We’ve got five massive Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 games to look forward to this weekend as sides begin to make their mark in the competition.
A preliminary final rematch is on the cards this week when Bundoora look to keep their unbeaten run going against an in-form Montmorency side at Yulong Reserve.
The Magpies produced a huge scalp to respond to their Round 2 loss to Greensborough, with a brilliant five-point triumph over Heidelberg at Warringal Park.
Patrick Fitzgerald was superb inside 50, marking almost every ball that went his way as he kicked seven goals for the game, now making it 14 goals for the season.
Marcus Lentini has been super impressive in midfield, with his class particularly on show against a strong Tigers midfield last week meanwhile Liam Wale-Buxton has picked up where he left off last year, with two solid outings since returning to the side in Round 2.
It’s the perfect lead to their match against Bundoora, who remain as the only team yet to taste defeat in season 2023.
Following an eight-point win over Banyule in Round 1, the Bulls have won their last two games by 54 points and 61 points against North Heidelberg and Whittlesea respectively, highlighting their early dominance in the competition.
Last weekend against the Eagles, Jack Maruff top scored with three majors against his old side whilst captain Luke Collins picked up the perfect 10 Coaches MVP votes following another outstanding performance in midfield.
And although this will be the first top five side of 2022 that they face this year, Bundoora have won the last five meetings against the Magpies dating back to 2021.
Whilst the Bulls will be high off the back of a 3-0 start, the Magpies will be certainly be their toughest challenge yet in what looks to be a huge game for both sides.
Both Greensborough and Heidelberg will be looking to bounce back this weekend in their highly anticipated matchup at Greensborough War Memorial Park.
Following two impressive triumphs to start the season against Macleod and Montmorency, inaccuracy cost the Boro the four points in a thrilling three-point defeat to West-Preston Lakeside last Saturday.
Whilst they may have gone down, Jack Johnston and Jamie Smith continued their strong starts to 2023. The duo look set to be the key pillars for the Boro this year.
This is particularly the case for Johnston, who has helped lead his defensive unit to concede the least opposition points in the competition thus far.
That alone will give Saade Ghazi’s men confidence ahead of their game with the Tigers who are in unfamiliar territory following their first loss in 18 games, going down to Montmorency at home.
In spite of the loss, they still found 11 goalkickers from their 13 majors whilst captain Sam Gilmore slotted right back into the side and produced a strong performance.
Their best players also contained the likes of Brayden Sier and Lachlan Wilson once again who have continued to have an influence in the midfield.
The Tigers won on both occasions against the Boro last year, including by just three goals in their last meeting at Greensborough War Memorial Park.
Incredibly, one of these sides will be 2-2 by the end of the week and with both teams set to face the unbeaten Bundoora within the next fortnight, the four points will be incredibly crucial if they’re to hold their spot in the top five at this early stage of the season.
North Heidelberg will bid farewell to a legend in their must-win match with Macleod at Shelley Street Reserve.
This weekend will mark the final time that Shane Harvey will pull on the Bulldogs guernsey after 234 games and nearly 1050 goals. Harvey’s legacy with both the club and the NFNL will be legendary and with his side sitting 0-3, he’ll hope to send them off with their first win of season 2023.
After tough matches against last year’s grand finalists to start this year’s campaign, the Bulldogs suffered a nine-point defeat to Hurstbridge away from home.
Hamish Murphy has enjoyed his time with North Heidelberg since joining the club in the off-season, being the only player to be named in his side’s best in all three games so far.
Majak Daw has been important in both the ruck and up forward, kicking seven majors while the ever-reliable Jesse Tardio has continued to be influential in midfield.
Macleod claimed their first victory of season 2023 last week, proving too strong for Banyule at home.
Sebastian Latina was brilliant with four goals alongside Michael Hurley who has now produced eight majors for the Roos this season.
Craig Hayes’ men will be hopeful to build some momentum on Saturday as well as in their clash with Whittlesea next week before a huge three-game slate where they face the top three sides of 2023.
Macleod do have the wood over the Bulldogs, winning their last three games, however with a big crowd expected at Shelley Street, North Heidelberg will be determined to send off an icon of their club in style.
Banyule will need to brush off their Round 3 defeat ahead of an important clash with West Preston-Lakeside at A.K. Lines Reserve.
The Bears suffered their second defeat of the season last weekend, going down by 22 points at the hands of the Kangaroos despite holding a four-point lead at the main break.
Captain Devin McDonald led from the front in midfield alongside Liam Jacob, with the latter picking up three Coaches MVP votes whilst also finishing as the Bears equal leading goalkicker on the day with three goals alongside Jackson Jones.
But with Jack Langford having to spend majority of the time in the ruck, Banyule have been unable to find a consistent target inside 50, with no player recording more than four goals for the season thus far.
They take on a West Preston-Lakeside outfit who come into this game in good form following two impressive home wins against Macleod and Greensborough in the last fortnight.
That fortnight has seen the emergence of Chris Ryall following his recruitment by the Roosters in the off-season. He kicked three crucial last quarter goals to help give his side the victory over the Boro last week.
Max Dreher has had a stellar season also, culminated so far with 10 Coaches MVP Award votes in last week’s game which has put him equal first in the MVP Leaderboard.
A win for West Preston-Lakeside will take them to 3-1 with games against North Heidelberg and Whittlesea to follow, while for Banyule, the four points will take them to 2-2 after a decent month of opponents.
Whittlesea will be hopeful of opening their account for season 2023, as they host Hurstbridge at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
It’s been a difficult opening three weeks for the Eagles, who have tasted defeat to the three best sides of the competition last year, with their last game against Bundoora ending on a sour note after a serious injury to Luke Jeffs.
Whittlesea’s stand outs have been through the likes of Deakin Tennant, Mitchell Andrews and Tom Falls, while forward Christian Prestopino has kicked majors in all three games and leads their club’s goalkicking charts with seven goals.
They come up against a Hurstbridge side who sit with two wins from their first three games, just as they did at this point last year.
The Bridges won their fourth consecutive game at home after a tight victory over North Heidelberg last week, which included starring performances from Mitchell Moschetti, who received 10 Coaches MVP Award votes, and Bailey Jordan, who kicked five majors.
Joel Cordwell’s men have had an up and down start to the year, but their best has proven that they are capable of competing with some of the strongest sides of the competition.
Last year saw Hurstbridge win the two encounters over the Eagles, which included a comprehensive 60-point triumph in the final home and away game of the season.
But Whittlesea be relishing at the opportunity to put in a good performance in front of their home crowd against a more even opponent in the hopes of claiming their first win of the year.
