The highly anticipated return of Corey Lyons and Patrick Parnell is perfectly timed with the Bays’ return to Adelaide Oval for the 2026 SANFL Hostplus Finals Series.
In what has been building into a tight competition to end the 2026 season, the Bays face the reigning premiers this Sunday, following a narrow miss of the minor premiership that would have seen the Tigers hold the bye for the first round of finals.
However, the timely return of star midfielder Lyons and the agile Parnell means the Bays will have an almost full League artillery for the clash.
Weidemann is also expected to make his return to League football this weekend following a minor hamstring injury.
The trio’s return will boost the Bays’ midfield stocks as Glenelg prepares for a Qualifying Final against Sturt, with a place in the Second Semi-Final and a week off on the line.
The Bays enter the finals with plenty of confidence after finishing the minor round with a 41-point victory over North Adelaide, rounding out a 15-3 season and securing second position on the ladder.
It was a performance that Glenelg coach Matt “Doc” Clarke described as one of the side’s most balanced of the season.
“Pleasingly it was one of the most balanced performances of our season with a range of players across all lines stepping up to help secure the victory,” Clarke said in his Round 19 debrief.
The win also provided an opportunity for some of the Bays’ emerging players to make an impact, with Luke Candy hitting the scoreboard twice after being swung forward in the second half.
“We had nine individual goal scorers as the team moved the ball with greater fluency than we have displayed in recent weeks,” Clarke said.
That balance will be crucial against a Sturt outfit that has proven itself capable of matching the competition’s best throughout the season.
With Lyons and Parnell expected to return, and Weidemann potentially joining them, Glenelg’s selection picture is looking particularly strong at the perfect time of year.
The Tigers will also draw confidence from the form of their leaders, with captain Liam McBean booting four goals in the Round 19 win, while the side’s spread of contributors has continued to grow as the season has progressed.
After finishing second and narrowly missing the minor premiership, the focus now shifts entirely to September.
As Clarke put it: “Onward and upward into the final series where the contest will be elevated even further as we take on the best teams in the competition in the biggest games of the year.”
The first of those big games arrives at Adelaide Oval on Sunday, with the Bays looking to turn a strong minor-round campaign into another deep finals run.