OK so last Friday probably wasn't one of the great nights in Falcons history, but the good news is we have some teams that avoided the Friday the 4th curse altogether and now have the chance to play off for the big prize, as well as one team who are playing to reach the big dance.

VC RESERVE PRELIMINARY FINAL

Under 12.1 Girls

Waverley vs Sunbury

When: Friday, September 11, 7:00pm

Where: MSAC Crt 8

The girls enjoyed a week off last Friday after winning their qualifying final the week before. Now they are just oen win away from the VC Reserve Grand Final, and standing in the way are the Sunbury Jets. The Jets actually got the better of the Falcons back in Round 2 of the reserve fixture, winning a high scoring game 45-42. It is the biggest score the Falcons have given up since the VC split and they will be looking to come out with a better defensive effort in this contest. The Falcons are capable of putting big points up as well, so this game could go any which way.

VJL GRAND FINALS

Under 18.2 Boys - VJL4

Waverley (2) vs Blackburn (2)

When: Friday, September 11, 9:30pm

Where: State Basketball Centre Crt 3

The 18.2 Boys haven't lost much this season, and when they have, it's usually been by one point. Seriously, they have only lost four games and three of them were by a point. One of those was against Blackburn, their opponents in this Grand Final. While the Falcons got the better of the first encounter by four points, the Vikings snuck the single figure win the next time around. The last time these teams met was two weeks ago in the Semi Final, and the Falcons got it done by the comparitively big margin of seven points. There really isn't much to suggest this game won't be close, in fact there is a high chance it could go down to the wire.

Under 20.2 Boys - VJL5

Waverley (2) vs Westernport

When: Friday, September 11, 9:20pm

Where: Dandenong Crt 10

The Westernport Steelers have managed to sneak into this Grand Final from 4th place and that isn't a great result for our Falcons. Despite the Waverley boys only losing three games during the season, two of them were against Westernport. Although not by Earth-shattering margins (two points and 12 points), the psychological factor of not having beaten the Steelers may weigh heavily on the Falcons' minds. They'll need to overcome those demons and come out aggressively, really looking to prove to themselves early in the game that they are good enough to compete and win.

EAST GRAND FINAL

16.4 Boys - East 4

Waverley (4) vs Westernport (3)

When: Sunday, September 13, 12:30pm

Where: Cranbourne Crt 4

The Falcons have enjoyed a laregly dominant second half of the season and there is one more big effort left to finish the job. It won't be easy though, as the Westernport Steelers are one of the few teams who have knocked the Falcons off the mantle this season. That was back in Round 3, and since then the Falcons have accounted for the Steelers twice, including a Semi Final win two weeks ago. The difference is that while the Falcons have been beating other teams by 30 and 40 points, there wins against the Steelers have been much narrower. They are margins that can be redeemed so the Falcons will need to be on their game here if they want to finish the job.

BRONZE MEDAL GAMES

There are a few Falcons teams who will be playing for the Bronze medal on Sunday. One game of particular note is the Under 14 East 1 Girls where Waverley (2) will play off with Waverley (3), not surprisingly the game is at Waverley. For details of that game and all the other bronze medal games, jump on the VJBL website.

PRESENTATION DAY

The whole Falcons family will be getting together to celebrate the season on Sunday, September 20 at the stadium. The snags will hit the bbq at about 11am, with the presentations to start in ernest at midday. it promises to be a great afternoon with fun and friends.