Greensborough confirmed its status as the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 premiership favourite with a commanding 34-point win over Heidelberg on the eve of the finals.
The Boro led by as much as 56 points in the final term, before easing to a 15.14 (104) to 11.4 (70) on a heavy Greensborough War Memorial Park.
The victory helped the Boro atone for their loss to Heidelberg in Round 12 – their sole defeat of the season – and means the ladder-leader has now beaten every side in the competition.
Greensborough is now three wins and percentage clear of the second-placed Tigers and will enter its final round encounter against Hurstbridge with a 16-1 record. A win in Round 18 would complete an undefeated season at home.
Ben Fennell was best afield in a dominant performance in the top of the table clash. Fennell shared his time in the midfield and up forward and booted four goals. The haul helped the star recruit move to the top of Greensborough’s goal kicking with 27 majors.
Charlie Molyneux and Tom Bell were again influential in the midfield and put in trademark performances. Both also spent time inside forward 50 – with Bell kicking two goals, which both came in the second quarter.
Greensborough’s hybrid forward line stood up despite the absence of Tynan Smith and Brody Tickell – with the 15 goals shared by eight goal kickers.
Zac McCubbin kicked a goal in each of the first three quarters, while Andrew Stellas provided a great target all day. Caillin Kett also showed promising signs and finished with two goals.
Adrian Cataldo found plenty of the ball in the back half of the ground and was central to the Boro setting up their big lead over the opening three quarters – where they kept the Tigers to just 10 scoring shots.
Chaz Sargeant was Heidelberg’s best player and finished with four goals. Sargeant was a constant threat inside 50 and worked hard defensively when the ball was in the opposition’s hands.
Lewis Beers was a consistent performer across all four quarters, while Sam Gilmore maintained his strong form and recovered from an injury concern in the third quarter to play the game out.
Heidelberg made a superb start, with Sargeant in red-hot form in the opening minutes. The representative forward kicked two early majors on Nick Riddle – either side of a Fennell goal – to give the Tigers an early lead.
However, the Boro soon settled into the contest and took a 12-point lead into quarter time after kicking four of the last five goals in the quarter.
Heidelberg was down to three players on the bench from midway through the first quarter after Eamonn McCuskey came off worse for wear following a heavy collision in a marking contest.
The sides traded the opening four goals of the second term, although Heidelberg was at times its own worst enemy. Bell kicked both Greensborough goals from Tigers mistakes – one after intercepting an errant kick across the ground and the other courtesy of a 50m penalty.
The Boro piled on the last three goals of the term to take a 30-point lead into the main break and then sealed the game when McCubbin and Kett kicked goals in the early minutes of the third term.
Gilmore sent a major scare through Heidelberg’s camp when he went down midway through the quarter. He slowly walked from the field, but later returned and continued to have a strong impact.
The result threatened to blow out when Fennell kicked two majors early in the fourth quarter to help Greensborough stretch its lead beyond nine goals, however
Heidelberg fought the game out and kicked the final four goals to limit the damage on the scoreboard.
Final score: Greensborough 15.14 (104) def Heidelberg 11.4 (70)
GREENSBOROUGH
Goal Kickers: B. Fennell 4, Z. McCubbin 3, T. Bell 2, C. Kett 2, J. Desmond, M. Haynes, A. Stellas, J. Rogers
Best Players: B. Fennell, A. Stellas, C. Molyneux, T. Bell, Z. McCubbin, A. Cataldo
HEIDELBERG
Goal Kickers: C. Sargeant 4, R. Stone 2, M. Cecchin, J. Minogue, F. McIvor, S. Grimley, F. Carroll
Best Players: L. Beers, C. Sargeant, S. Gilmore, R. Stone, J. Minogue, P. Della Rocca
