ONLY one game in the Mininera and District Football League will feature two teams in the top five of the premiership ladder, with Wickliffe-Lake Bolac hosting Hawkesdale-Macarthur at Lake Bolac Recreation Reserve today.

Wickliffe-Lake Bolac has remained undefeated after the first 11 rounds of the season, while Hawkesdale-Macarthur sits on the third rung of the ladder with eight wins to its credit.

The Magpies swept aside reigning premier, Tatyoon, last round with an emphatic 13-goal victory that all but ended the Hawks’ title defence, while the Eagles travelled north to Battle Ararat Eagles and brought the points home with a two-goal win.

At this point of the season with five games remaining, only two teams are guaranteed of playing finals (Wickliffe-Lake Bolac and Penshurst), while four teams are battling it out for the remaining three spots.

If results in other games go as expected, and the Magpies win, four teams will be locked together on 32 points with only percentage separating them.

Hawkesdale-Macarthur coach, Xavier McCartney, has his team playing good football this season and the team deserves the spot it occupies on the ladder.

McCartney will have tweaked the game plan in preparation for this clash and his squad has followed every instruction he has given to date, so the Magpies will have to be at the top of their game to stop the Eagles.

“This is a massive game against the ladder leaders this week, but we are going down there confident in the way we are playing that we can really test them,” McCartney said.

“Obviously they are the benchmark and we have been working hard to get to where they are, and in the couple of games we have been playing some good footy.”

Glenthompson-Dunkeld v Great Western

ALTHOUGH there is only one place on the ladder between these two teams, Glenthompson-Dunkeld is a vastly better team than Great Western, and the Rams should collect another victory at Glenthompson Recreation Reserve this afternoon.

The Rams claimed a 53-point win against SMW Rovers last round on the back of their superior running game, as the ball moved effortlessly into the forward line time and again.

The home side will be looking to play even better today against the Lions, with Jezza Woods, Ben Potter, Tyler Staude, Thomas Waters, Zach Burgess, and Lachlan Phillips all in hot form and they will be hoping to continue the form into today’s game.

Great Western showed vast improvement in the opening quarter against Lismore-Derrinallum last round, as it led at the siren, but all forward momentum was halted from then on, as the Lions added only a single major for the rest of the game to be thrashed by 83 points.

Unfortunately for the home side it appears that finals are now out of reach, as the most wins it can muster now is nine, and with a draw already it won’t give the Rams enough points to squeak in.

One incentive the Rams take into the game is that the 1974 premiership winning Glenthompson team will be in attendance along with the Glenthompson-Dunkeld reserves team of 2004 that won the flag, and they will be all be looking for a home win to top off their reunion celebrations

Caramut v Penshurst

PENSHURST travels to Caramut Recreation Reserve today seeking to keep its winning form intact against bottom-of-the-ladder Caramut.

The Swans are on a hiding to nothing against the rampaging Bombers, who sit second on the ladder, and the game will be a percentage boosting exercise for the visitors.

Josh Rentsch leads the goal kicking list for the league, while Ian Milera sits second and together, they give the Bombers strong forward targets.

Along with the rest of the forwards and the hard-running midfield, the Bombers look set for another huge tally on the scoreboard.

Other games

MOYSTON Recreation Reserve is the destination for the visiting Lismore-Derrinallum side, as the Demons look to continue their winning form against Moyston-Willaura.

While the home side won last round against Caramut to hand the wooden spoon to the Swans, the Demons are a much tougher proposition, and the visitors are favoured to win easily.

ARARAT Eagles is still very much in contention for a finals place, and it hosts SMW Rovera at Alexandra Oval today looking to increase its premiership points tally, but also its percentage with a big win.

WOORNDOO-MORTLAKE can defeat Tatyoon at Woorndoo Recreation Reserve this afternoon and finally end the Hawks’ flag defence with yet another loss.

The teams occupy six and seven on the ladder respectively and are separated by six points, but should the Tigers win, they have the chance to rise into the top five depending on other results.