Nine teams still harbour finals ambitions as the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 home and away campaign enters its final six rounds.
While Greensborough, Heidelberg and North Heidelberg have long had a stranglehold on the top-three positions on the table, it’s hard to imagine a more evenly contested battle for the fourth and fifth spots.
The tight jostle shouldn’t come as a surprise given how evenly contested the top flight has been for the best part of a decade, but it also shouldn’t be taken for granted – with our competition the envy of many other grassroots leagues because of its competitiveness.
Those sides battling it out for the remaining two spots in the finals would have been given extra motivation over the past fortnight that they aren’t just making up the numbers if they make it to September.
Top-two sides Greensborough and Heidelberg have both dropped a game over the past two weeks, while North Heidelberg hasn’t looked invincible despite winning its past three. While all three deserve to be the favourites for this year’s flag, the others chasing a finals spot will feel they have more chance of claiming an unlikely flag than they would have one month ago.
Round 13 could be telling in determining the final make-up of the top-five, with sides placed first through to six all drawn to play against each other this weekend.
Among those games is a battle between first and third when Greensborough hosts North Heidelberg at Greensborough War Memorial Park.
Both sides enter with a point to prove. The Boro last week suffered their first defeat of the campaign in a two-point loss to Heidelberg, while the Bulldogs will want to atone for their heavy loss to the Boro when the sides met back in Round 7.
After a faultless start to the season, last week’s result showed Greensborough is beatable. For the second consecutive week the Boro trailed by three goals, but this time around they were unable to claw back for the win – despite hitting the front at stages during the second half.
While a loss is never ideal, the result at Warringal Park may provide some positives in the long term – with the defeat sure to remove the potential of any complacency creeping in and may also serve as a motivating factor going forward.
Greensborough performed below its best against a disciplined and hard-working Heidelberg outfit. Despite that they still had a chance to pinch a win, with Chris Clark’s snap from the pocket hitting the post in the final two minutes to deny his side a 12th-straight win.
The Boro still remain comfortably placed at the top of the ladder, with a two-win and 55 percent cushion over second-placed Heidelberg. The minor premiership looks very much safe, although they will be desperate to respond this week to avoid doubts creeping in entering the business end of the season.
Perhaps the greatest concern from last week’s defeat was a hamstring injury sustained to Nick Riddle, with the star defender playing no part in the final term. The Boro certainly have great depth in their back half, however there isn’t a team in the competition who could completely cover a player like Riddle given his dominance from the last line of defence.
North Heidelberg will regain Brent Harvey and Billy Hogan for the big game and the Bulldogs have done exceptionally well to win all three games in the duo’s absence – downing Lower Plenty, Montmorency and Hurstbridge during this period.
While the Bulldogs haven’t had things all their own way over the past two rounds, they have importantly found a way to scratch out wins. Premierships certainly aren’t won in July, but the Bulldogs’ efforts this month are certainly putting them in a position to contend strongly at season’s end.
The club’s veterans continue to perform at a remarkable level and are showing that class is permanent. Daniel Harris has proven to be one of the recruits of the season, which his versatility as important as his on-field leadership, while Leigh Gilbert is also in ripping touch.
Greensborough claimed a 38-point triumph in the previous encounter between the sides in Round 7. The Bulldogs kicked three of the opening four goals, before the Boro broke the game open in the middle two quarters and finished with 13 more scoring shots.
It’s been a long wait for the season’s first grand final rematch, but West Preston-Lakeside and Macleod finally meet in what is shaping as one of the season’s most anticipated matches.
The meeting comes as both sides hit peak form, with the Roosters and Roos both occupying top-five positions after managing to turn their season’s around over the past two months. It is the first time both sides have been inside the top-five at the same time.
West Preston-Lakeside has won five of its past six games to move into fifth spot on the ladder, while Macleod has taken five wins and a draw from its past eight games to currently occupy fourth spot with 22 points – half a game ahead of the Roosters and three other sides on 20 points.
Given the strong form of both sides, it’s impossible to determine which side enters this one as the favourite. Six weeks ago it appeared impossible for both clubs to finish in the top-five, however both are now primed to feature in the finals and the winner this week will take a massive leap forward in their quest to play on Preston City Oval in September.
While this week’s game will be a grand final rematch – both sides have vastly different looks about them going in. West Preston-Lakeside’s side last week featured just 11 players who featured in last year’s grand final, while Macleod’s had a dozen.
The reigning premiers last week returned to the winners’ list with a commanding 47-point triumph away to Lower Plenty. They did the hard work early – booting eight of the opening nine goals to have the result safely in their keeping by the opening minutes of the third quarter.
Alex Federico lifted in the absence of in-form midfielder Matthew Signorello, who was recalled by VFL outfit Port Melbourne. Federico put in a commanding performance through the middle of the ground and shared best afield honours with Aidan Tilley, who finished with a career-best five-goal haul.
21-year-old Tilley is fast becoming the barometer for West Preston-Lakeside in 2019, with the Roosters unbeaten in the five games he has featured in this year. Tilley has 13 goals in those matches, after spending the opening seven rounds with Coburg.
Macleod also enters in winning form after making it two victories on the trot with a 17-point triumph over Bundoora. The Roos led right throughout the close game and closed the win with the final two goals of the day.
VFL-listed forward Muhammad Saad played his best game for the club and finished with five goals. The 20-year-old kicked four of the Roos’ first six goals and provided the direct assist for the two others. He also kicked the final goal of the match to seal the win.
His irresistible form last week ensures both sides will take a match-winner named Saad into this week’s contest, with the sublime skill of both sure to keep fans entertained when the ball is at either end of the field.
Justin White has been pivotal in Macleod’s charge back up the ladder and was a key figure in last week’s win over Bundoora. White is one of only four players in the competition to feature in the Coaches MVP votes in each of the past four rounds.
Montmorency hosts Heidelberg at Montmorency Park in a match that should finish much closer than the most recent result between the two sides.
Heidelberg romped to a 125-point thrashing when the sides met in Round 5 in what remains the most one-sided game produced in the top flight this season.
However, Montmorency has since risen to sixth spot on the ladder – equal on points with the fifth-placed West Preston-Lakeside, but just 2.77 percent behind the Roosters. Meanwhile, Heidelberg continues to sit pretty in second and looks all but assured a double chance in the finals.
The home side enters the match off its best three-week period of the season, with a big win over Hurstbridge and nail-biting defeat to North Heidelberg backed up by a runaway 35-point triumph away to Northcote Park in Round 12.
While Jesse Donaldson and Jai Robinson were again the standouts in the win at Bill Lawry Oval, the continued progression of the likes of Blake Murphy, Stefan Uzelac and Connor Dalgleish will have the Magpies excited about the future of the club.
What is becoming evident is that the Magpies are a very good side in heavy conditions. They thrashed Hurstbridge in heavy rain in Round 10 and then got right on top of the Cougars once the rain began to tumble last week.
Heidelberg has claims to be the best wet-weather team in the competition after smashing North Heidelberg and ending Greensborough’s undefeated run – both on days were conditions were far from ideal.
Last week’s win over the Boro was a genuine slog, however the young Tigers must be lauded for their appetite for the contest against a much more experience Boro line-up. The result brought new life into the premiership race and confirmed once and for all that the young Tigers are the real deal.
It’s worth noting that Michael Brunelli, Sam Grimley, Anthony Bonaddio, Aaron Crispe, Will Goss, Fletcher Carroll and Will Knight all missed last week’s game – a scary proposition for those vying against the Tigers for this year’s flag.
Three wins and percentage clear of fourth spot – the Tigers look locked in for a double chance and now have the luxury of giving each of their missing stars time extra time to recover to ensure they are cherry ripe come finals time.
Sam Gilmore’s dominance in the ruck continued last week and he will be causing plenty of headaches for Montmorency’s coaching staff this week, as they try to find a way to nullify the Tigers co-captain.
Heidelberg will be expected to win given their superior form and the difference between the sides in their last meeting, however the Tigers will be wary of an opposition with plenty to play for. They’ll also be conscious of their form on the road this year, with each of their three defeats coming away from home.
Hurstbridge hosts Bundoora at Ben Frilay Oval in a must-win encounter for both sides as they look to stay in the finals race.
The Bridges currently sit in ninth spot and are a win and percentage behind the four sides above them on the ladder, which includes fifth-placed West Preston-Lakeside. A loss this week would leave them reeling, with games against Heidelberg and Greensborough still to come.
Bundoora’s loss to Macleod saw them slip to seventh spot, marking the first time since Round 3 that they have sat outside the top-five. The Bulls’ sole win over the past five weeks was a one-point triumph over bottom-placed Lower Plenty.
Despite entering as the lower-ranked team, Hurstbridge takes the better form into this week’s game and last week took it right up to North Heidelberg in a three-goal defeat at Shelley Reserve.
There were many positives to take away, however the Bridges will see the game as a missed opportunity after leading most of the key stats. Unfortunately, they didn’t take their chances in front of goal – kicking 6.13 to 10.7 which cost them an upset win that would have kept them within percentage of the top-five. That included 1.5 to 5.1 in the third term.
Bundoora has now lost its past three games, although last week performance at Macleod may have been a turning point – with the undermanned Bulls showing glimpses that they are starting to find better form.
With Daniel Venditti, Dale Marshall, Scott Dowell, Ben Young, Matthew Evans and Brenton Briffa all sidelined, Bundoora remained right in the hunt until the final minutes against a Macleod outfit that comfortably accounted for Heidelberg a week earlier.
The Bulls better players all performed well, with Brent Marshall, Gary Moorcroft (four goals), Nathan Thomas, Luke Collins, Matthew Dennis and David Mitchell all named among the best. A similar output from that group again this week could be enough to get the Bulls back among the winners for the first time since June 22.
Hurstbridge will take confidence from their last meeting against Bundoora, which ended with the Bridges claiming their first win over the Bulls in club history. The Bridges trailed by 27 points at quarter-time but rallied to score a 16-point triumph at Yulong Reserve.
Northcote Park is at home for a second-consecutive week when it hosts Lower Plenty at Bill Lawry Oval.
Despite winning just one of their past eight matches, the Cougars remain within percentage of the top-five. A win this week could push them back into fifth spot, but it would also confirm their place in Division 1 in 2020 by completely removing them from relegation calculations.
As it currently stands, the Cougars sit three wins and 18.11 percent above this week’s bottom-placed opponent. They would still have a comfortable buffer even if they lost, however they would love nothing more than to win and avoid needing to look over their shoulder in the final five rounds.
The Cougars showed positive signs early in last week’s clash with Montmorency and led a low-scoring game by seven points at half time. However, they were kept goalless after the main break and slipped from fifth spot to eighth following their seventh defeat of the year.
All three of the Cougars leading goal kickers were missing from that defeat, with Ricky Fandrich joining Ash Close and Jackson Starcevich on the sidelines. Jake Mills and Michael Amad are providing some relief up forward, but it is extremely difficult to cover such talent.
This week’s game may well come down to which side best takes its chances, with the two clubs sitting ninth and tenth for points scored in 2019. The Cougars average 65 points per game, while Lower Plenty kicks five points less on average at 60.
The fixture looks very much like Lower Plenty’s last chance to make a claim at avoiding relegation – ahead of a tough final five weeks, which includes games against each of the top-three sides.
A win this week would reduce the number of upsets the Bears will need to cause in the run home and based on Northcote Park’s recent form, this match provides Lower’s best chance at producing its third win of the year.
Northcote Park scored a 51-point win in the Round 4 match at Montmorency Park, however that side featured Starcevich, Close, Charles Le Fanu, Lachlan Boscarini and Damian Galofaro. Starcevich and Close combined for nine goals as the Cougars raced to a 10-goal buffer at half time.
