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.

 

ORFFA Round 15 points for rankings

It was a Tassie quinella for the Round 15 points for rankings with @Tracey ‘s Wineglass Bay Packers scoring an ORFFA high 1,378 points followed by @Bandit ’s Charlies Opening Spelunkers with 1,348 points. When I completed the same exercise in Round 7 the Spelunkers ranked second for points for, they are the only team to have the same points for ranking in Round 7 and Round 15. Round 7 was also a Tassie quinella with the Cradle Mountain Devils ranking first. The 2025 ORFFA season concluded with the Spelunkers at home defeating the Devils by 26 points in the Grand Final. The first week of the 2026 finals includes an Apple Isle encounter with the Devils hosting the Packers. Four teams scored 1300+ points in Round 15 with this quartet completed by minor premiers, the Gundagai Grasshoppers (1,332) along with the Nuffers (1,327). The Lilacs ranked fifth in Round 15 with 1,265 points, matching their fifth position on the end of the season ladder.

Highest team scores of Round 15

Rank Team Score

1 Wineglass Bay Packers 1,378

2 Charlies Opening Spelunkers 1,348

3 Gundagai Grasshoppers 1,332

4 Nareewillock Nuffers 1,327

5 Lovely Bank Lilacs 1,265

At the bottom of this post is an image ranking the 16 ORFFA clubs by points for in Round 15, other columns include points against, result and points difference to the average score of the round. A breakdown of each clubs score by the five lines – defense, midfield, ruck, forward and interchange is included. Each clubs donuts, OOP’s and late in scores are listed when applicable. In the eight games over Round 15 the 16 ORFFA clubs amassed 18,745 SuperCoach points at an average of 1,171.6 points per team which equates to 78.1 points for each player in a 15 man team.The info in this image and this post might be helpful for @chris88 for his Round 15 review or coaches doing a week 1 finals review.

Nine teams scored more than the ORFFA round average of 1,172 points with these nine clubs finishing in the top nine positions on the ladder. Eight of these teams are playing in the 2026 ORFFA finals whilst the exception, the Venus Bay Vultures enter the Zac Dawson Cup as the biggest improver in the second half of the season. The six highest scoring teams completed by the Devils (1,257) in sixth position all had victories in Round 15 and are playing in the finals. In Round 15 two finalists, the Cockatoos and Lefties had a loss to a team that is in the finals. The top four teams on the ladder had already booked a finals berth before Round 15 and this quartet of teams, Hoppers (1st), Spelunkers (2nd), Devils (3rd) and Cockatoos (4th) all had a score in Round 15 within 25 points or their season average.

In the battle for fifth to eighth teams weren’t leaving any cards on the table and were going all-out to get one of the four remaining spots on the ORFFA finals starting grid. A trio of teams that finished fifth to eighth and won in Round 15 all surpassed their season average by at least 90 points in Round 15. The teams in this category were Packers (+157.6 points in Round 15), Lilacs (+140.5) and Nuffers (+94.5). The Lefties may have snuck into the finals in eighth place but they will take confidence from being +43.1 points in Round 15 compared to their season average. It shapes as a David and Goliath encounter with the Lefties opposed to a Grasshoppers team that are undefeated in 2026, winning all 15 home and away games. The Lefties themselves are one of two teams to win the premiership after finishing eighth on the ladder, having achieved the feat in 2015.


ORFFA average team score for Round 15 / Closest to Average

Defense 305.3 / Cradle Mountain Devils 305

Midfield 338.9 / Junee Jaguars* 333

Ruck 75.1 / Gariwerd Cockatoos 75

Forward 310.2 / Waikickamoocow Incorrigibles 313

Interchange 142.2 / Lovely Bank Lilacs 145

Total 1,171.6 / Larrikin Lagoon Lefties 1,195


*Only 3 players played in the Jaguars midfield rather than the full complement of four players. Jaguars midfielder Tim Taranto performed the work of two players to score an ORFFA round-high 159 points in Round 15.


The midfield was the highest averaging line for Round 15 with 84.7 points per player, 8.5% more than the overall average of 78.1 points per player for the round. The other four positional lines were all below this average, forwards ranked second (77.5 points per player), ahead of defenders (76.3) and ruck (75.1) with interchange ranked fifth (71.1). There has a been a shake up in the rankings from Round 7 with the midfield improving in Round 15 from second to first, the forward line rising from fourth to second, defenders dropping from first to third, ruck improving from fifth to fourth and interchange falling from third to fifth. The forwards were the most consistent line over the two rounds with the Round 15 average of 77.5 points per player being 0.1 point less than the 77.6 average in Round 7.

Depth of teams was tested in Round 15 with eight donuts and seven late ins, which equates to a full 15 player team being late outs across the 16 team ORFFA. The Tigersharks had a donut five pack in perfect formation to have one of each positional line flavour, defense, midfield, ruck, forward and interchange. Three others teams had a single donut, Uglies in defense along with Jaguars and Codpieces both in the midfield. There were seven late in’s including two clubs with a pair of late ins, Uglies in defense and forward along with Wombats in midfield and forwards. The single late ins for teams were Codpieces in defense, Vultures in the forward line and Nuffers with an out of position player in the ruck. These seven late-ins could only amass 289 points between them at an average of 41.3 points per player, 29.8 points less than the lowest line average of 71.1 points per player on the interchange.

Player scores of 120+ in Round 15

26 players in the ORFFA player pool scored 120+ in Round 15 this included one free agent and one player who missed out on ORFFA selection. The unlucky player in question Ollie Dempesy was named the Grasshoppers midfield emergency for Round 15 and earnt promotion for week 1 of the finals by scoring 127. 24 players at an average of 1.5 players per team scored 120+ in a Round 15 ORFFA game. Three clubs had a trio that scored 120+ in Round 15, it is no surprise that the two highest scoring teams of the round, the Packers and Spelunkers were both in this category. The lowest scoring team of the round, the Shark Bay Tigersharks also had three players reach triple figures. In an ultimate Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde performance the Tigersharks had more scores on their teamsheet, a total of eight as either donuts (5) or 120+ (3) , than the seven players in the extremely wide window from 1 to 119 points. The 10 Tigersharks that took the field amassed 876 points at an average of 87.4 points per player, an average that was only surpassed by four teams in Round 15. With five donuts SBT’s 15 player average plummeted to 58.4 points. The Wombats and Battlers were the only two clubs that didn’t have a player score 120+ in Round 15.

Round 15 scores by starting position in the ORRFA.


Rank Team Score

Defense

1 Wineglass Bay Packers 421
2 Charlies Opening Spelunkers 418
3 Lovely Bank Lilacs 400
4 Gariwerd Cockatoos 341
5 Venus Bay Vultures 332


Midfield

1 Nareewillock Nuffers 488
2 Gundagai Grasshoppers 445
3 Charlies Opening Spelunkers 416
4 Venus Bay Vultures 405
5 Gariwerd Cockatoos 390


Ruck
1 Mount Beauty Uglies 148
2 Cradle Mountain Devils 122
3 Wineglass Bay Packers 121
4 Larrikin Lagoon Lefties 109
5 Gundagai Grasshoppers 102


Forwards
1 Larrikin Lagoon Lefties 420
2 Gundagai Grasshoppers 411
3 Nareewillock Nuffers 372
4 Iron Knob Codpieces 361
5 Wineglass Bay Packers 348


Interchange Int positions

1 Cradle Mountain Devils 218 Ruc R/F
2 Charlies Opening Spelunkers 207 Mid Ruc
3 Waikickamoocow Incorrigibles 184 Mid Def
4 Mount Beauty Uglies 181 Mid F/M
5 Nareewillock Nuffers 158 Fwd Mid


Finals week 1

Based on the Round 15 line position rankings there will be some enticing line matchups in week 1 of the finals.

Gundagai vs Lovely Banks

The Gundagai forwards who ranked second in round 15 will be opposed to the Lefties defenders who ranked third in Round 15.


Charlies Opening vs Larrikin Lagoon

The Lefties had the number one ranked forward line of Round 15 and will be opposed to a Spelunker defensive that ranked second in the final round.


Cradle Mountain vs Wineglass Bay

Devils starting ruck and captain Toby Nankervis (122) ranked second of the starting rucks in Round 15, a solitary point ahead of Packers counterpart Darcy Cameron (121) who ranked third. Cameron will be severely outnumbered in the final, opposed to a quartet of Devils players that have ruck eligibility. A line that the Packers have the ascendancy is defense, ranking first for this line in both Round 7 and Round 15.


Gariwerd vs Narrewillock

The Cockatoos and Nuffers will have head to head battles for two lines that both teams ranked in the top five for Round 15. The fifth ranked Cockatoos midfield have the unenviable task of trying to curtail the Nuffers midfield that scored an ORFFA line round-high of 488 points in Round 15. A Cockatoos defensive quartet that ranked fourth in Round 15 will be opposed to a Nuffers forward line that ranked third.