Another round of ladder-shaping matches awaits in this weekend’s action of Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 football.
Following a shock defeat to North Heidelberg last week, Greensborough will need to regain focus ahead of a tough task when they face Bundoora at Greensborough War Memorial Park.
The Borough have had a recent dip in form compared to their strong start to the year, only picking up two points in their last three games.
An unexpected 25-point defeat to the Bulldogs last week will give Saade Ghazi’s side a bit to reflect on despite solid contributions from the likes of Benjamin Ham, Billy Bedford and Angus Seivers.
They’ll be up against a Bundoora side who’ll take the trip down Grimshaw Street brimming with confidence having convincingly won their last two games, including most recently against Macleod.
John Jorgensen once more led the way up forward with three goals whilst the dynamic trio of Sam Lloyd, David Zaharakis and Neville Jetta all had starring roles.
The Bulls picked up the win victory time these two met, with Lloyd booting five and Jorgensen four on their way to a 58-point victory.
You would expect this contest to be a tighter affair, with Greensborough looking to edge closer to Bundoora on the table and the Bulls hoping to extend their winning streak.
West Preston-Lakeside faces another big test at J.E. Moore Park in the form of current ladder-leaders Heidelberg.
This weekend will provide a chance for the Roosters to prove their premiership credentials after a not-so-convincing one-goal victory over Hurstbridge.
It was business as usual for co-captain Ahmed Saad on his return game from injury, kicking a match winning eight goals and receiving nine coaches MVP votes.
Heidelberg continue to produce brilliant performances week after week, staking their claim as the premiership favourites of the competition. There was nothing to suggest otherwise in their recent win over Northcote Park.
Josh Minogue led the way in the 63-point triumph, kicked a massive six goals and getting the nine Coaches MVP votes for his efforts. Dylan Clarke was superb in midfield and up forward with three majors.
The Roosters were victorious last time these two sides met, winning by three goals.
However, the Tigers will come into this match as favourites, hoping to extend their gap on the top of the ladder while for the Roosters, a defeat could see them just two points clear of the bottom five.
An eight-point game at the bottom end of the table looms as Whittlesea hosts Northcote Park at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
It’s been a tough fortnight for the Eagles, with their 157-point defeat to Montmorency one of their most disappointing efforts.
With injuries and the unavailability of players impacting the performances of the Eagles, they’ll be hoping the second half of the season sees some more consistency as they look to avoid relegation.
Northcote Park have shown improvement over the course of the season, but they no were no match for Heidelberg last Saturday.
The Cougars have been able to reply on some great individual performances over the last month, particularly from Alex Boyse, who added three goals over the weekend to an already impressive debut year at Bill Lawry Oval.
This clash will be almost four years since their last battle, with the Cougars prevailing by 26 points.
The winner of this clash will join the middle of the pack again, while the loser could find themselves in danger of remaining on the bottom in the near future.
Montmorency and Macleod are set to do battle at De Winton Park with a win important for both sides.
The Roos had a tough day at the office last weekend against Bundoora as despite great games from Luke Joyce, three goals, Jack Bianchin, and Brad Leggett, the Bulls were in control for the whole contest.
Their opponents, the Magpies, are flying high in second place, exemplified by their performance last weekend, in which they comfortable defeated Whittlesea by 157 points.
Patrick Fitzgerald kicked his biggest bag of goals of the season with seven and Liam Wale-Buxton continued his incredible season, moving to top of the Division 1 Coaches MVP leaderboard.
Macleod raced home to victory last time these two met at Montmorency Park, kicking five goals to three in the final term to prevail by three goals.
But on this occasion, a similar result would be a huge upset as the Magpies plan to assert themselves as one of the dominant sides of the competition.
Hurstbridge will play host to an in form North Heidelberg at Ben Frilay Oval.
The Bridges will take a lot out of their gallant performers over West Preston-Lakeside despite just falling short.
Without their two leading goal kickers in Joel Naylor and Cooper Perrin, Trent Barbero stepped up with four goals and five Coaches MVP votes, almost pushing the Bridges over the line.
North Heidelberg reminded the rest of the competition that they deserve to be in the final conversation after pulling off an impressive upset victory over Greensborough.
The Bulldogs kicked three goals to one in the final term to claim the win, Brent Harvey and Billy Hogan leading the way up forward with three goals each.
After winning just once in six games, North Heidelberg have won their last two matches and with favourable fixtures in the next fortnight, Jason Heatley’s side could potentially see themselves back in the top five.
The Bulldogs won on both occasions last year against their Saturday opponents, but with the Bridges showing signs of improvement, a more challenging contest is expected to occur.
