It’s a real Wildcard

The Dandenong Stingrays will play the Murray Bushrangers in the Wildcard Round this weekend. 195934 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

By Tyler Lewis

The Wildcard Round is a crucial yet unique way to enter a finals series.

The NAB League has a Wildcard Round this week before the qualifying and elimination finals commence.

The Wildcard Round sees the top three at the end of the year (Eastern Ranges, Gippsland Power and Oakleigh Chargers) have the week off, and then the rest ranging from fourth to 13th will battle it out for the remaining spots in September.

Dandenong Stingrays talent manager Darren Flanigan says it poses another opportunity for the draftees to demonstrate their potential late in the season.

“It is another game, we find out more,” he said.

“You lose your out, you win you keep going so there is a better of pressure on there.

“It is just another opportunity for players to learn and show their wears, the bottom agers will be learning and the top agers will be putting their best foot forward for talent scouts.

“With this competition it is about the longer term development of kids, to try and improve their knowledge and draft ability.”

During the year, private school footy is prioritized over NAB League and the sides’ stars return from school footy later in the year for finals once the school season has concluded, and Flanigan believes the Wildcard Round is another opportunity for the school boys to show their talent before the season ends all together.

“We will get our full list back from school footy, it is more opportunity,” he said.

“Especially the regions that are heavily affected with a dozen or 15 of their best who are in private school lists who don’t get to play in the NAB League as much as other kids get to.

“I know the Sandringham Dragons and Oakleigh Chargers, they really appreciate the extra opportunity to expose their kids at the back end of the year.”

Here’s how the Wildcard Round, including the finals will play out:

WILDCARD ROUND
8th vs 9th  – Dandenong vs Murray
7th vs 10th – Western vs GWV
6th vs 11th – Northern vs Bendigo
5th vs 12th – Calder vs Tasmania
4th vs 13th – Sandringham vs Geelong
FINALS WEEK ONE
Qualifying final 1 – Eastern Ranges (1st) vs top-ranked wildcard winner
Qualifying final 2 – Gippsland Power (2nd) vs Oakleigh Chargers (3rd)
Elimination final 1 – 2nd-ranked wildcard vs 5th-ranked wildcard
Elimination final 2 – 3rd-ranked wildcard vs 4th-ranked wildcard