THE FINAL Coates Talent League home-and-away weekend will lock away fixtures for the postseason, as regions rally on the eve of Wildcard Round. A bumper five games are slated for Saturday, starting with the clash between Greater Western Victoria (GWV) and Geelong, who are gunning for top spot in the Country conference.

>> SCROLL to see the full Round 19 fixture

Saturday August 24, 11:00am @ La Trobe University

IN A NUTSHELL

Geelong Falcons will be gunning for automatic finals qualification as the top Country seed when they face GWV Rebels for a third time this season. The two regions meet on neutral ground in Bundoora, with the Falcons having won both previous encounters this year by an average margin of 47 points. Although, it’s the Rebels who are hitting top form with four wins in their last five games.

RECORDS

Geelong Falcons – 1st (1st Country) | 10-4 | 127.8%
GWV Rebels – 11th | (6th Country) | 5-9 | 92.6%

STREAK

Geelong Falcons – WWW | L | WW | L | WW | L | WWW | L
GWV Rebels – LLLL | W | LLLL | WW | L | WW

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Round 2 @ GMHBA Stadium:
Geelong Falcons 13.12 (90) def. GWV Rebels 5.3 (33)

Round 9 @ Reid Oval (Warrnambool)
GWV Rebels 7.4 (46) def. by Geelong Falcons 12.10 (82)

ONES TO WATCH

Essendon father-son prospect Noah Caracella returns to the level fresh off his VFL debut with the Bombers. He’ll likely feature off half-back having been utilised at the other end playing up the grades. Over-age ruck Joe Pike also slots back into the side after his stint with Geelong VFL.

Co-captain Lachie Jaques was arguably the Falcons’ best player last week and is in fine form down back, while hard-running midfielder/forward Xavier Ivisic is sure to get his hands on the ball. The Falcons also have another father-son candidate up forward in River Stevens (North Melbourne).

GWV’s forwardline has some serious firepower in both the tall and small departments. Oliver Hannaford is coming off a five-goal game, while livewire Rhys Unwin managed the same number of behinds in the same game. They’ll be a handful with their speed and energy.

Talls Jonty Faull and Floyd Burmeister will require plenty of attention to shut down aerially, especially if the likes of Sam Lalor and Jack Ough can consistently get their hands on the ball in midfield. Together, they have plenty of height and clean fundamental skills at the source.

PREDICTION

On paper, the Rebels are a far better side than their record suggests. Recent form attests to that, though Geelong has long been one of the most well drilled and consistent regions. They’ll be tough to beat, especially having already had the wood over GWV twice this season. Falcons by 15.

>> EXPLAINER: Coates Talent League Wildcard Round & Finals

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Two more games get underway at 11am on Saturday. Bendigo and Murray lock horns in a Country conference clash, while Northern and Eastern form a Metro matchup. The Pioneers will be buoyed by the returns of Jobe Shanahan and Tobie Travaglia from VFL duties, along with Lachlan Hogan.

Murray’s forwardline is as potent as any, especially with the tall combination of Jack and Matt Whitlock. Last week, they combined with Joshua Murphy for an incredible 15 goals. Elsewhere, Joe Berry is hard to tie down with his speed and smarts, while Oliver Warburton‘s run off half-back is relentless.

>> Marquee Matchup: Jack Whitlock vs. Matt Whitlock

Northern lays claim to its own dynamic tall forward pairing in Thomas Sims and Gabriel Stumpf. They’ll have Jesse Dattoli at their feet and Zak Johnson delivering them the ball, while for Eastern it’s the Christian Moraes and Josh Smillie show in midfield.

The penultimate fixture on Saturday sees Gippsland host Dandenong in Morwell. High flyers Asher Eastham and Alix Tauru have given the Power a spark at either end of the ground. Meanwhile, Stingrays co-captains Harvey Langford and Cooper Hynes reconvene to continue their midfield dominance.

>> RMC Medal: Trio tied for lead with one round to play

Arguably the league’s best local rivalry gains another chapter as Oakleigh and Sandringham do battle. The Dragons, gunning for a third-consecutive flag, will also look to secure this year’s minor premiership with a win. Top 10 prospects Jagga Smith and Finn O’Sullivan are set to battle it out against Levi Ashcroft and Murphy Reid in midfield.

Sunday’s lone match sees Calder Cannons take on Western at Highgate Recreation Reserve. The hosts are still a chance to take out the minor premiership and top spot in the Metro pool, but will know their fate and the requirements coming into the match.

ROUND 19 FIXTURE

Geelong Falcons (2nd) vs. GWV Rebels (11th)
Saturday August 24, 11:00am @ La Trobe University

Bendigo Pioneers (12th) vs. Murray Bushrangers (7th)
Saturday August 24, 11:00am @ Queen Elizabeth Oval

Northern Knights (9th) vs. Eastern Ranges (8th)
Saturday August 24, 11:00am @ Genis Steel Oval

Gippsland Power (6th) vs. Dandenong Stingrays (5th)
Saturday August 24, 1:10pm @ Morwell Recreation Reserve

Oakleigh Chargers (13th) vs. Sandringham Dragons (1st)
Saturday August 24, 2:00pm @ Trevor Barker Beach Oval

Calder Cannons (3rd) vs. Western Jets (10th)
Sunday August 25, 11:00am @ Highgate Recreation Reserve

Bye: Tasmania Devils