THE RACE to finals is heating up in competitions around the nation, and budding AFL Draft prospects are set to have a major say in them. That factor is hardly more prevalent than in the NAB League, which enters its final home-and-away round before a Wildcard weekend, and an exciting postseason.

A minor premier will be crowned, with Gippsland Power in the box seat having been the league’s benchmark throughout most of the 15 rounds to date. The Power were undefeated after nine outings, but have since lost in two of their last three games, split by a 100-point victory.

>> NAB League finals calculations

They kick off proceedings under Friday night lights, taking on the Dandenong Stingrays in Frankston. The ‘Rays are a game clear of Greater Western Victoria (GWV) in third spot, and need at least a draw to hang onto it. A win would see them finish level on points with Gippsland and Tasmania, who have a bye.

The end of the school football season means a bunch of top prospects will flood back into the NAB League. Coby Burgiel promises to provide a Power boost, while Mitch Szybkowski‘s inclusion for Dandenong will likely produce fireworks in a midfield matchup against Gippsland skipper Bailey Humphrey.

After the pointy end of the ladder is sorted, Saturday’s action is headlined by a double-header at RSEA Park. The league’s most prevalent rivalry again comes to the fore, as Sandringham takes on Oakleigh. Again, with school football commitments out of the way, both sides are nothing short of stacked, and are sure to defy their 7-5 records.

Oakleigh has called upon a couple of top 10 prospects in Elijah Tsatas and Matthew Jefferson, while Alwyn Davey Jr comes in fresh off his VFL debut with Essendon. Luke Teal should draw eyes in his return from injury, as will rising defenders Josh Weddle and Max Gruzewski.

As for Sandringham, stars Will Ashcroft and Harry Sheezel gain some much needed support, as Olli Hotton enters the fold. A bunch of state representatives are poised to slot straight back into the lineup, including bottom-ager Archie Roberts and 2024-eligible talent Levi Ashcroft – the brother of Will.

Rounding out Saturday’s action, the Eastern Ranges and Calder Cannons lock horns after the Chargers and Dragons, while the Northern Knights have a chance to avoid bottom spot in the day’s earlier game. They host a confident Western Jets outfit, who have won their last two games.

It’s another double-header to see out the regular season come Sunday, as Country regions face off in Bendigo. Hosts, the Pioneers, welcome a Murray Bushrangers squad bolstered by the return of mercurial forward Brayden George, while school teammates Oliver Hollands and Noah Long line up on opposing sides.

Though they will know their fate by then, GWV Rebels’ top three hopes may hinge on whether they prize premiership points from their clash with Geelong. The Falcons will be without skipper Jhye Clark, while the Rebels have a cause as key forward Aaron Cadman guns for Rookie Me Central Medal honours.

Another competition due to complete off its final home-and-away fixtures this weekend is the SANFL. Headlining team selection news is the League debut of Woodville-West Torrens forward Patrick Weckert. The bottom-ager initially turned down the opportunity in favour of finishing his school football season with Prince Alfred College, but comes in after his side went down in the SAAS Division 1 decider.

The Eagles are still a chance to play finals, but must beat South Adelaide and hope Sturt loses to North. It’s a similar situation for West Adelaide’s Under 18s. The Bloods need to beat second-placed Norwood by a considerable margin, or hope Sturt stutters against likely minor premier, North Adelaide.

Bolstering Westies chances are the inclusions of Will Patton and Tyson Coe, who are fresh off Sacred Heart’s school football flag. The latter took out best afield honours in the grand final, and joins a strong side on paper which boasts the likes of Harry Barnett, Kobe Ryan, Harry Lemmey, and Tom Scully through the spine.

Elsewhere, a pair of solid state contributors continue their runs in the Reserves. While teammate Mattaes Phillipou may well miss the remainder of the season through injury, Adam D’Aloia will feature for Woodville-West Torrens, as Max Michalanney turns out for Norwood. Both teams remain in finals contention.

Over in the WAFL, three rounds remain before finals arrive. West Perth will look to secure minor premierships across all three grades in that time, with the Falcons currently occupying top spot at every level.

In the Colts, they should be relatively fresh coming off a bye. Skipper Kane Bevan is at the heart of the side named to take on East Perth, while the likes of Griff Julian and Jasper Scaife will look to impress after earning state combine invites.

In second spot, Peel Thunder could just about dash Claremont’s finals hopes as the two teams thrown down, though East Fremantle could do the Tigers a favour by beating the fifth placed South Fremantle. Juniors will likely again feature in the top flight too, with Swan Districts pair Elijah Hewett and Darcy Jones faring well last time out. The Swans sit sixth, but are level on points with fourth.

With plenty to play out, and top prospects strutting their stuff at high levels, there will be plenty of content right here on Rookie Me Central. Stay tuned to find out who raises their stocks, and how each result impacts the AFL Draft landscape.