The team that peaked too late

“If we'd decided to kick into gear seven or eight weeks ago we could have easily made the top four,” he said.

Tolland have a marginal chance of qualifying, five points behind fourth-ranked Cootamundra with three games left to play.

“Our finals chances are slim, and it is disappointing but we started with 11 new players and we just wanted to play competitive football, which is what we’re doing now,” Boissery said.

Tolland will also need to leap-frog Young for a shot at the Pascoe Cup.

On the upside, the first grade team has experienced an injury-free season.

Opposition teams have struggled to score against Tolland, who have the second-lowest ‘goals against’ count in the league with co-captains Josh Buggy and Richard Skidmore critical in defensive positions.