The Border and North East's governing football body - AFL North East Border - awarded bonus player points last November.

In 2018, all 10 O and M clubs operated on a 38-point limit.

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However, the five clubs which missed finals all received extra points for the current season.

Corowa-Rutherglen had 47, Wangaratta Rovers and Wodonga 44 apiece, while Myrtleford and North Albury were allocated 42.

Corowa-Rutherglen was afforded the additional points based on its recent poor onfield record of three wins in 2018 following two winless seasons, plus a shrinking player base.

Those clubs must now ask for more.

"Additional total club player points awarded to any club are only on application and for the current season only," AFL North East Border region general manager John O'Donohue said.

"Pending any further applications for additional PP's all clubs within a league are on the same points base."

Myrtleford and Rovers have been the big winners this season, although it's not necessarily linked totally to the added points.

Myrtleford will return to finals and is an outside chance to finish in the top three after posting only four wins.

Rovers claimed the first winless wooden spoon in their history last year but, buoyed by a handful of top recruits, including former NEAFL star Nathan Cooper, are still battling for a finals berth on seven wins with three matches left.

North lost a host of its top players and was expected to take Rovers' place on the bottom, but have done exceptionally well to snare three wins.

Corowa (three wins to one) has been decimated with injuries, while Wodonga (six wins to one) has suffered after failing to pick up profile players over summer.

Interestingly, Wodonga and Wangaratta share the lowest points average (27) from Albury (29).

Albury has won seven of the past 10 grand finals, while Wangaratta is the slight premiership favourites.

There's also Yarrawonga (32), Lavington (33), Wodonga Raiders (35), Myrtleford and Corowa (36), North Albury (37) and Rovers (40).

A player straight from the AFL, with no link to a club, is worth six points.

"We've shown we've been able to improve and I think that's created a lot more interest in the league, if we drop back to 38 points, it defeats the purpose of the player points conception," Rovers' football operations manager Barry Sullivan said as the club looks to become the first to play finals after a winless year.