Bats to help shape finals make-up

They’ve made finals, but exactly who Goorambat will face in the first week of the postseason is still very much in the air. The top two has been locked in for some time, with Greta and Bright to play off for a spot in the grand final on 30 August. That leaves Milawa in clear third at 52 points, with the rest of the finalists Goorambat, Whorouly, and Bonnie Doon even on 40 points apiece. With the ladder so congested from fourth to sixth, this weekend’s last round of the home and away season will have a large say in how the finals shape up. Bats coach Ben Wapling said he was proud of his side making finals in spite of a horrendous run of injuries in the back end of the year. “It’s been pretty hard, we’ve had a lot of season-ending injuries - we’ve lost three on-ballers, lost Sam [Gladstone] the other week, our best backman as well,” he said. “At different times we’ve had both of our forwards out, Brush [Duane Haebich] and Rhys [Goodley], we’ve weathered a lot of the storm, so to still be up there with everything that’s been happening, it’s a credit to the boys for keeping their heads up. “It’s been tough, so I’m pretty proud of how we haven’t copped any beltings or anything like that, but we’ve just found it tough.” With the ladder still malleable, the Bats will look for on-field consistency this weekend against North Wangaratta, trusting their list will be competitive against anyone else in next week’s Elimination Final. “At the end of the day, if you want to be up there, you’ve got to beat them anyway, it doesn’t really matter who,” Wapling said. “You could win one final then you’re out in the next, so it’s more about coming up against whoever and putting our best foot forward and making sure our pressure and one percenters are there. “We’re just learning to adjust at the moment, and at the end of the day we’ve got nothing to lose. “We know we’ll have another tough game against North Wang, we always seem to have tough games against them. “Either which way, we’ll be playing finals, so we need to make sure we manage what we’ve got and be in a really positive headspace going in.” This weekend also marks Wapling’s last home and away game as senior coach, with the Bats confirming he would be passing the torch to gun midfielder Jamie Dunne for the 2026 season, who he has mentored during his time at the Bat Cave. “The succession plan has been there since the day I took it on, Jamie was one of the main reasons I came over to the club, having previously coached him in his teenage and junior footy,” Wapling said. “It was more about working hard to see if we could get him up to the point where he can take over, and he has, especially this year. “He’s developed in his leadership, so it’s good when you can build a club up and leave it in really good hands.” Goorambat takes on the Hawks at the North Wangaratta Recreation Reserve to round out the regular season. In other round 20 matches, Milawa are at home to Bonnie Doon, the Lions head off to Hopperland, King Valley takes on Bright at Whitfield, and Greta welcomes Benalla All Blacks.

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