Maldon have locked and loaded a spot in the finals thanks to a 13-goal victory over Talbot at Bill Woodfull Oval.
In an entertaining, high-scoring affair, the Dons controlled the pace from start to finish to answer every question the Hawks had, and moved a game clear in sixth position.
The Dons scored 17 goals to 12 in the first quarter to take a five-goal lead into the first change, with Mackenzi Shepherd scoring 11 goals and Katelyn Cutlack six for Maldon, while Dom Roche scored nine goals and Eleisha Phelps three for Talbot.
The second quarter was essentially goal-for-goal, with Talbot looking to get into the game, but Maldon were able to keep the Hawks at arms’ length by scoring 13 goals to 12 to lead 30-24 at the main break.
Shepherd scored 11 goals and Cutlack two for the Dons, while Roche scored seven goals and Phelps five for the Hawks.
The Dons made their big statement in the premiership quarter, clearing away and ending the contest by scoring 20 goals to 10 to make it a 50-34 game at the end of the third. Shepherd scored 15 goals and Cutlack five for the Dons, while Roche scored eight goals and Phelps two for the Hawks.
To Talbot’s credit, they did not throw in the towel, and instead hustled to get back into the game, scoring 16 goals in the last term, but Maldon were able to cruise home with 13 goals of their own.
Shepherd finished off the day with four goals to end with 41 for the Dons, while Cutlack scored nine of her own to finish with 22, while for the Hawks, Roche would score 12 times to finish with 36, with Phelps adding four.
The Dons will now look to take their confident form and four-game winning run into a clash with second-placed Natte Bealiba, while the Hawks can almost certainly secure a finals berth if they can defeat Dunolly.