OAKLEIGH Chargers finished as the top-ranked metropolitan side, but will need to rebound quickly from a heavy Round 21 loss when they face an in-form Western Jets outfit at Shepley Oval. The Chargers went down to Eastern Ranges by 57 points last weekend, while the Jets secured their first finals appearance since their 2022 premiership with a commanding 45-point win over Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels.

The teams’ immediate form points towards a danger game for Oakleigh, though the context behind its loss is significant. Cleo Barbakas, Zoe Curry, Isabella Mazzei and Ruby Douglas all return after the starting midfield quartet missed Round 21, giving the Chargers a far stronger on-ball unit and ensuring this knockout clash should bear little resemblance to last week’s performance.

DETAILS

Oakleigh Chargers (#1 Metro) vs. Western Jets (#4 Metro)

Venue: Shepley Oval
Date: Saturday, August 29
Time: 12:40pm

LAST TIME THEY MET

Oakleigh led throughout when the sides met in Round 7, defeating Western by 35 points at Warrawee Park. Cleo Barbakas was best afield with 21 disposals, 16 hitouts, 11 clearances and four inside 50s, while Isabella Mazzei added 26 disposals, six tackles, eight clearances and five inside 50s.

The Chargers found several avenues to goal, with Scarlett Bown kicking three majors and Abi D’Intini and Cate Deayton adding two apiece. Bown’s presence in the air and willingness to follow up at ground level caused problems, while D’Intini produced one of the goals of the day with an instinctive finish from the boundary.

Western still had several of its leading midfielders influence the contest. Addison West finished with 18 disposals, eight tackles and four clearances, Tayla Olivieri kicked two goals from 16 disposals and 10 tackles and Ruby Jones battled through with seven tackles. Paige McHutchison also produced 14 disposals, nine tackles and a goal as the Jets fought out the game.

The form lines have changed since that meeting. Western enters the quarter-final after defeating GWV Rebels 9.12 (66) to 3.3 (21), with West, Jones, Olivieri and Piper Dixon all prominent. Oakleigh’s 12.5 (77) to 3.2 (20) loss to Eastern was its poorest performance of the season, but the return of its first-choice midfield provides an immediate opportunity to reset.

TOP-AGERS TO WATCH

Bailee Martin is the headline prospect and one of the leading contenders to be selected with the first pick in the 2026 AFLW Draft. The athletic 176cm forward is exceptional in the air, quick on the lead and capable of producing match-winning goal tallies. Martin averages 13.8 disposals, 4.2 marks and 1.8 goals across five Talent League appearances this season, and her battle with Western’s defence will be central to the result.

Oakleigh’s returning midfield contains two more National Draft Combine invitees. Zoe Curry brings power, strength overhead and one of the most penetrating kicks in the draft crop. She averages 22.7 disposals, 5.7 clearances and 5.5 inside 50s, giving the Chargers a player capable of winning the ball at the source and immediately driving it deep into attack.

Mazzei supplies a different type of power around the contest. Her explosiveness, clean hands and stoppage craft have produced averages of 23.7 disposals, seven tackles and 5.4 clearances, and she was one of the decisive players when these teams last met. With Barbakas and Douglas also returning, Oakleigh should be far better equipped to withstand Western’s contested pressure than it was against Eastern.

Sophia Green is Oakleigh’s fourth National Combine invitee and will be important behind the ball. The 170cm defender-midfielder averages 19.3 disposals and 5.2 tackles and combines strong reading of the play with a willingness to compete aerially and at ground level. Green had 22 disposals, five marks and 10 tackles in last week’s defeat, standing up under sustained pressure when Eastern repeatedly went forward.

State Combine invitees Isabelle Godfrey and Leni Lockyer add run and composure on the outside. Godfrey’s evasiveness and ability to create space make her dangerous in transition, while Lockyer has found form across half-back and can break lines with her kicking. The pair averages 17.5 and 14.5 disposals respectively and should benefit from Oakleigh regaining more strength around the contest.

Olivieri is Western’s sole National Combine invitee in the selected side and has been one of the Jets’ most reliable midfielders. The 160cm ball-winner averages 19.3 disposals, 6.7 tackles and 3.4 clearances, mixing clean inside work with the speed and awareness to push forward. She collected 21 disposals, six tackles and six clearances in Round 21 and will again be asked to provide both extraction and defensive pressure.

West has produced a huge top-age season and enters the final after collecting 28 disposals, five marks, five tackles and four clearances against the Rebels. She averages 26 disposals and more than five clearances, covers the ground relentlessly and remains influential through her repeat efforts even when her disposal is placed under pressure. Her matchup with Mazzei and Curry should be one of the best contests on the ground.

Dixon adds a genuine point of difference between midfield and attack. After missing a significant period through injury, the State Combine invitee has built strongly into the back end of the season and kicked three goals from 21 disposals, eight tackles and five clearances last weekend. Her overhead ability, pressure and capacity to hit the scoreboard give Western another way to trouble Oakleigh.

Jones, Jacinta Eteuati and Aluk Kuol round out the Jets’ State Combine contingent. Jones offers clean outside play, aerial strength and defensive application, while Eteuati provides interception and powerful rebound from defence. The 191cm Kuol could be particularly important against Barbakas, having produced her best performance of the season with 19 disposals, three marks, seven tackles, 26 hitouts and four clearances in Round 21.

Western will be without National Combine invitee Kiara Boyd, placing greater responsibility on Eteuati and the rest of the Jets’ defence to contain Martin and Bown. At the other end, Oakleigh must be alert to Dixon’s ability to impact both in the air and once the ball hits the ground.

FUTURE PROSPECTS

Barbakas is one of the premier 2009-born prospects in the competition and has been selected for the Marsh AFL National Futures program. The 182cm ruck-forward averages 15 disposals, 14.4 hitouts, 5.8 clearances, 5.7 tackles and 1.1 goals, numbers that highlight her ability to influence the game well beyond the initial ruck contest. Her ground-level work and follow-up efforts should help Oakleigh combat Kuol’s height advantage.

Bown will join Barbakas in the National Futures squad and gives the Chargers another highly rated tall for 2027. She averages 14 disposals, 3.9 marks and 1.4 goals and has the mobility to work up the ground before recovering quickly inside 50. Having kicked three goals against Western earlier in the season, she looms as another difficult matchup alongside Martin.

Douglas adds toughness and balance to Oakleigh’s 2009 group, averaging 14.6 disposals and 5.9 tackles through her midfield-defender role. Grace Sharkie has also been a consistent contributor with 12.8 disposals per game, while D’Intini is the Chargers’ most dangerous selected 2010-born prospect. The forward has kicked nine goals from eight matches and already shown an ability to convert difficult opportunities.

Western’s future group is headed by Charli Parsons-Jones, who averages 18.8 disposals, 3.8 tackles and 3.6 inside 50s. The midfielder-forward collected 24 disposals and six inside 50s against the Rebels, using clean hands and smart running to link between the contest and attack. Her ability to influence both inside and outside the stoppage will be important against Oakleigh’s restored midfield.

Taya Delaney has quietly assembled a consistent bottom-age season, averaging 14.6 disposals and 4.3 tackles, while Mylee Lake adds defensive pressure and has averaged 4.7 tackles. Neither needs to carry Western’s midfield with the experienced top-age group around them, but both can provide valuable support in a high-pressure final.

PREDICTION

Western is a genuine threat after building momentum through the second half of the season. The Jets have the contested midfielders to pressure Oakleigh, a ruck capable of giving them first use and a forward in Dixon who enters the match in excellent form. If West and Olivieri can prevent the Chargers from controlling stoppage, Western can keep the game close deep into the final term.

Oakleigh’s Round 21 loss is difficult to ignore, but so is the quality returning to its midfield. The inclusion of Barbakas, Curry, Mazzei and Douglas restores the Chargers’ ability to win clearances and supply Martin and Bown, while Green, Godfrey and Lockyer provide plenty of composure behind the ball. Western should make the top seed work much harder than it did in Round 7, but Oakleigh’s returning class and superior forward-half firepower should be enough to see it progress to the preliminary final.