven. Last week it was Jake Best leading the way with seven, this week who knows. Either way one thing we do know for sure is that Foster will kick too big of a score for Stony Creek to complete with.  

With a couple of midfield starts and a key forward on the park Stony Creek might give themselves a punchers chance against most sides this season but as the cool kids say, they are different gravy Foster.

Toora v Thorpdale

They were good last week Toora, they coughed up a few opportunities too which could have seen them really give the game a shake. Bright kicked five, Dyson had at least that many shots and Pintus provided them with a target across half forward.

Josh Halsall did his team of the year credentials no harm and ruckman Karl Grift evolved over the course of the game to go from being easily beaten to breaking even.

The real key though was recruit, Chris Baker. Rumours abound his appearance was a one off but if he stays and plays the Pies will rattle a few teams on the run home. 

Thorpy though seem to have found their mojo in recent weeks. After a tough run against the best sides in the comp the ‘Dales are back kicking winning scores. Moose Powell has provided a focal point up front and things seem to be going well enough that you’d expect a side like Thorpy, one expecting to play finals again, would get the better of a side battling to avoid the wooden spoon. 

Newborough has the bye and will be readying themselves for a huge clash against Yinnar next week.