Football
17 July, 2026
WFNL run home has plenty of intrigue in store
With round 13 on our doorstep, we have only six weeks of the regular season to go before finals in the Wimmera Football Netball League.
As it stands, Horsham Saints are the ladder leaders, ahead of Ararat and Stawell by just one win.
The Rats have a better percentage than the Warriors:
177.36 percent compared to 135.25.
Nhill are fourth, with identical points to the Thunder (both a win behind Ararat and Stawell), with the Tigers doing better in percentage - 157.12 per cent compared to 127.74.
Here's my prediction for the remainder of the season and final standings.
First: Horsham Saints
(13 wins, 52 premiership points)
Dropping only a couple of games this season (to Ararat and the Thunder), the Angus Martin-led Horsham side have had a fairly consistent season.
Their biggest loss was to Ararat (round nine), when they went down by more than 30 points.
The Saints are heading into the final part of the season after a dominant win against the Thunder, having reversed the result by 44 points compared to the previous time they played.
Their confidence could be bolstered for the back end of the season by the fact they held the Thunder to their lowest score of the year.
Looking ahead: Nhill (W), Minyip Murtoa (W), bye, Stawell (L), Dimboola (W) and Ararat (W).
Second: Stawell Warriors
(13 wins, 52 points)
Only Ararat, Horsham Saints and the Thunder have had the measure of the Warriors this season, with all losses being within 15 points and their most recent defeat, against the Rats, by just five points.
Most recently, Stawell have had the luxury of being able to rely on a group of different players to impact the score, taking the pressure off Paul Summers, who is currently second in the goal kicking.
Co-coaches James Sullivan and Perry Meka seem to have the group developing and following their game plan well and hitting their straps at the correct time.
Looking ahead: Thunder (W), Nhill (W), Minyip Murtoa (W), Horsham Saints (W), bye and Dimboola (W).
Third: Ararat
(11 wins, 44 points)
Ararat, the current defending premiers, have been the benchmark of the league for a while.
And their results this season, I believe, aren't indicative that their standard has dropped but rather that other sides are levelling up.
With Tom Williamson at the reins solo this season, like the Horsham Saints, the side have lost only a couple of games this year: to Stawell (first round by five points) and the Thunder (round six by six points).
They did get revenge on Stawell in round 10 to the tune of five points but are yet to face the Thunder again, with that opportunity coming in a few weeks.
Looking ahead: Warrack (W), Demons (W), Thunder (L), Nhill (L), Minyip Murtoa (W) and Horsham Saints (L).
Fourth: Nhill
(11 wins, 44 points)
Nhill's biggest loss this season was against the Horsham Saints in the fourth round by a 26-point margin.
Aside from that, they have lost to Stawell (16 points) and Ararat (six points).
They face all three of these teams in the last five matches of the season, which could prove pivotal in their final standings.
Their seasoned coaching duo, Jake McQueen and Trevor Ryan, will be looking to reverse these earlier losses.
Looking ahead: Horsham Saints (L), Stawell (L), Dimboola (W), Ararat (W), Warrack (W) and Demons (W).
Fifth: Southern Mallee Thunder
(10 wins, 40 points)
Last year's grand finalists, the Thunder, I'm predicting, will finish with 10 wins like they did last season.
They're coming off a defeat to the Horsham Saints (34 points) but have had a couple of bigger wins this season, albeit over lower sides in Dimboola (96) and Minyip Murtoa (62)
With coaching director Jake Bridges playing a main role in leading the Thunder this season, the focus has been, and no doubt will continue to be, on playing their own brand of footy, week in, week out.
Looking ahead: Stawell (L), Dimboola (W), Ararat (W), Warrack (L), Demons (W) and bye.
Sixth: Warrack
(8 wins, 32 points)
The big question is whether the Eagles will sneak into the final five by the end of the season.
Currently sixth, with a record of 5-6, coach Kyle George says he's of the belief the Eagles' season hasn't been sealed and stamped yet.
His focus is on claiming the wins they're expected to have and sneaking a couple of other victories along the way.
They've been bolstered this season by the addition to the side of John Jorgensen, who's currently the leading goal scorer and capable of kicking a big score on any given day.
Warrack have this season lost to Horsham Saints (43 points and 25), Stawell (24), Ararat (30) and Nhill (30), but regardless of their results in the past five rounds they've certainly been big improvers this season.
Looking ahead: Ararat (L), bye, Demons (W), Thunder (W), Nhill (L) and Minyip Murtoa (W).
Seventh: Horsham
(4 wins, 16 points)
The Demons have had their fair share of close contests this season when results could have fallen either way.
These include against the Burras in both the opening round and round 10 (W – two points, W – four) and the Eagles (L – one).
After the side was bolstered in the first round by the addition of ex-AFL player Ben Hobbs, coach Jake Short has alluded to the fact that it might not be the last time we see the former Bomber in the blue and red this season.
But with a current record of 3-8, the Demons won't be featuring in finals this year.
Looking ahead: Dimboola (W), Ararat (L), Warrack (L), bye, Thunder (L) and Nhill (L).
Eighth: Dimboola
(1 win, 1 draw, 6 points)
With a side that's lacking the experience of the bigger sides in the league, game time and levelling up in knowledge and skill have seen an improvement in results when comparing the first and second halves of Dimboola's season.
Although Dimboola have improved significantly since the first round, I believe their only opportunity for a win comes when they play Minyip Murtoa in round 16.
The sides met in round seven and it was a draw, with each side finishing on 8.8 (56), but the added experience and motivation to get that first win it could see the Roos get over the line this time.
Looking ahead: Demons (L), Thunder (L), Nhill (L), Minyip Murtoa (W), Horsham Saints (L) and Stawell (L).
Ninth: Minyip Murtoa
(0 wins, 1 draw, 2 points)
The Burras have had absolutely no luck in 2026, on the losing side of a number of close encounters.
They lost to the Demons in the first round by just a couple of points and to the current ladder leaders, the Horsham Saints, by that exact margin just a few weeks later.
Throw in a draw with Dimboola, and another close loss (four points) to the Demons the second time, and Minyip Murtoa's season could have looked a bit different had Lady Luck looked on them more favourably.
Looking ahead: bye, Horsham Saints (L), Stawell (L), Dimboola (L), Ararat (L) and Warrack (L).