They’re fresh from knocking off the top team, they’re locked into finals, and they’re playing some exciting cricket – it’s a good time to be a Magpie.

The ‘Pies are up and about after downing Rovers United Bruck to secure their place in the postseason, sitting third overall as the A grade competition rolls into the final round of the home and away season.

Thanks to their superior net run rate of 0.809, the mathematical what-ifs which would see them miss the top four have now been pushed into pure absurdity.

Benalla Bushrangers and Ovens Valley United would need to completely hammer their opponents – Yarrawonga Mulwala and RUB, respectively – by more than 200 runs, or chase a total in less than 10 overs, all while the ‘Pies would need to essentially be knocked over for a single digit score.

That is the only situation the Magpies could miss finals – mathematically possible, technically, but completely in the realms of fantasy.

Magpies skipper Cooper Matheson said after a roller coaster of a year, it was good to be assured of a place in the playoffs.

“Vibes are high at the moment, it’s good,” he said.

“We’ve missed out on a lot of games, it’s been a very on-and-off season so it would’ve been pretty easy for some blokes to throw in the towel, especially with how dominant footy is nowadays.

“When you’re playing not many games of cricket, blokes could’ve easily thought ‘stuff it’ and kept doing footy, but to be in the position we are, it’s good.

“We still want to put a good performance out on the track.”

Their opponents this weekend, Beechworth Wanderers, will be sure to put up a fight despite their lacklustre season to date.

The Wanderers have not won a game since 15 November, but with their experienced outfit and some talented youngsters, they’re not a pushover.

“Coming in after Christmas, I thought Beechworth were going to be a top two, top three side,” Matheson said.

“We definitely still think they’re a very good cricket side, they’ve just not been playing their best brand of cricket.

“We won’t go in thinking it’s going to be an easy win by any means, we’ll still have to work very hard for it.”

The weekend will be a test for the Magpies’ lauded import players, who have qualified to play finals, in particular Harkaran Mann.

After smashing 71 off 64 and 34 off 41 in his first two outings, the Canadian has made a five-ball duck and a one.

“It’ll be good for him to come into some form, he’s a very capable cricketer and he’s pretty disappointed in his own game,” Matheson said of Mann.

“I think he’ll be ready to try and make a statement this week, so will Akhil [Kumar].

“They’ve both played pretty good cricket at times - everyone in the club and especially themselves, they know the damage they can do.

“Hopefully we can see some of that on the weekend.”

The Magpies take on Beechworth Wanderers at Baarmutha Park from 12.30pm on Saturday.