Sport
13 January, 2026
Road to weekend finals starts this Saturday
Following an extended sabbatical over the Christmas period, the Goldfields Playing Area’s weekend pennants will return this Saturday.
Today marks exactly one month since a bowl was rolled across the three competitions, with a palpable excitement beginning to build among players for their return to the greens.
With only four rounds remaining in the regular season, there will be no margin for error as teams commence a final month’s sprint along the road to the finals.
As the heat of the finals race is set to be cranked up a notch, here is the lay of the land across all three local bowls divisions.
DIVISION ONE
After their disappointing straight-sets finals exit last season ended their ambitions of a four-peat, the Maryborough Highland Society has returned with a vengeance.
Perfection is the only word that can describe Highland’s 2025/26 campaign so far, currently boasting an impressive 10-0 record.
The long-standing powerhouse is the heavy favourite to collect the first double chance finals ticket as minor premiers, but Highland will only count this season as a success if they can regain the premiership on the final day of February.
Despite their dominant season so far, Highland will face some imposing competition as they strive to avenge last season’s shortcomings.
Their most notable challengers are Talbot and Dunolly Blue, who are both jockeying to join Highland in the double chance semi-final.
Talbot currently holds the precious second place over the team that knocked them out of the 2024/25 finals, but any major slip-up could lead to Dunolly Blue snatching that position. Last season’s runner-ups trail by just eight points and possess a narrow score difference advantage.
With fixtures against the bottom three in their last four games, Talbot holds a distinct advantage over Dunolly Blue, who will return to the rink with games against old rivals Maryborough Golf and Highland.
Speaking of the reigning premiers, Maryborough Golf’s title defence has been a rollercoaster. While currently stationed in fourth, they are facing some momentous pressure from Carisbrook after the newly promoted side defeated Golf in both regular season meetings.
Golf’s ambitions of defending their title are set to hit a critical juncture over the next fortnight as they take on fellow finals contenders Dunolly Blue and Talbot in rounds 11 and 12.
Golf will look to retain at least some of their eight-point lead over Carisbrook at the conclusion of round 12, with last season’s division two premiers ending their regular season with clashes against Dunolly Blue and Highland.
With an over two-game gap between themselves and fourth, Maldon, Avoca and Newstead will likely need minor miracles to enter the final hunt, but can effectively play the role of spoiler with competitive outings throughout the season.
DIVISION TWO
It’s a Maryborough lockout atop division two, with Highland Black, Maryborough Golf and Highland White all sitting pretty inside the top three.
Highland Black holds pole position by a noticeable 23-point gap with a 9-1 record, followed by Golf, who look poised to take the second double chance spot.
Highland White has a robust clasp on third with 82 points, 17 points behind Golf in second, but they can ill afford to loosen their grip with some key games against teams currently vying for fourth.
After their four-game winning streak just before the mid-season break, Dunolly Gold finds itself in fourth with an eight-point advantage over its rivals.
Talbot is Dunolly Gold’s closest adversary in fifth, but they have to navigate a difficult end-of-season run, starting with sixth-placed Bridgewater, who have shown great strides after going winless in their inaugural season in the Goldfields Playing Area.
Bridgewater themselves have an even more brutal fixture list, facing the top three teams in their last three matches.
That leaves the door narrowly open for Dunolly Green to make a run at the top four, but they will need to harness the form from their stunning round seven upset of Highland Black for the rest of the season to do so.
Avoca rounds out the division two ladder, looking to add a second win to their total in the final four rounds of the regular season.
DIVISION THREE
While several teams have virtually secured their finals spots, there is still observable intrigue around the Goldfields Playing Area’s newest division.
Much of that intrigue involves Newstead and Carisbrook, who are to partake in a month-long gauntlet to see who will likely join top-of-the-table Maryborough Highland Society in the double-chance semi-final.
Newstead’s round 12 visit to Carisbrook will be vital towards who finishes the regular season in second, with the slot occupied by Newstead while Carisbrook sits just two points behind.
Another point of interest surrounds the last spot of the top four, currently held by Dunolly, who have a 19-point lead on the bottom two.
Despite their hefty cushion, it might not be all smooth sailing for Dunolly, as Avoca has made a serious surge up the ladder after being forced to forfeit four of their first five matches.
With the two teams squaring off in the last round before finals, the battle for fourth could go down to the wire.
