ORFFA Round 15 (AFL Round 21) - The Finals Countdown - teams and chat

Cradle Mountain Devils team for Round 15 away game against the Lefties

Out: A Naughton (managed), D Zorko (managed)
In: R Marshall, L Schultz

Def: J Battle,D Byrne-Jones, J Lever, N Vlastuin (S Banks)
Mid: J Steele, D Wilson, J De Goey, S Pendlebury (R Maric)
Ruc: T Nankervis
Fwd: E Langdon, P Wright, L Schultz, S Mannagh (T Sonsie)
Inter: T English, R Marshall (C Moraes)

The third placed Cradle Mountain Devils conclude their 2026 ORFFA home and away season with an away game against the fifth placed Larrikin Lagoon Lefties. The Devils have had 10 wins and four losses in 2026 to be one win ahead of the fourth placed Gariwerd Cockatoos (9 wins, 5 losses) who have a superior points for by 107 points for the season. The Devils and Cockatoos will fill third and fourth place, it is just a matter of in which order and will both host a game in week one of the finals.

The finals equation for the Lefties is far more complicated as they are one of four teams from fifth to eighth on seven wins along with Shark Bay Tigersharks, Venus Bay Vultures and Lovely Banks Lilacs. In Round 15 the Tigersharks host the Lilacs and the Vultures have an away game against reigning premiers, the Spelunkers who are second on the ladder. The quartet of teams from ninth to 12th, Nuffers, Packers Battlers and Jaguars all have a record of six wins and eight losses. The only one of these teams that the Lefties are ahead of on points for is the Jaguars who have away game against the team one place above them on the ladder, the Battlers. The ninth placed Nuffers have an away game against the 13th placed Cows and the 10th placed Packers host the fourth placed Cockatoos.

If the Lefties can record an upset win against the Devils they will lock in a finals berth. If Larrikin Lagoon have a loss to Cradle Mountain the results of other Round 15 games will have an impact on whether they make the finals or not, and they are likely to be right on the edge, either just making it in eighth place or just missing out in ninth place. Regardless of the win/loss result of the Lefties vs Devils game points for will be important for the Lefties in determining their final ladder position. The ruck battle shapes as a crucial one as all four players in the game that average triple figures in 2026 are rucks with Lefties pair Tristan Xerri (113 points per game) and Jordan Sweet (100) opposed to Devils pair Toby Nankervis (103), and Tim English (100). Larrikin Lagoon’s seven wins in 2026 is their best result since they had 15 wins from 17 home away games a decade ago in 2016 to finish second on the ladder at the end of the home and away season. After their 2016 premiership season their best result had been 22 premiership points in a 17 round home and away season in 2023. In a great sign for the future of the @That KI Guy coached Lefties the number one ranked player on each of the clubs' four player lines are all under 25 years of age and are averaging more than 80 points for game. The Larrikin Lagoon players in this category are defender Darcy Wilmott (92 points per game / 22 years old), midfielder and second overall pick at the 2026 ORFFA PSD Willem Duursma (82 / 19 yo) and forward/midfielder Max Hall (90 /24 yo) in the F1 position.

Cradle Mountain have made two changes for the road trip to Larrikin Lagoon with forward Aaron Naughton and defender Dayne Zorko both being out managed. Ruck/forward Rowan Marshall returns after being a late out with a back injury last week and forward Lachie Schultz returns after recovering from an ankle injury. With Zorko set to return next week pressure will be on the fringe Devils to perform well against the Lefties to retain their position in the side for the first week of the finals. If the Devils win their 11th game of 2026 against the Lefties they will record their most wins in a home and away season since having 12 wins from 17 home and away rounds in their premiership winning 2021 season.

 

@That KI Guy ’s Larrikin Lagoon Lefties 999/12 Average 83.3

Lead

Cradle Mountain Devils 767/9 Average 85.2 on total points.

On average the Devils have a narrow lead 85.2 to the Lefties 83.3

The Lefties lead the triple figure count 4-1 and didn't have the full complement of 15 players in the second half with defender Harry Perryman suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter and taking no further part in the game. Lefties forward/midfielder Max Hall (139) is the clubhouse leader for best afield honours ahead of Devils ruck Tim English (131) and Lefties 2026 MSD recruit, defender Karl Worner (123). Worner was a great value pickup for Larrikin Lagoon with pick 28 in this seasons MSD. Other Lefties to reach triple figures are ruck Tristan Xerri (109) and defender J Burgoyne (101). In another consistent team performance three CMD players have scored 90's and the lowest player score to date is 65.

The nine players to take the field today are:

Lefties (3): W Duursma (Averages 82 points per game), S Lalor (75), H Langford (65)
Devils (6): N Vlastuin (72), T Nankervis (103), J Lever (75), J Steele (98), E Langdon (83), P Wright (82)

If the remaining players replicate their 2026 averages the Lefties will pay tribute to the late Richie Benaud and increase their score by 222 whilst the Devils will add 513 points to tally which would result in Cradle Mountain having a victory 1,280 to 1,221. The trio of Lefties young guns to take the field today have all been selected in the top four of a PSD draft in the past two seasons. The past PSD number two picks, midfielder Willem Duursma (2026) and forward/midfielder Sam Lalor (2025) along with 2025 number four pick, midfielder Harvey Langford. It will be a fantastic experience for this trio in a game with a finals like intensity against a top four team and if they can inspire the Lefties to a victory Larrikin Lagoon will lock in a finals berth for the first time in a decade.

Do any other coaches have a progress score for their ORFFA Round 15 game?

 

Before the first bounce today the Nuffers (858/10) lead the cows (824/11)
Yet to play:
Nuffers - Mason Redman, Matt Rowell, Mark Keane (OOP D as R), Jack Ross, Joel Fitzgerald
Cows- Trent Rivers, Dylan Patterson, Zac Johnson, Marcus Herbert.

Looks like @chris88 will have to wait for percentages to know if he makes the eight.

In the early game at half time there is a fascinating battle between Jack Ross (73) and Marcus Herbert (75). I say fascinating as iI drafted Jack Ross and later traded him to chris. Marcus Herbert was the second pick in the 2026 MSD.

All scores E&OE

 

Unofficial final score
Larrikin Lagoon Lefties 1,191
Lost to
Cradle Mountain Devils 1,262

Larrikin Lagoon Lefties
Def: D Wilmot 43, J Burgoyne 101, K Worner 123, H Perryman 39 306/4
Mid W Duursma 35, H Thomas 82, D Stephens 72, H Langford 52 (H Rowston) 241/4
Ruc: T Xerri 109
Fwd: M Hall 139, S Lalor 109, M Georgiades 87, J Berry 85 416/4
Int: J Sweet 85, H Boxshall 34 (C Sharman) 119/2
1,191/15 Average 79.4

Cradle Mountain Devils
Def: J Battle 90, D Byrne-Jones 97, J Lever 59, N Vlastuin 59 (S Banks) 305/4
Mid: J Steele 47, D Wilson 65, J De Goey 74, S Pendlebury 92 (R Maric) 278/4
Ruc: T Nankervis 122
Fwd: E Langdon 90, P Wright 118, L Schultz 66, S Mannagh 68 (T Sonsie) 342/4
Inter: T English 131, R Marshall 84 (C Moraes) 215/2
1,262/15 Average 84.1

Three players reached triple figures on Sunday comprised of two Devils and one Lefties player. 2025 PSD pick 2 Sam Lalor scored 109 points from the Lefties F2 position. A Devils duo reached the ton on Sunday, the captain Toby Nankervis (122) as the starting ruck along with forward/ruck Peter Wright (118) with a season-best six goals after starting in the F2 position. As predicted in my pre-game post, the ruck battle proved critical to the outcome of the game. Lefties ruck duo Tristan Xerri (109) and Jordan Sweet (85) scored an impressive 194 points at an average of 97 points. The Devils ruck quartet were able to clear this high bar, adding 455 points to their club’s tally at an average of 113.8 points per player. Along with the two CMD rucks mentioned earlier in this paragraph pure ruck Tim English scored a team-high 131 points and ruck/forward Rowan Marshall scored 84. The Lefties won the ton count 5-3 with all the Devils 100’s being by ruck eligible players. At the other end of the scales four Lefties recorded a sub-50 score compared to only one Devil. One of the Lefties scores in this category by defender Harry Perryman was due to suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter and taking no further part in the game. Four Devils players scored 90's including at least one player on each four player line - defenders Darcy Byrne-Jones (97), Josh Battle (90), midfielder Scott Pendlebury (92) and forward/midfielder Ed Langdon (90) starting in the F1 position.

The final round highlight for Larrikin Lagoon was a phenomenal forward line performance with this four player line scoring 416 points at an average of 104 points per player. In terms of their game score the Lefties four forwards maintained their season ranking with F1 Max Hall scoring 139, F2 Sam Lalor scoring 109, F3 Mitch Georgiades scoring 87 and F4 Joe Berry adding 85 to the tally. The Lefties started the final round of the home and away season in fifth place and will drop at least two places on the ladder, being overtaken by the Nuffers and the winner of the game between two teams that started the round equal with the Lefties on seven wins, the Tigersharks and the Lilacs. Larrikin Lagoon coaching staff, players and fans face a nervous wait to find out if they have made the finals.

Cradle Mountain’s victory locks in third place on the ladder, the club’s equal second highest finish on the ladder, along with a third placed finish in the 2020 hub season. The only Devils season that surpasses 2026 from a ladder perspective is 2019 when they finished second on the ladder.

With the Devils victory we know that the finishing order for the top four at the end of the 2026 ORFFA home and away season is:

1st Gundagai Grasshoppers
2nd Charlies Opening Spelunkers
3rd Cradle Mountain Devils
4th Gariwerd Cockatoos

Several places in the jigsaw puzzle need to fall into place before we know which teams fill fifth to eighth for the back half of the 2026 ORFFA finals starting grid.

 

Thanks @graeme for the progress score for Cows vs Nuffers. I have added the Sunday scores to your progress score.

Unofficial final score
Nuffers 1,317
defeated
Cows 1,157

Of the nine players in action today the two best players scored 132 points each, Cows 2026 MSD number 2 pick Marcus Herbert playing as a midfielder after starting on the bench and Nuffers forward/midfielder Jack Ross starting in the F3 position against his former team. The win improves the Nuffers record to seven wins and eight losses and is almost certain to lock in a finals berth. @chris88's Nuffers were ninth on the ladder at the end of Round 14 and will move ahead of the Lefties on points for. The only scenario that would result in the Nuffers missing the finals is if all 3 of the thinks below happened:

1. The Tigersharks and Lilacs had a draw
2. The Packers defeated the Cockatoos and scored at least 233 points more than the Nuffers in Round 15
3. The Vultures defeated the Spelunkers.

Each of these three things are unlikely to occur so you could your own ticket on all three events happening. It looks like the Nuffers who were 12th on the ladder at the end of Round 13 have timed their run to perfection. The Nuffers were able to make the most of a rare early draft pick by selecting mature-age midfielder Joel Fitzgerald wick pick 4 at the 2026 MSD. Fitzgerald has quickly settled into the Nuffers team and scored 117 points today which wasn't enough to take the honours for highest score in the game by a player selected in the 2026 MSD, being surpassed by the Cows number 2 pick Marcus Herbert with 132 points. The Nareewillock Nuffers will make their fourth straight finals appearance in 2026. The Nuffers finished first on the ladder in 2024 and third in 2025 and had a say in their first weeks finals opponent. In 2026 the Nuffers are in the fifth to eighth bracket and have to wait to see which if a top three side chooses to play them or if they are judged to be the best team in the second half of the eight and end up taking on the fourth placed Cockatoos in week one of the finals.