The battle to avoid relegation took a new twist ahead of an important weekend of matches in Round 14 of A Plus Solutions Division 2.
Panton Hill tasted victory for the first time in 378 days last Saturday and Round 14 will be a crucial week in the Redbacks’ hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon when they travel to Thomastown.
The Redbacks got off to a strong start against Watsonia last week, kicking three goals and holding the visitors goalless in the opening term. Things only got better from there, as they led by 29 points at the final break, before claiming a 35-point victory.
Tom Blake was outstanding in his return, Jonty Rushton played his best game of the year and booted five goals, while playing-coach Joffa Byron kicked three majors and provided great leadership.
Panton Hill has been bottom of the ladder for all but one week, but now sits only a game behind seventh-placed Lalor. With confidence building, the Redbacks will be hopeful of securing more wins in the next five weeks to avoid relegation.
Thomastown would have moved into the top-four with a win over Lower Plenty in Round 13. But in the highly anticipated contest, the Bears faltered and suffered a 98-point defeat at Montmorency Park.
Dylan Armstrong booted a goal and was named Thomastown’s best player, along with Josh Beare and Matthew Dirkx, however their side simply must win their next two starts against Panton Hill and Watsonia if they are to contend for a finals spot. They will start favourite in both.
Top-four sides Lower Plenty and North Heidelberg square off at Montmorency Park. The pair played out a thriller in their most recent meeting, with the Bulldogs edging home by four points.
Lower Plenty consolidated fourth place with an impressive victory over Thomastown last week. The home side all but ended the game in the opening term, kicking seven goals and holding Thomastown goalless.
Patrick Flynn, Darcy Barden and Ben Paterson were unstoppable in attack, combining for 16 goals. Flynn was voted player of the match, ahead of Patterson and Jordan Sacco in their side’s crucial victory.
North Heidelberg took a step closer to claiming the minor premiership following a 22-point victory over Diamond Creek in the top-of-the-table clash. The result extended the Bulldogs’ unbeaten streak to 11 matches.
In a tight tussle, North Heidelberg was able to get a decisive break with a three-goal to one second term and held the lead for the rest of the day. Jesse and Brody Tardio shined, along with Marc Lonergan and Andre Habchi.
Diamond Creek will look to put the disappointment of Round 13 behind it when it hosts Lalor at Coventry Oval.
The Demons had the chance to jump into to first place with victory, but couldn’t get the points in a tough encounter. They still remain six points clear of third-placed Fitzroy Stars in the race for a double chance in the finals.
Ty Franks, Oliver Parks and Josh Marchbank were the Demons’ best players in blustery conditions. However, the albescence of Jess Cosaitis was felt, with the Demons not recording a multiple goal kicker on the day.
Following Panton Hill’s victory in Round 13, Lalor finds itself back in the relegation battle. The Bloods sit one game above the Redbacks with two wins for the season, which have both been against the bottom-placed side.
The Bloods need to take a big scalp to galvanise the side and give them the belief they belong in Division 2. Their form had been improving over the past month, but they were no match for the Fitzroy Stars last week, with the Stars booting 14 goals to three after half time.
Harley Nancarrow and Shannon Smith have done their best to try to fill the void left in the forward line by Todd Hughes, with both again multiple goal kickers last week.
Watsonia caused the upset of the season when it defeated the Fitzroy Stars in Round 9 and will be hoping for a repeat when it travels to Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval.
After consecutive wins in rounds 9 and 10, the Saints have lost their past three games, which included a disappointing defeat at Panton Hill last week.
Ben Anderson and Allan Young fought hard, while Adrian Alfonsi booted three of his side’s seven goals. The Saints were well off line when aiming at the big sticks however, booting 7.24 for the day.
The Fitzroy Stars recovered from a humiliating 70-point defeat to Lower Plenty by beating Lalor by 102 points. Defeat would have seen the Stars drop to fourth spot, but the win keeps their hopes of a top-two finish alive.
Kain Proctor was a standout performer at Lalor Reserve, along with Clinton Benjamin, Jai Burns and Peter Hood (three goals). Vaasili Tuifao was once again the main man in attack, finishing with a team-high four majors.
