By Sophie Taylor
Just one week remains in the home and away season, with the top four locked in but third and fourth both still up for grabs.
While the bottom half can’t shift their spots all the much, they can have a big impact in their last round of the season.
If season 2026 has taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected.
Here’s how your team’s finals hopes are shaping up heading into the final round of the season.
Adelaide Thunderbirds (48 points, 125.95%)
Current ladder position: 1st
To come:
Sunshine Coast Lightning (Away)
The Minor Premiers have proved they’re the team to beat this season and a final round win against the Lightning will be the cherry on top of an excellent season.
While we can always expect the Thunderbirds to come out with a bang, they are coming up against a Lightning side that’s frustrated by their season and will almost certainly put up a fight.
Nothing will knock the Thunderbirds down on their pursuit of finals, so expect nothing less than a perfect finish from the Adelaide team.
Melbourne Vixens (40 points, 107.44%)
Current ladder position: 2nd
To come:
West Coast Fever (Home)
A couple rough weeks have shaken the Vixens heading into finals, and this round against the Fever is their last chance to bring some form into the post-season.
With all three of their losses coming in the last five weeks, the Vixens will need to harness all their energy and winning attitude to get back on track this weekend.
With no shortage of pressure points but missing players through injury, the Vixens have their work cut out for them against a Fever side hungry for a third-place finish.
Melbourne Mavericks (32 points, 105.04%)
Current ladder position: 3rd
To come:
Firebirds (Home)
The Mavericks have been at their peak in the second half of the season, so expect nothing less than pure energy in their final home game of the season.
Clutch wins against the Fever and Vixens in recent weeks puts the Mavs in an excellent position heading into their first ever finals series.
With Minor Semi Final hosting rights on the line, expect the Mavericks to pull out all the stops against the Firebirds on Saturday night to keep the Fever on their toes down to the final whistle.
West Coast Fever (32 points, 104.45%)
Current ladder position: 4th
To come:
Vixens (Away)
With third place snatched from their clutches on the weekend, the Fever will be on a mission in Round 14 to steal that spot back and the Minor Semi Final hosting rights in the process.
While RAC Arena has not been the Fever Fortress it has been in recent years, the home Perth crowd and chance for less travel time back and forth from the east coast will be crucial to keep their finals hopes alive.
Unfortunately, their chance of third spot isn’t just down to their own hard work – both the Fever and Vixens will know exactly what needs to be done to get the home final.
Sunshine Coast Lightning (20 points, 97.64%)
Current ladder position: 5th
To come:
Thunderbirds (Home)
2026 has not been Lightning’s best, and boy are they aware of it.
The more pressure that has piled on the Lightning, the less they have been able to perform.
It’s crunch time this week. While they’re already ruled out of finals contention, largely due to their own errors, they have one last shot at keeping fifth spot on the ladder this week ahead of a fresh start next year.
While the Thunderbirds will be a challenge, the Lightning have nothing to lose.
NSW Swifts (20 points, 95.69%)
Current ladder position: 6th
To come:
GIANTS (Away)
A NSW derby will bring the Swifts’ SSN season to a close in a disappointing result for last year’s preliminary finalists.
After an injury-ridden season, a sixth-placed finish isn’t half bad.
But they could still step one rung higher, with this week’s battle against the winless GIANTS the Swifts’ chance to leapfrog the Lightning.
Queensland Firebirds (16 points, 92%)
Current ladder position: 7th
To come:
Mavericks (Away)
The Firebirds have a unique opportunity to play a role in the final standings, this week.
They pushed the Mavericks to the bitter end in their last encounter and a strong performance last round will have them rolling in confidence.
Expect the Firebirds to bring out the same intensity as they did against the Lightning last week to dash the Mavs’ home Semi Final hopes before they truly arrive.
GIANTS (0 points, 80.12%)
Current ladder position: 8th
To come:
Swifts (Home)
The GIANTS have just one chance left to get a win on the board in 2026.
And after an enormous performance against the Fever last week – their best at home, in fact – they may just be on here.
The wooden-spooners have no chance of making their way off the bottom of the ladder, but will certainly give their cross-town rivals a red-hot crack in the last home-and-away derby for the year.
