The top- four in A Plus Solutions Division 2 could look a lot different at the end of Round 13, with some vital matches taking place this weekend.
Top-two sides North Heidelberg and Diamond Creek meet in a mouth-watering clash, while the winner out of Lower Plenty and Thomastown will open a one-game advantage inside the top-four.
The Fitzroy Stars also have a lot to play for and will be looking to bounce back from last week’s 70-point home defeat when they travel to Lalor.
The Stars are hanging on to third place, with both Lower Plenty and Thomastown only two points behind them, after putting in their worst performance this season against Lower Plenty.
Trailing by only 14 points at quarter time, the Stars conceded eight goals in the second term to all but end any hope of victory. Clinton Benjamin, Shawn Wilkey and Allan Norris were the Stars better players, while Vaasili Tuifao kicked three goals.
The Stars will need to find their best form if they are to overcome Lalor. The Bloods are on a three-game losing streak but have shown improvement in recent defeats to finals contenders Lower Plenty and Thomastown.
Jarrod King’s side trailed Thomastown by just five points at half time last week, before slipping to a tight 17-point loss. Tim Murphy, Jhye Baddeley-Kelly and Shannon Smith all had strong matches.
This will be the first time these sides have met this season. Victory would see the Stars cement third place, while defeat could see them slip to fourth.
First spot is on the line when North Heidelberg takes on Diamond Creek at Shelley Reserve. The sides met at the same venue in Round 1 and on that day North Heidelberg turned around a slow start to win by 29 points.
The Bulldogs have been in electrifying form over the past month, winning their past games by an average of 114 points.
In their past two games, Shane Harvey has booted 30 goals and now requires 34 more to reach the magical 100-mark, with six games remaining in the home and away season. Leigh Gilbert has also been in fine form in front of goal, only going two games without hitting the scoreboard.
The Bulldogs will take on Diamond Creek, who surprisingly still have a superior percentage, thank largely to its stingy defence which has conceded an average of just 47 points a game.
Over the past three weeks Ryan Pingree has cemented himself in the Diamond Creek side. Pingree has kicked nine goals in three matches and was named in the Demons’ best against Watsonia, with five goals.
Bryce Adams has also shown good form and has regularly been among the votes in the Coaches Player of the Year award.
Lower Plenty has soared back into premiership contention following a comprehensive victory over the Fitzroy Stars and now hosts Thomastown in a massive game.
Lower put in a four-quarter effort to record its second victory over the Stars for the year, with its talls providing a strong contribution. Darcy Barden booted five goals and Corey Sleep four, while ruckman Patrick Flynn was among the best on the field.
With matches against North Heidelberg and Diamond Creek to follow in the next fortnight, this week’s game is crucial for Lower in its quest to create breathing space inside the top-four.
Thomastown got the job done against Lalor and will be looking for a repeat this week to push back inside the top half of the ladder.
In a low-scoring game Josh Beare, Joseph Vaccaro and David Folino all played well against the Bloods.
A win this week could set up the club’s finals bid, ahead of two consecutive matches against sides placed in the bottom-three on the ladder.
The final game of the weeks sees Panton Hill take on Watsonia in the beyondblue game, creating awareness about the effects of depression and anxiety in our community.
The Redbacks have found a victory hard to come by this season and Round 12 resulted in another heavy defeat.
On the bright side, the Redbacks’ total of 75 was their second-highest score for the season in what proved to be an entertaining game, despite the lopsided scoreline.
Matt Fowler and Scott Conte both found plenty of the ball, while five players kicked multiple goals.
Watsonia will be hoping for a repeat of its performance against Panton Hill in Round 1, where in its first game back in Division 2, Ben Sutherland notched up 10 coaches votes in a 27-point win.
Last week the Saints suffered a 48-point loss to Diamond Creek – managing to stay with the second-placed side for three quarters, before falling away in a six-goal to nil final quarter.
Matthew Crawford, Ben Anderson and Kyle Kemp were the Saints’ best performers, with their side’s third quarter particularly impressive, pilling on five goals to two.
