One-third of the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 season has been completed and the one certainty in the 2018 campaign is you must be at your best every week or risk being beaten.
There are proving to be no easy wins this year. This is outlined by the fact that only four teams have a winning record after six rounds.
Add that to the fact reigning premier Bundoora sits ninth on the ladder, with the same number of wins as newly-promoted North Heidelberg, and you get a sense of how competitive the top flight has been over the opening six weeks.
Looking to this week’s action and Yulong Reserve will host the first grand final rematch of the season when struggling Bundoora hosts ladder-leader Macleod.
The sides enter the match in vastly different form, with the Bulls looking for a season-defining win to get their premiership defence rolling, while the Roos are hoping to maintain their one-game buffer atop the table.
Bundoora suffered another big loss in Round 6 when it managed just five goals in a 53-point defeat to West Preston-Lakeside. It was the reigning premier’s third loss by greater than seven goals this season – with their percentage sitting at a lowly 73.65.
The Bulls have had major issues hitting the scoreboard in their past five matches. Since kicking 19.10 (124) in their Round 1 win over Northcote Park, they have averaged just 59 points a game – with 10 goals their biggest haul in a match.
Scott Dowell continues to stand tall despite his side’s struggles and was again Bundoora’s best player last week in the loss to West Preston-Lakeside. Daniel Guccione also continues to impress and is putting together his best season at senior level.
Macleod’s confidence will be sky-high after scoring a win for the ages against Greensborough in last week’s top-of-the-table clash at De Winton Park. The Roos booted 5.7 to zero in the final quarter to turn a 26-point deficit into a gripping 11-point victory.
The match certainly lived up to expectation, with Greensborough having the upper-hand for the first three quarters, before Justin White, Lucas Hobbs and Liam Brandt lifted in the last to hand the Roos their fifth win on the trot.
Former Lower Plenty captain Billy Barden fitted in well in his first game for Macleod and added another dimension to the forward line, while 19-year-old Kurt Manuel continued his strong form in just his second season of senior football – featuring among the best players for the third time this year.
Greensborough will have little time to lament last week’s agonising defeat, with the Boro set to host West Preston-Lakeside in another blockbuster this Saturday. At worst, the winner will sit in second place ahead of a break next week.
The Boro showed for three quarters last week that they are very much in premiership contention this year – outplaying Macleod on its home deck to take a commanding lead into the last quarter.
Nick Riddle was heroic in defence and again demonstrated why he is considered one of the competition’s best players. His defensive counterparts Jack Johnston and Michael Croxford were also strong performers, while Tristan Stead, Jacob Ireland and Andrew Stellas (three goals) helped to open the big lead heading into the last term.
There were understandable reasons behind Greensborough’s fadeout, with injuries to Charlie Molyneux, Dan McLinden and Matthew Haynes denying the Boro interchange rotations in the last quarter and compounding the disappointment of the defeat.
West Preston-Lakeside continued its impressive start to the year and romped to its biggest win over Bundoora in years. The 56-point triumph was the Roosters’ third win by more than nine goals this season.
Despite Ahmed Saad missing the past three matches, the Roosters have kicked the most points of any side in the competition – averaging 100 points per game. Liam McVeigh’s third four-goal haul of the season took his season tally to 15.
The young forward was one of the key contributors in the win over the Bulls, along with Nathan Valladares, Joel McDonald, Sam Glover and Josh Novelli. Garrett McDonagh also played his first game of the season and was one of eight goal kickers.
With all four of its wins coming against sides currently outside the top-five, West Preston-Lakeside will be determined to make a big statement this week. The Roosters scored two big wins over the Boro during the 2017 home and away season, before being comfortably beaten in the elimination final.
The Heidelberg derby reignites for the first time since 2015 when North Heidelberg hosts Heidelberg at Shelley Park. All indicators suggest this will be a close game between two of the league’s oldest foes.
North Heidelberg last week penned its name on the winners’ list for the first time since Round 1 when it downed Hurstbridge by 16 points at Ben Frilay Oval. The win pushed the Bulldogs up to seventh on the ladder and within one win of the top-five.
The victory was set up in the third quarter, when the Bulldogs kicked five goals to stretch its lead to 16 points at the last change. However, the game was saved in the first term, when the Bulldogs defence withstood a barrage by Hurstbridge to keep the home side to just one goal in the opening stanza.
Ryan Mcghie has produced his best footy for his new club over the past fortnight and was pivotal last week, in a very even performance by his side. Jesse Tardio, Nick Matthews and Shane Harvey were also important, while Kyle Green kicked a season-best three goals.
Heidelberg also enters this weekend’s derby in winning form after taking the points against Whittlesea last Saturday. The Tigers raced to a 25-point lead at quarter time, before holding off a comeback by the Eagles and running away with a seven-goal triumph.
Ryan Stone and Lachlan Wilson were standouts in the victory, winning plenty of the ball and hitting the scoreboard, with a combined four goals. Sam Grimley was a beneficiary of their dominant work – finishing with five majors in his best haul since joining the club last year.
The Tigers have quietly gone about their business to this point of the year and a win this week would push them inside the top-three heading into the Queen’s Birthday weekend – ahead of three consecutive games against 2017 finalists.
Hurstbridge and Northcote Park meet at Ben Frilay Oval in a vital match for both sides’ top-five hopes. The Bridges are still yet to record a home win in three attempts, while the Cougars are unbeaten on the road.
Hurstbridge was left to rue poor execution in the first term against North Heidelberg. The Bridges controlled the early part of the game but were wasteful going forward and entered the first break one point behind.
North Heidelberg then got on top in an arm-wrestle, with the visitors prevailing by 16 points to end Hurstbridge’s two-game winning run. The loss leaves the Bridges in eighth place on the ladder, with a 2-4 record.
Mitch Burton maintained his good form from before the representative break and booted a team-high three goals last week, to improve his tally to 11 goals in his past three matches. Aidan Clarke and Lachlan East also played solid games.
Northcote Park sparked life back into its season with a runaway 37-point win upset over Montmorency and now sits only percentage outside the top-five. The Cougars overcame a poor second term to kick 14 second-half goals to their host’s six.
Ash Close inspired the win with eight majors in a dominant display inside 50m. It was a timely return for the key forward, after his side managed just five and six goals in its previous two matches.
The Cougars are undefeated in matches that Close has played this year – with the Collingwood VFL-aligned forward averaging five goals a game in his three appearances. With Jackson Starcevich due to return from injury shortly, the Cougars are suddenly looking a more threatening outfit in attack.
Whittlesea and Montmorency are both looking to bounce back from Round 6 defeats when they meet at Whittlesea Showgrounds.
After a poor first term, Whittlesea showed glimpses during the next two quarters against Heidelberg and were still within touching distance at three-quarter time. However, their hopes of a second win over the Tigers this season were dashed in the last quarter – where the home side booted five goals to one.
Nathan Andrews and Xavier Dimasi fought tooth and nail to will their side across the line, while Andrew Fairchild made a welcome return for his first game since Round 2 and managed two majors.
Montmorency’s roller-coaster season continued, with the Magpies’ record slipping to 3-3 following last week’s fadeout defeat against Northcote Park.
The Magpies were far from full strength, with Ben Fennell, Matthew White, Stephen McCallum, Sam Binion and James Brooker all coming out of the side that won at West Preston-Lakeside in Round 5. However the second-half fadeout was still disappointing – particularly after piling on six goals to one in the second quarter.
Tyrone Leonardis was exceptional in his return, while Pat Fitzgerald and Luke Collins combined for 10 goals. Fitzgerald’s six-goal haul moved him to the top of the goal kicking table – with 17 of his 21 majors coming in the Magpies’ three home games.
