It was déjà vu for Montmorency and Heidelberg in their huge Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 clash at Warringal Park, with the Magpies holding on for a five-point triumph.
Montmorency were dominant in most areas of the ground, particularly in the midfield and up forward, allowing the Magpies to escape with a 14.9 (93) to 13.10 (88) win and as a result, end the Tigers’ 18-game winning streak.
The reigning premiers last defeat came in almost the exact same circumstances when Montmorency claimed a one-point victory at Warringal Park in Round 3 of the 2022 season.
Patrick Fitzgerald was a clear highlight for the Magpies, kicking seven majors, the 14th time in his senior career that he’s kicked seven or more goals in a game.
Meanwhile Jake Spencer dominated in the ruck for the visitors, shutting down Heidelberg’s ability to win clearances and get first use of the ball from stoppages.
Montmorency’s speed when moving the ball from turnovers was too much to handle for Heidelberg, with Marcus Lentini ensuring that was the case.
Reigning club best and fairest Liam Wale-Buxton was also impressive as was defenders Billy Jenkin and Jai Robinson.
Keenan Posar was a standout in defence for the Tigers with Lachlan Wilson also a key contributor in helping his side to win back the midfield battle.
Zane Barzen and Mackenzie Hogg were the leading goalkickers for the reigning premiers, with two majors each.
Following the unfurling of their 2022 premiership flag, Heidelberg got things going early in the first term, with the returning Ben Nikolovski finding the goals within the opening minutes before Luke Bunker pushed their lead to two majors.
However, their advantage didn’t last long, with Marcus Lentini showing his class with a nice major from just inside 50, before Fitzgerald found his first of the day to give the Magpies a tight lead just 13 minutes into the term.
Both sides then traded goals to round out the quarter, with fast breaks from their defensive 50 leading to Montmorency’s four opening term goals, whereas capitalisation on turnovers in the midfield resulted in Heidelberg’s majors.
The hosts held a one-point advantage at the first change with no clear sign of which side would break the game open.
But as it turned out, Montmorency were the more efficient team in the second term in both their marking and their kicking, and it showed on the scoreboard with a five-goal to three quarter.
Heidelberg’s backline started looking sparse as they struggled to keep up with the speed of the Magpie’s ball movement and when the Tigers did take possession, they weren’t able to make the most of their chances with poor kicking efficiency.
The reigning premiers did kick two of the first three goals of the term with Zane Barzen launching from just outside 50, before Kai Kearns snapped truly from his set shot.
But Fitzgerald would start to find his groove, kicking a further two majors to help lead Montmorency to a 12-point half time advantage.
The Magpies looked to have broken the game open in the third quarter, as they kept Heidelberg scoreless for the opening 17 minutes of the second half.
Fitzgerald was at his dominant best during that period, kicking all three third quarter goals for the visitors, and it could have been more had it been for some slightly more accurate goalkicking.
However, it was the Tigers’ first goal of the quarter, from Mackenzie Hogg, which woke Vin Dattoli’s men up, and they would eventually go on to match Montmorency’s 3.2 for the quarter.
Captain Sam Gilmore did well to rouse his side with an impressive pack mark in his forward 50, but it was a late major to Isaac Wallace that continued the Tigers momentum throughout the third term.
As the siren sounded for the last break of the game, Montmorency were looking like the stronger team, but Heidelberg’s surge in the final minutes kept the reigning premiers in the hunt.
And as it turned out, the Tigers would find themselves in front early in the quarter with back-to-back goals putting Heidelberg in front for the first time since the opening quarter.
The one-point lead didn’t remain for long however, with a responsive goal from Montmorency’s Bronson Hill putting the visitors back in the lead, where they would remain for the rest of the game.
Spencer continued to dominate in the ruck, while his teammates Kyle Kankaanpaa, Jai Robinson and Marcus Lentini were all key contributors throughout the quarter.
Kai Kearns and Thomas Sullivan had set shots on goal within a minute at the 18-minute mark of the quarter, but with both shots missing, Montmorency still kept their lead intact.
Hill’s goal at the 23-minute mark would prove to be the sealer for the Magpies, kicking his third major for the afternoon after calmly converting the set shot.
Hogg would manage to kick a second goal which would see the margin shrink to five points, however, the siren sounded seconds later, dashing any hopes of a Heidelberg comeback.
