The Rats were on the back foot before the opening whistle, with veterans Olivia West, Kate Bligh and Tahnee Walker all battling illness heading into the match.

A sluggish start in slippery conditions saw the home team quickly fall behind to trail by seven goals at the first change of ends.

Walker helped cut the deficit back to six goals by halftime, with the Rats battling to stay in touch during the third term.

Injured Rats' captain Megan Shea said the team struggled to overcome the elements throughout the contest.

"All the girls are pretty sick and tired of playing in those wet and miserable conditions," she said.

"We had trouble bringing the ball into attack at times and that is when they hurt us on the rebound.

"We were only down by eight goals heading into the last quarter which isn't too bad, it was only four centre breaks, and we made a bit of a comeback for a while there but Warrack got back on top in the end."

The Eagles leap-frogged the Rats into third position following the 34 to 24 victory.

Shea said Tiffany Boatman and Kira Payne both produced top performances in defence.

"Tiffany in particular played a really strong defensive game," she said.

"She picked off the ball and sent it back down the court but then it just got a bit lost in the centre."

With one round remaining in the WNA home and away season, just 5.21 percent is all that separates the Rats and Eagles.

Ararat's top three aspirations now rest on the outcome of its clash with sixth ranked Dimboola, along with the fate of Warrack against top two team Stawell.

"I think the girls will have a spring in their step this week and will play much better," Shea said.

"It will be a good game, Dimboola are quite a physical side and much improved.

"It is an important game for us percentage wise, so hopefully we can have a big win and then Stawell can beat Warrack so we will get that double chance."

B grade challenged top three team Dimboola, however the tough conditions eventually saw the team go down 47 to 34.

Belinda Megee worked hard for four quarters and her very deceptive vertical jump was on full display and allowed her to get her hands to many high balls in defence.

Megee's efforts saw her receive the Ararat Hotel award, while the ever reliable Justine May was the other standout and protected the circle well.

"Even though the girls will not make the finals they all can hold their heads up high for giving it their best shot," coach Donna Spalding said.

The 17 and under Rats won their match in thrilling fashion by one goal, 46-45.

Tiffany Boatman and Lucy Mills were named the top two performers.

After a close first quarter Ararat's 15 and under A side settled well and took a comfortable lead using smart passing and good pressure which caused the opposition to turn the ball over.

Breeanna Toomey continues to improve, taking on board advice and implementing it into her game. She won many balls and applied tough defensive pressure to her goalie.

After a comfortable start to the third quarter, leading by 11, the Rats lost concentration and allowed Warracknabeal to get back in the game to only lead by just five goals at the last break.

Ararat managed to hold that gap to win the game by five, with Alli Lewis leading by example in attack and passing beautifully into the team's goalies on a number of occasions.

The Rats will face bottom team Dimboola in the last game of the season tomorrow and they will need to apply constant pressure, pass accurately and keep their heads up at all times to ensure they are ready to play finals netball the following week.

The Rats' 15 and under B team maintained second position on the ladder after downing fellow top five side Warrack by nine goals.

The Rats overcame a slow start with the weather conditions keeping scores very low in the first half of the game.

An eight goal third quarter helped Ararat break away with the team continuing that momentum into the fourth term to run away with the 22 to 13 win.

"The conditions made it hard for the shooters, so the girls played a defensive role and the shooters converted on turn overs," coach Kira Payne said.

Indie Calvert and Larni Cain were named as the Rats' top two players for their effort over the four quarters, while young gun Monique Scott produced a stand out performance in the third term.

With Dimboola not fielding a 15 and under B team Ararat will enjoy a much needed break and refresher before week one of the finals.

The 13 and unders dominated their match from start to finish to come away with a solid 40-goal win.

On the rare occasions the ball did enter the Eagles' attacking end, Monique Scott was quick to force the turn over and rebounded, while in Ararat's goal circle Annie Shea had one of her best games of the season and finished with 15 goals.

Jesse Bligh also put in a standout performance and attacked the ball with confidence.

Coach Megan Shea said tomorrow's match against Dimboola will be an important psychological battle with the two teams a chance to clash in the elimination final in a fortnight's time.