The Victorian Netball League regular season will come to a close, with Round 18 at the State Netball Hockey Centre tonight.
With teams still jostling for places inside the top four in each division, the action promises to be the best yet.
Championship
Fittingly, the race for the finals comes down to the final round.
The DC North East Blaze and Melbourne University Lightning are safe, sitting first and second on the ladder, and cannot fall out of finals contention.
Positions third and fourth are still to be decided.
The Geelong Cougars moved up to the third position after their victory on Sunday against the ACU Sovereigns, whilst the City West Falcons sit in fourth on the same points.
Just outside of the top four is the Boroondara Express, who are a win behind the Falcons, however have a higher percentage.
To confirm their spots in the finals, both the Cougars and Falcons require a win, with a loss giving the Express the chance to leap into the top four.
The Falcons are taking on the tenth-placed Ariels, who are keen to secure their first victory of the season, and will be desperate for the win.
The Cougars face a challenging match against the top-of-the-table Blaze, whilst the Express must claim a win against the Sovereigns for their chance to remain open.
Division One
The top four for Division One is confirmed, with the DC North East Blaze, Geelong Cougars, City West Falcons and ACU Sovereigns all set to take part in the finals.
The two leading teams; the Blaze and the Cougars, are set to do battle in a tough final round encounter.
One win separates the two teams on the ladder, however with the Cougars having a higher percentage, a win for them could see them claim top spot.
19/U
Top of the ladder is also up for grabs in the 19/U division, with both the Geelong Cougars and City West Falcons sitting on the same points with little percentage separating them.
The Cougars face the DC North East Blaze, who sit fourth on the ladder, whilst the Falcons face the Ariels who sit fifth.
With both the Cougars and the Falcons facing teams with similar ladder positions, either team could sit on top at the end of the round.
View the fixture at vnl.com.au
