Round 12 sees sides outside the top four hosting teams sitting inside the top four.
On paper it appears a straight-forward week for the finals-bound teams, but as always is the case in Division 2, results are hard to predict.
Heading into Round 12, Hurstbridge is three wins and a percentage clear atop the Division 2 ladder.
A flawless opening nine games has aided the Bridges’ hopes of clinching the minor premiership, but it is the Holy Grail in September that is the bigger prize for the club from Greysharps Rd.
This round begins with Panton Hill and North Heidelberg facing off at Cracknell Reserve.
Panton Hill slipped to sixth place following a 26-point defeat to the Fitzroy Stars last Saturday, where a slow start was costly, with the Redbacks’ 28-points behind at the first break.
It was their third straight defeat and after some promising weeks, they are now fighting to stay off the bottom of the ladder.
Tyler Scarce was once again voted as one of Panton Hill’s best players in last week’s loss at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval, along with Daniel Haynes and Matthew Duckworth.
Haynes was also handy up forward, booting three goals, along with coach Joffa Byron who kicked three majors.
North Heidelberg’s five-game winning run came to an end when it narrowly lost to undefeated Hurstbridge by nine points.
Trailing by 50 points at half time, the Bulldogs kicked 11-second half goals to nearly pinch a remarkable win – closing within three points in the last quarter.
Pasquale Saccuzzo nullified the impact of Tom Simpson in the second half and was voted the Bulldogs’ best performer, while Shane Harvey was instrumental and kicked three of his four goals in the final term.
The Bulldogs will take confidence from their second-half display but the first half would have been a worry for coach, Stephen Saddington.
A goalless opening half is disappointing no matter the opposition, but when it is against the best side in the competition, it usually means the game is over.
Lalor slipped to the bottom of the ladder following a 70-point annihilation to former cellar-dweller, Thomastown. Lalor’s task doesn’t get easier this week when it hosts Fitzroy Stars.
In what would be described as their worst performance for the season, the Bloods allowed Thomastown to kick 20 goals against them for the second time this season, after also slipping to a 39-point loss when the teams met in the opening round.
Todd Hughes was the only bright spot for the Bloods, with his five goals increasing his season tally to 38 majors – meaning he has booted 40.8% of the Bloods’ goals for the season.
Jhye Baddeley-Kelly and Shane Jacobs were also good, but better performances from the rest of the team will be required for the Bloods to find a way off the bottom.
This week the Bloods come up against a Stars side in good form. The Stars have won three of their past four and have opened up a two-game gap on fifth-placed Thomastown.
Against Panton Hill, Daniel Francis, John Hayes and Kain Proctor all kicked three goals, while Lionel Proctor, Clinton Benjamin and Mungara Brown were standout performers.
Round 4 was the last time these sides played each other and it was the Stars who held on for a two-point win, courtesy of four goals to Daniel Francis and Michaelis McMasters.
The final game of Round 12 sees Thomastown host third-placed Diamond Creek at Main Street Reserve.
Following four weeks at the bottom of the table, Thomastown moved up two spots courtesy of its win over Lalor.
The Bears’ score of 132 was the first time since Round 1 they have kicked over 100 points in a game. Meanwhile, Lalor’s score of 62 was the lowest the Bears have conceded this season.
Michael Di Battista kicked five goals in his second game senior game following a long injury layoff, Jacob Osei-Duro found form with four goals and Matthew Dirkx and James Rizzolio played great games.
Diamond Creek will be hoping the bye has not affected the form it displayed in its last outing. In Round 10, the Demons accounted for Lalor by 72 points.
Jack Prosser’s two goals and all round performance saw him voted the Demons’ best player, while Nathan Searl kicked three goals.
A win this weekend would put the Creekers in a strong position to play finals for the first time since 2013.
