Skipton fell just nine goals shy of a finals appearance as the Emus' eight-goal loss to Bungaree meant they could not capitalise on Dunnstown's loss to Newlyn.

Gordon needed a miracle to leapfrog Dunnstown, which was 17 per cent in the clear of the Eagles, and though Gordon made up a whopping 10 per cent with a 42-point win over Ballan, it still was not enough.

While the top eight was not set until the final rounds of the season, the top four sides were locked in in round 16 after Rokewood-Corindhap's stunning win over Springbank, as the Hoppers followed it up with a classy victory over Beaufort on Saturday.

It is an exciting time to be at the club for Rokewood-Corindhap coach Kerry Lightfoot.

"We have been working really hard towards this consistent level of form over a couple of seasons," Lightfoot said.

"We are playing some of our best netball at the right time of the year which certainly helps."

The Hoppers sit just one spot above the Crows, with the 31-point margin catching everyone by surprise.

"We felt confident we could beat Beaufort but we did not think there would be that size of a gap," Lightfoot said.

"I think our whole-court defence won us the game on Saturday. That is our team strength and it can really shut teams down."

It sets up a qualifying final clash against Buninyong for the Hoppers, who came within seven goals - the closest any side has been to the Bombers all season - back in round 10.

"We had a really good match-up against Buninyong earlier in the season," Lightfoot said.

"It was a very close match and they would have been comfortable with a seven-goal win but I think they would have realised at the time that we mean business."

Buninyong thumped Daylesford by 57 goals on Saturday to wrap up a perfect 16-0 season for the first-placed Bombers, with Learmonth finishing second with a 14-2 record.

The Lakies recorded the largest win of round 17, dominating Waubra by 65 points on the Roos' home court.

Springbank, which fills out the top four, had the bye at the weekend which helped the Tigers clinch third place to set up a date with Learmonth on Sunday.

Beaufort will hope to bounce back from its Rokewood-Corindhap loss in an elimination final duel with Dunnstown, while Newlyn and Bungaree, who have been neck-and-neck all season, match up in an elimination final.

CHNL FINALS

QUALIFYING FINALS

Buninyong v Rokewood-Corindhap - Saturday, August 20

Learmonth v Springbank - Sunday, August 21

ELIMINATION FINALS

Beaufort v Dunnstown - Saturday, August 20

Newlyn v Bungaree - Sunday, August 21