The top-five has already established a small breakaway after three rounds, making Round 4 a vital weekend for the sides looking to arrest poor starts to the year.
Three teams remain undefeated after the opening three rounds of 2019 – a stark contrast to last year, where no team got through the same period unscathed.
It may only be very early in the season, but the convincing manner each of the top-five won last weekend would be of great concern to the sides below.
The closest margin in Round 3 was Greensborough’s 31-point triumph at Montmorency, where the Boro kicked a wasteful 13.21 (99) and recorded 16 more scoring shots than the Magpies.
The average margin in the five Round 3 matches was 54 points – outlining the dominance of the competition’s top sides and the need for those below to rebound quickly to bridge the early gap that has emerged.
The early-season woes of both West Preston-Lakeside and Macleod has certainly contributed to the divide on the ladder, with both looking a shadow of the sides that played off for last season’s premiership.
History is beginning to stack up against both the Roosters and Roos. Since the re-introduction of a top-five finals system in 2010, only three sides – Bundoora (2010), Montmorency (2011) and Greensborough (2017) – have made the finals after losing the opening three games.
Finals would be the last thing on both clubs’ mind just now as they look to breakthrough for their first win. However, if they can’t overcome their current plight, it could be the first time since 1964 that both previous year’s grand finalists miss the finals series.
Both look to be underdogs when they host in-form opposition this week, creating an intriguing weekend of matches – which also includes a massive local derby between two of the competition’s fiercest rivals.
This week’s battle between North Heidelberg and Heidelberg at Shelley Reserve may well be the most-anticipated match between the two sides since the 2005 grand final.
Both have made impressive starts to the 2019 campaign and this very well could have been a derby between two undefeated sides, had the siren sounded 10 seconds later in the Bulldogs’ Round 2 loss at Yulong Reserve.
With the Tigers undefeated in second place and North Heidelberg sitting in fourth, it is more than just bragging rights on offer for the winner, with a top-three spot potentially on the line.
Both sides have players in-form right across the ground and enter the derby off the back of a dominant home win last week against one of last year’s grand finalists.
Heidelberg had the result sewn up at half time in its 53-point Anzac Day triumph over Macleod at Warringal Park. The Tigers piled in 8.11 to 1.2 in the first half, before withstanding a third-term revival from the Roos to go on for a comfortable win.
Young wingers Matthew Cecchin and Nathan Honey excelled on the big stage, while Jack Blair again featured among the best players and regained the lead in the Coaches MVP voting.
Josh Minogue produced his best game for the club in his eighth appearance following a 2018 curtailed by injury and could prove to be major drawcard for the Tigers with his strong marking ability.
His good form could help offset the loss of key forward Chaz Sargeant, who will miss this week’s game through suspension. A member of the 2018 Division 1 Team of the Year, Sargeant has again been in good touch this year, booting nine goals in three appearances.
North Heidelberg responded to its loss at Bundoora with a rampaging 57-point win over West Preston-Lakeside, which would have provided some satisfaction following last year’s preliminary final loss to the Roosters.
Billy Hogan has been the Bulldogs best players in the early part of 2019 and is sure to receive attention from the Tigers coaching staff this week. Hogan produced another fine performance against West Preston-Lakeside, featuring among both coaches’ votes to move into equal-third in the Coaches MVP award.
Shane Harvey enters this week’s game in good touch, having booted five goals in each of his past two games. He wreaked havoc in both wins over Heidelberg in 2018, kicking five in the 57-point win at Shelley Reserve, before booting eight in a 33-point triumph at Warringal Park.
Macleod and Greensborough resume their strong rivalry when they meet at De Winton Park.
Normally a fixture between two sides at the pointy end of the ladder, this weekend’s fixture has a different feel to it, with the Roos winless and languishing in eighth position, while the Boro are playing their best football since reaching the 2015 grand final.
Despite Macleod’s poor start to 2019, great anticipation awaits this game to see whether a clash with one of its fiercest rivals in recent times can ignite the reigning four-time grand finalist back to its best.
This fixture has created some of the league’s best matches in recent years, with both sides bringing out the best in one another. If goes without saying, there is nothing the Roos would love more than a backs-to-the-wall win against a red-hot Greensborough.
The Roos are yet to have named a settled line-up across the opening three rounds and look set to be without 2018 Frank Rosbrook medallist Lucas Hobbs, who was sidelined during the opening quarter of last week’s loss at Heidelberg. Reid Brandt will also miss while serving a one-match suspension.
Greensborough will enter the match as favourite given its imposing form across the opening three rounds, although coach Mick Harford is already on record warning his side against taking an out-of-sorts Macleod lightly.
There hasn’t been an obvious weakness in the Boro’s game over the first three weeks, other than inaccuracy in front of goal at Montmorency last week – where they won by just 31 points, despite registering 16 more scoring shots.
All the club’s best players are in great form – with Nick Riddle, Charlie Molyneux, Jack Johnston, Tom Bell and Tristan Stead all influential in the last-up win at Montmorency, while Ben Fennell returned after missing the Good Friday win over Lower Plenty.
It’s a similar tale at J.E. Moore Park where West Preston-Lakeside will be looking to kickstart its season against Bundoora in a fixture that has produced a host of close encounters over the past decade.
Injuries and VFL commitments have crippled West Preston-Lakeside in the early stages of its premiership defence, with only 10 of its premiership side featuring in last week’s loss at North Heidelberg.
The cause wasn’t aided by Liam McVeigh getting a late call-up to play for North Melbourne’s VFL side, while Sam Glover was withdrawn after being put on standby by Collingwood’s VFL team.
Despite the long list of unavailable players, there is still plenty talent within the Roosters’ line-up that should be producing more than what has been served up over the opening three weeks.
A major concern is the lack of avenues to goal. Ahmed Saad has been exceptional in the opening three weeks and leads the competition goal kicking with 15 majors, which included seven his side’s eight goals at North Heidelberg.
Saad’s tally contributes to 56 percent of his club’s goals this year – with the unhealthy reliance on him further underlined by the fact that the team’s next highest goal kicker is midfielder Alex Federico with just three majors.
Bundoora did what was expected last week and enjoyed a percentage-boosting 70-point win over an undermanned Lower Plenty at Yulong Reserve. The Bulls did most of the damage early, with 10 goals to two in the first half.
The club has found a gem in 19-year-old wingman Bailey Thompson, who excelled for the second-consecutive week, while Dale Marshall returned to his 2018 form with a near best-on-ground performance.
While this weekend’s match is critical for West Preston-Lakeside as it attempts to get its season going, it is equally important for Bundoora. The Bulls can potentially establish a two-game buffer inside the top-five with a win, ahead of getting key players such as Brent Marshall back into the side.
Hurstbridge and Montmorency meet at Ben Frilay Oval in a game where both sides would consider themselves a genuine winning chance.
The Bridges showed improvement in last week’s defeat at Northcote Park at Bill Lawry Oval, closing within four goals in the last term before conceding seven majors in a fourth-quarter fadeout.
It is only early in the season, but at 0-3 and with a percentage of 40, it is home games like these that will prove critical for the Bridges as they look to extract themselves from the relegation mire.
They have shown promising signs for quarters during the past two defeats at Heidelberg and Northcote Park, however, lapses in both games have led to the opposition piling on quick goals. They can’t afford for that to happen this week against a side also in the bottom-five.
Bailey Jordan and Jack Furlong returned to the side last week, while Tom Simpson was great in a losing cause. All three will be critical for the Bridges in their push to climb the ladder in coming weeks.
Montmorency was commendable in fighting out last week’s defeat to Greensborough, booting three unanswered goals in the final term when a big loss looked on the cards at three quarter time.
With Ben Walton still sidelined and the likes of Pat Fitzgerald and Jesse Donaldson somewhat subdued by their very loft standards, the Magpies showed enough good signs to suggest they can contend with the better sides in the competition.
Stephen McCallum and Jai Robinson have both made great starts to the season and are leading from the front, while the improving form of the likes of Stefan Uzelac, Lachlan O’Brien, Connor Dalgleish and Zac Beadle would give Garry Ramsay cause for optimism.
Having performed admirably in their past two matches when starting as the underdog, the Magpies this week face a different challenge in a game they enter as favourite. They didn’t perform to their best in Round 1 when upset by Lower Plenty and this week provides a chance to redeem.
Northcote Park travels to Montmorency Park South Oval to take on Lower Plenty in a game the visitors will be heavily fancied to win.
Despite heavy defeats in each of its past two starts, Lower Plenty’s application can not be questioned and at no time has it dropped its bundle while playing away against more fancied sides.
Trailing by 49 points at half time against Bundoora last week, the Bears toiled tooth and nail until the final siren – managing to win the third term and keeping the Bulls to six goals in the second half.
Fortune hasn’t been on the Bears side early in the season, with star duo Patrick Flynn and Tom Keys both sidelined with injury in the opening two weeks – however credit must go to the club’s coaching staff, who haven’t waivered from their pre-season commitment to giving young players opportunities at senior level.
Northcote Park didn’t produce a complete four-quarter performance in its win over Hurstbridge, yet still walked away with 57-point win to maintain its unbeaten start to the year.
Coach Matt McLennan would be thrilled with the contribution he is getting across the board in the opening three rounds. Yes, the club’s top-liners have been instrumental in the 3-0 start to the season, but the role players within the side are also performing well and contributing to club’s success.
The Cougars will be wary of a slip-up at a venue that has caused some headaches in recent visits. Given the small ground size at Lower Plenty, it will be interesting to see how the Cougars set up in attack this week.
Last week Jackson Starcevich was back among the goals with five majors, with Ash Close pushing further up the field. Ricky Fandrich also chimed in with four and helped set up several others.
Kyle Galloway looms as a key player once again this week. The gun recruit has been in terrific form over the opening three rounds and is likely to be a key presence in the ruck against a Bears side without Patrick Flynn.
