ELEVEN teams remain in contention to take part in the men's SBL playoffs in 2014 with four rounds remaining of the regular season with it set to be a fascinating battle likely to go down to the very final night.

While Geraldton, Rockingham and Lakeside look relatively safe in the top three positions, the battle for the remaining five spots in the playoffs is an enthralling one.

Only one game separates the teams ranked fourth to ninth with the 10th-placed Cockburn and 11th-placed Perry Lakes just clinging to an outside hope of making it.

While the Sun City Plumbing Geraldton Buccaneers do appear to have the minor premiership sewn up having so far recorded three fewer defeats than the second-placed Rockingham, the Buccs do need to secure it still.

Geraldton's next three games are tricky against Perth, East Perth and South West, but the Buccaneers then finish against the out of contention Willetton and Kalamunda.

The Orange Autos Rockingham Flames could still finish on top, but their focus will first be on retaining second position. The Flames have a good run home with their clash away to Lakeside their only remaining match-up with a top eight team, but they do only have one match at home left.

The defending champion Lakeside are in third position with a tricky run to finish starting away to Mandurah this week, and then home games against Rockingham, Stirling and Joondalup in a grand final rematch on the eve of the finals.

The Perth Redbacks currently hold fourth position but only just ahead of a tough away clash with the league-leading Buccaneers this week. The Redbacks then finish with tough home games against the Slammers and Eagles, and away fixtures to the Cougars and Tigers.

The Mandurah Magic have three of their last five games at home and they do take on the struggling Giants and Tigers among them, but the others against Lakeside, Joondalup and South West will decide its playoff aspirations.

The Vorian Agency East Perth Eagles might be in sixth position but could very well be the biggest threat to the teams sitting in the top three. The Eagles only have one game at home remaining against the Hawks this weekend before a tough run home on the road to the Buccaneers, Redbacks and Cougars.

The Collie Crane Hire South West Slammers have the toughest run of all in the finish to the regular season facing the Wolves and Redbacks away, and then the Buccaneers and Magic at home.

Last year's grand finalists Joondalup haven’t quite clicked so far in 2014, but sit just one game out of fourth spot still ahead a run in the last five matches at home to the Slammers, Suns and Tigers, and away to the Magic and Lightning.

The Stirling Senators' season is still very much alive despite sitting in ninth position considering they are just one game from fourth spot still and their next three matches are against teams below them – the Cougars, Eastern Suns and Tigers. They then finish against Lakeside and Rockingham.

The Cockburn Cougars and Perry Lakes Hawks will just about need to win all their remaining matches to make it, but while there is still hope then there is something to fight for.

BREAKDOWN OF THE RUN HOME FOR THE TEAMS IN CONTENTION

SUN CITY PLUMBING GERALDTON BUCCANEERS
Current position: 1st
Current record: 17-4

Run home: Redbacks (H), Eagles (H), Slammers (A), Tigers (A), Eastern Suns (H)
Home games left: 3
Away games left: 2
Games left v top eight teams: 3
Games left v bottom six teams: 2

ORANGE AUTOS ROCKINGHAM FLAMES
Current position: 2nd
Current record: 15-7

Run home: Giants (A), Lightning (A), Hawks (H), Senators (A)
Home games left: 1
Away games left: 3
Games left v top eight teams: 1
Games left v bottom six teams: 3

LAKESIDE LIGHTNING
Current position: 3rd
Current record: 14-8

Run home: Magic (A), Flames (H), Senators (H), Wolves (H)
Home games left: 3
Away games left: 1
Games left v top eight teams: 3
Games left v bottom six teams: 1

PERTH REDBACKS
Current position: 4th
Current record: 12-9

Run home: Buccaneers (A), Slammers (H), Cougars (A), Eagles (H), Tigers (A)
Home games left: 2
Away games left: 3
Games left v top eight teams: 3
Games left v bottom six teams: 2

MANDURAH MAGIC
Current position: 5th
Current record: 12-9

Run home: Lightning (H), Wolves (H), Giants (A), Tigers (H), Slammers (A)
Home games left: 3
Away games left: 2
Games left v top eight teams: 3
Games left v bottom six teams: 2

VORIAN AGENCY EAST PERTH EAGLES
Current position: 6th
Current record: 12-10

Run home: Hawks (H), Buccaneers (A), Redbacks (A), Cougars (A)
Home games left: 1
Away games left: 3
Games left v top eight teams: 2
Games left v bottom six teams: 2

COLLIE CRANE HIRE SOUTH WEST SLAMMERS
Current position: 7th
Current record: 12-10

Run home: Wolves (A), Redbacks (A), Buccaneers (H), Magic (H)
Home games left: 2
Away games left: 2
Games left v top eight teams: 4
Games left v bottom six teams: 0

JOONDALUP WOLVES
Current position: 8th
Current record: 11-10

Run home: Slammers (H), Eastern Suns (H), Magic (A), Tigers (H), Lightning (A)
Home games left: 3
Away games left: 2
Games left v top eight teams: 3
Games left v bottom six teams: 2

STIRLING SENATORS
Current position: 9th
Current record: 11-10

Run home: Cougars (H), Eastern Suns (A), Tigers (H), Lightning (A), Flames (H)
Home games left: 3
Away games left: 2
Games left v top eight teams: 2
Games left v bottom six teams: 3

RAW NUTRITION COCKBURN COUGARS
Current position: 10th
Current record: 9-13

Run home: Senators (A), Hawks (H), Redbacks (H), Eagles (H)
Home games left: 3
Away games left: 1
Games left v top eight teams: 2
Games left v bottom six teams: 2

PERRY LAKES HAWKS
Current position: 11th
Current record: 8-12

Run home: Tigers (H), Eagles (A), Cougars (A), Flames (A), Eastern Suns (H), Giants (A)
Home games left: 2
Away games left: 4
Games left v top eight teams: 2
Games left v bottom six teams: 4

Article by Chris Pike
Photo by Mick Cronin