Round 11 appears to have predictable results, but after what we saw two weeks ago, anyone can win on any given day.
Third plays fourth at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval when the Fitzroy Stars take on Thomastown for the NAIDOC Cup.
The Stars rebounded from a disappointing defeat to Watsonia in Round 9 to smash Panton Hill by 150 points. The final margin was the Stars biggest of the season and their club-record total of 31.35 (211) moved them to second for most points kicked for the year.
The Stars had 14 goal kickers, with Allan Norris and John Hayes leading the way with four each, while Malcolm Dow, Kain Proctor and Shawn Wilkey all had a big impact on the result.
The Stars will be coming up against a Thomastown side looking to rebound from a disappointing result to North Heidelberg. The Bears must quickly respond from the defeat if they are going to remain in the top-four.
Having jumped into third spot after upsetting Diamond Creek, the Bears were expected to compete with the ladder-leader. Unfortunately, the undermanned side could not keep up with the Bulldogs and suffered a 93-point defeat.
Matthew Vasilevski was again outstanding, while Joseph Vaccaro had an impressive first quarter playing on Brent Harvey.
These sides met in Round 5 and in that game Vaasili Tuifao kicked six goals to hand the Stars a 57-point win at Main Street Reserve.
Top of the table North Heidelberg hosts Watsonia at Shelley Reserve where both sides will be looking to extend two-match winning streaks.
The Bulldogs showed why they are the pacesetters of the competition in their victory over Thomastown last week. Their run and carry was too hot to handle for the Bears, while the star-studded midfield provided silver service to Shane Harvey up forward.
Shane and Brent Harvey combined for 11 goals, Marc Lonergan was impressive, while Luke Villanti stood up in the ruck, with first-choice ruckman Michael Florence out of the side.
The Bulldogs take on a Watsonia coming off consecutive wins and still within touching distance of the top-four following home wins over the Fitzroy Stars and Lalor. The Saints are full of confidence and will look to provide a better challenge than their first loss to the Bulldogs.
The Saints’ winning run has seen them move four games clear of bottom-placed Panton Hill and the look almost certain to avoid the wooden spoon – a great achievement from the reigning Division 3 premiers.
In his first game of the season Kyle Page kicked five goals against Lalor, while Kyle Kemp, Jarryd Allan and Jack Larkin (four goals) were among their side’s best performers.
Diamond Creek returns to Coventry Oval to host Lower Plenty.
The Demons rebounded impressively from a shock loss to Thomastown 9 to defeat Lower Plenty last week, holding the Bears goalless in the opening term to win by 16 points. Brad Perry kicked three goals and was among the Demons’ best with Ben Wescott and Josh Lorey.
Despite last week’s win, the Demons have managed only 15 goals over the past fortnight, after averaging 111 points per game in the opening nine rounds. But against the bottom-placed side, the Demons will look to return to their attacking best.
Panton Hill suffered another big defeat last week, when unable to contain the Fitzroy Stars’ firepower at Cracknell Reserve, despite showing positive patches throughout the game.
Matthew Hunt, Daniel Freeman and Matthew Fowler were the Redbacks best players in defeat, while Damian Noorman kicked three goals and Cameron Jordan, Dane Robertson and Ryan Simpson each finished with two.
The final game of the weekend sees Lower Plenty travel to Lalor, where both sides are looking to return to the winners’ list.
Lower Plenty is coming off consecutive close defeats to the top-two sides. Despite pushing both North Heidelberg and Diamond Creek, the results have pushed the Bears outside the top-four on the ladder.
A slow start was costly last week, with the Bears trailing by 25 points at quarter time, before kicking eight of the final 14 goals to lose by 16 points. Darcy Barden kicked three goals to increase his season tally to 39, while Patrick Flynn, Tom Keys and Clint Monger were great.
Against a team one position above them on the ladder the Bloods were expected to challenge Watsonia last week, but suffered a heavy defeat at A.K. Lines Reserve.
The Bloods were never in the match, but for a third-quarter fight back. That was despite Spencer Christopher’s three goals and strong showings from Ben Curtiss, Harley Nancarrow and Beau Delcus.
