The shack up of ladder positions has made Round 10 one of the most intriguing rounds of the season.
There were surprises aplenty in Round 9 of A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2, as three of the top-four sides going into the round were defeated.
Diamond Creek will be looking to atone for last week’s poor performance against Thomastown when it travels to Lower Plenty.
The Demons failed to perform at the level which has seen them dominate the season and a lack of killer instinct in front of goal saw them drop a game they were expected to win.
One of the few issues for the Demons this season is their inaccuracy in front of goal. In five of the nine games this season they have kicked more behinds than goals, including last week when they kicked 5.13.
Lower Plenty currently finds itself in fifth-place on the ladder at the halfway point of the season. Last week’s defeat to North Heidelberg was the Bears’ fourth defeat to a team inside the top-four from five matches.
Despite having only two fit players on the bench after half time, Lower Plenty will view the defeat as a result that got away – losing by four points despite having six more scoring shots.
Laurie Naismith and Fabian Dorbolo thrived in defensive roles, however the loss of Sam Paterson to knee injury is a massive blow, with the youngster among the club’s most important players over the first two months of the year.
A match that has gained significant interest following last week’s result is Thomastown vs North Heidelberg.
The Bears pulled off their best win of the season, defeating Diamond Creek by 12 points and climbing to third on the ladder. The win was all the more remarkable after the visitors lost Daniel Chadwick and James Mercuri to injuries.
Jacob Osei-Duro and Cameron Dawson snared three goals each, while Joseph Vaccaro, Matthew Vasilevski and David Folino were the Bears’ best.
The Bears take on a North Heidelberg side that returned to the top of the ladder following its close victory over Lower Plenty. With scores level at three quarter time, the Bulldogs kicked four final-term goals to secure their seventh win.
Blair Harvey was a standout off half back, and was joined in the best players by Brent Harvey and Nicholas Matthews. Marcus Hill and Marc Lonergan both booted two goals, with the latter’s both coming in the last term after being thrust forward.
These sides last met in Round 4 and in that game it was the Bulldogs who were far too good when victorious by 94 points.
Two teams coming off Round 9 victories meet at A.K. Lines Reserve when Watsonia plays Lalor.
An eight-goal opening term got Watsonia off to a flyer in its six-point upset victory over the Fitzroy Stars. The Saints then overcame a half time deficit with a dominant third term, before holding off their fast-finishing visitors.
Scott Barnett was best on ground, with Ben Kowski and Daniel Norden also important in the confidence-boosting result, which improved Watsonia’s record to 3-6 in its return to second division.
Corey McCall’s side had eight separate goal kickers, which is the equal most they have had for the season. Jeremy Bennett and Allan Young were the leading goal kickers with three apiece.
Lalor notched its second win for the season in a six-point victory over Panton Hill. The Bloods trailed for most of the day but kicked five final-term goals to run over the Redbacks.
Terence Upoko, Beau Delcus and Harley Nancarrow were the Bloods best in the important victory, which importantly puts them two-wins and percentage away from the bottom of the ladder.
Two sides who suffered disappointing results last weekend meet when the Fitzroy Stars travel to Panton Hill.
A win last week would have cemented third position on the ladder for the Stars, however a number of lacklustre periods in the game saw them slip to a shock loss, despite seven goals from Vaasili Tuifao and strong games from Kain Proctor and Malcolm Dow.
The heat will now be on the Stars to not repeat the performance again this week, at a venue that has provided some difficulties in the past.
Panton Hill let victory slip out of its hands when it failed to hold on against Lalor, with the Redbacks left to lament wasted opportunities after kicking 11.18 in the six-point loss.
Despite losing, the Redbacks’ ability to move on quickly from such a massive Round 8 defeat would give them confidence they can string a couple of wins in the second half of the year.
Dane Robertson Matthew Fowler and Cameron Jordan were their side’s best at Lalor Reserve, while Daniel Haynes and Jordan each slotted three goals.
