THE final four are lined up and Gingin will remain minor premiers but an uncalled for win by the Dowerin Tigers has put the orderliness of the remaining qualifying games in disarray.
Based on form, punters would have had Toodyay defeat Dowerin to allow the Lions to hold the coveted number two spot of which earlier results suggested they were more deserving.
But typical of the hot-or-cold Tigers, they rose for this particular occasion and put number two on the ladder up for grabs.
Toodyay are still there for the moment but only by nine percentage points and that is now a very fickle figure with two remaining qualifying games to go.
The actual position could come down to whether Dowerin can defeat Wongan-Ballidu in the last qualifier.
Toodyay have a tough one this weekend with a visit to Gingin but good or bad, that result should be compensated with the following match against a very unlucky Calingiri.
Dowerin, on the other hand, is lined up against Goomalling and with the Blues’ newfound form the game will not be easily predicted and then the Tigers are at home to the Boomers and they are now in the mood to get into finals form.
While Gingin remain outright favourites for back-to-back flags, the recent Dowerin victory diminishes the expected possibility of a repeat Gingin versus Toodyay finals series.
The Tigers, for this season, have not been reliable, having disappointed on more than one occasion but when they are hot they can be scorching.
And a lot of their sting has come from the influx of the remnants of the Wyalkatchem squad.
The likes of Reyner Wells, ex-Mortlock coach Jarron Turner, Mortlock medalist Matthew Borgward and Mark Ward (shining in reserves) among that number has done much to put an extra edge to a side that has proved more than competitive in recent finals.
And they have a good back up in a reserves component.
As Gingin and Wongan-Ballidu followed the expected pattern with wins, respectively, over Goomalling and Calingiri, Dowerin now provide an increased flavour in the rundown to the 2012 premiership flag.
Tigers' day all the way
With Benjamin McGillivray and Michael Gallagher missing for Dowerin and Joel Falconer, Jack Woods and Zac Sofoulis not on the field for Toodyay, the line-ups fairly evened out for the Tigers versus Lions catfight.
But not so the first quarter where a pumped up Dowerin seemed to find more than their allowed number round the ball and effectively kill any attempt Toodyay had in retaliation.
Grabbing a four-goal lead for that term, the Tigers never allowed the Lions any closer than that for the rest of the day to finish an impressive six goals ahead in a game many would claim should have gone the other way.
In the beginning of the second quarter when Ryan Pearce received a 50 metre bonus for a goal mouth gimme it was thought this would open a concerted come back but that was the last of the easy conversions as the Tigers maintained their lead and expand it until the end of the battle.
Dowerin created many opportunities for goals from a bevy of eight headed by a mercurial Dean Wilson with three.
Toodyay could only find three with Ryan Pearce posting five of their eight and Matthew Welburn with two from a quarter spell from the back line.
Little wonder he was named among the Lions' best together with middle man Jarrad King and Ryan Pearce.
David Wilson, Stewart Avery and Sloan King were to receive Dowerin's accolades.
Commendable loss
A cursory look at the Gingin versus Goomalling score line would reveal the Blues only went down to the prodigious Eagles by a more than acceptable eight goals.
But with the knowledge Goomalling fronted with 16, which included three up from reserves, it was a giant effort.
With a couple out of retirement, three Irishmen for their first or second game, a very ill Callen Syred still fronting and coach Daine Burnett filling a gap (for a goal) it was a very courageous Goomalling facing the rampaging Eagles to an end difference which should have been three of four times more.
In fact the valiant little band managed to control the first ten minutes of every quarter before running out of steam.
Of course Gingin was to make sure they were never threatened before backing off perhaps in the last quarter with a seven-goal lead.
To that end the Brendon Fewster-Geoffrey Rouse combination in the Eagles' forward line made it gilt-edged together with Rouse's seven contribution for a looming 100 goals for the season.
Goomalling's numbers game has been horrendous for the season with a total of eight missing from their league side and their reserves side in the sort of trouble that saw them scoreless against the powerful Gingin reserves over the weekend.
But the Blues, in a hopeless ‘no future’ situation, still manage to put up a good showing epitomised by their recent flogging of Wongan-Ballidu.
However their upcoming last test for the season, against Dowerin, will assess how good their morale really is and could quite easily surprise.
