North Heidelberg have snapped their three-game losing streak to produce their first win of the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 season, with a brilliant 48-point victory over Macleod at Shelly Street Reserve.
In what marked an historic day for retiree Shane Harvey, the excitement in the atmosphere made for a match of second efforts and team collaboration, with the Bulldogs having all the motivation to complete a statement 15.10 (100) to 7.10 (52) victory.
Harvey couldn’t have made his send off from football any better, leading all scorers with a five-goal game that cemented his legacy as an all-time great.
The rest of the Bulldogs outfit followed in excellent form, with standout performances from Jesse Tardio, Hamish Murphy and Joshua Hamilton, while Nicholas Matthews set the tone of the match early in defence.
Macleod were steered by skipper Lucas Hobbs, leading the charge for his side through pivotal clearance work that opened up many chances to hit the scoreboard.
Kurt Manuel and Reid Brandt proved to be a dangerous presence around the ball all day, with Darcy Barden helping to stop a plethora of inside 50’s that kept the Roos in the fight.
The day would start with the man of the hour himself, as Harvey lined up to boot the first two majors with Liam Nunan following suite by kicking his own goal to give the hosts an early three-goal lead.
Craig Hayes’ side would respond quickly with Haydon Manuel kicking true for a major, as Lucas Hobbs followed in similar fashion for a goal to reduce the lead to eight points.
The Bulldogs chemistry continued to be reflected on the scoreboard through the first half, highlighted by Tardio breaking through two tackles into a handball toward a running Mitchell Dillon for a major.
The scoring kept on coming from the Bulldogs as Majak Daw made his stamp on the game with two set shot goals, Kyle McDonald also kicked two second term majors that extended the lead to 43-points.
Momentum was all the Bulldogs way, with McDonald’s speed around the ground in tandem with Billy Hogan’s hard-nosed play at the ball, overwhelming the Macleod midfield.
The Roos were able to whether some of the storm from goals by Shane Doherty and Kurt Manuel, giving their side some life as they faced a 32-point deficit at the main break.
Dane Whitnall would be the one to open the second half with a goal, which would be quickly followed by an electric snap at goal from Harvey that pushed the margin out to 44-points.
The contest wasn’t out of reach yet, proven by the visitors’ Reid Brandt, who snapped the ball truly from 30-metres out.
However, Harvey had other plans. He would soon kick his fourth, while Daw would close out the quarter with his third major of the day for a 48-point North Heidelberg lead at three quarter time.
Both teams started to slow down in the final term, as Cooper Bugeja showed some speed to break the scoring drought with a run-in goal to give the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game.
Manuel would kick two majors for Macleod, but with time running down Harvey would have the last say in his final game, converting his set shot for goal number five for the afternoon and goal number 1053 for his career.
It would be a fitting end for the North Heidelberg champion, who had led his team to yet another victory, this being one that could get the Bulldogs’ 2023 season back on track.
