THE South West District Football League’s season is approaching its crescendo, with tomorrow’s round 15 action being the second last time that all eight teams will be in action this year.

While there are some pivotal clashes across the competition, there’s one which stands out from the rest, as the top two sides in the league this season will battle it out to decide who gets first place and thus a bye in the first week of finals.

Cavendish hosts Coleraine in that fixture, with the sides having won one game apiece against each other.

In their most recent round eight matchup, it was the currently top-placed Cavendish who got over the line by 19 points.

However, Coleraine have their own success in this matchup to draw upon, as way back in round one they defeated the Bloods by 23 points.

Add in to the mix the fact that the Maroons have shown themselves to be the most potent attack in the league, especially whilst they have the services of ex-AFL player Tyrone Vickery, expect this clash to live up to lofty expectations.

Cavendish coach Sam Gibson said slowing down their opposition’s scoring would be absolutely essential tomorrow.

“It starts with the midfield, we’ve found that if we give them clean entries in their forward 50, they tend to capitalise pretty consistently,” Gibson said.

“We need to find a way to slow down that ball movement and stall their entries… that should allow our guys to number off.

“We’re a defensive-minded team and I’m going to back our backline in, but the more help we can help them the better.”

Gibson said this contest would prove to be a great test for his side ahead of finals, especially with the added pressure of ladder positioning being on the line.

“We’ve got two games against two great teams in Coleraine and Tyrendarra leading in to finals, it should be a great test for us,” he said.

“The more we can test ourselves against quality opposition the better we’re going to be… whether our first finals game is in week one or week two, we can be confident that we can perform under pressure.”

Dartmoor v Heywood

This is another clash with finals implications, as fifth-placed Dartmoor hosts fourth-placed Heywood at Dartmoor Oval in what is shaping up to be a possible preview for the elimination final in a few weeks’ time.

These two sides have split their prior two games one apiece, but it was Heywood who earned the more convincing win head-to-head, getting up by 34 points in round eight.

Should the Lions get over the line on this occasion, they’ll be able to keep themselves in touch with third-placed Tyrendarra, while a loss would likely see them consigned to the elimination final.

The Giants are almost certainly in the elimination final regardless of the result, but with a chance to jump into fourth spot along with gaining the all-important psychological edge over their opposition, they’ll be keen to come out firing.

Tyrendarra v Westerns

The Darras have the opportunity to wrap up third spot on the ladder should they do what’s expected and take care of Westerns tomorrow, provided other results go their way.

They’ve handled both clashes with the Roos comfortably, although Westerns have been able to put a few goals past them in both clashes so far this season.

Westerns were able to find some progress through their backline despite the lopsided scoreline in their clash with Cavendish and they’ll be expecting to build on that progress against another top-flight side.

Branxholme-Wallacedale v Heathmere

While both sides in this clash are no longer in contention for a finals berth, expect both Branxholme-Wallacedale and Heathmere to put in their absolute best efforts as each looks to salvage one more win before the season finishes up.

The Saints have won both clashes between the two sides but got past the Meres by the skin of their teeth when they last met, winning by two points.

 As such, Heathmere will rightfully believe they’re every chance of coming away with the points in the second last match of their season.