Sport
29 August, 2025
Finals are early
WHILE on paper, we have reached the final round of the regular season, in actual fact, finals have come early for Footy in Paradise fans.
We kick off with undoubtedly the game of the round across either competition as the Dogs host the Saints in a literal elimination final.
Both teams will be riding high after big wins last week, where the Dogs pumped their beach rivals, while the Saints beat the reigning premiers, away, to keep their season alive.
This time last week, the Saints needed to win five do-or-die clashes to win the competition, and their ledger sits at one down, four to go for the unlikeliest of premiership tilts.
Can the Dogs put an early end to this fairy tale and keep their own season alive? It should be a packed house at The Kennel as punters watch one of the highest stakes games the comp has ever seen.
Down the road at Watson’s, the Tigers and the Crocs go head-to-head.
Since they are locked into second and first respectively, this is a preview of the first preliminary final in a week’s time.
Fans of gamesmanship will enjoy this clash, as surely neither team will be keen on exposing too many secrets ahead of the major final.
The Crocs would love to go 13-games unbeaten into finals, but will love a premiership even more.
The Tigers can be caught by the Dogs in a situation where the Dogs winning margin added to the Tigers’ losing margin is 100 points or greater.
To finish off the men’s slate, Cazalys hosts one last Hawks game for season 2025 as they entertain 2025’s other hard luck story in the Lions.
Beset by injury, the Lions have done well to field 23 every week, regardless of the previous week’s result or medical list.
The Hawks will not be feeling sentimental as they are gifted a golden opportunity to get a win on the board.
Failure to do so will mean they will have gone four years without one by the time 2026 rolls around.
Both women’s games bounce off at 11am in a pair of almost dead rubbers, unless the wooden spoon Saints pull off the upset of the season by beating the minor-premier-elect Dogs.
In the other game, Port are locked in to fourth and a final at the Lions next week, but do have a giant-killing ability in them, as they look to take down the Tigers.
The Tigers however won’t leave anything to chance as they hope for a shot at the minor premiership and a home major final next week.
