The Division 2 season kicked off with a bang, with a total of 86 goals kicked in the three matches in Round 1.
Expectations will be raised again in Round 2, with a top of a table clash headlining an entertaining week of football.
A massive early season drawcard takes place at Coventry Oval, when Diamond Creek plays hosts to the Fitzroy Stars. Both sides had convincing wins to kick-start the season and a victory this weekend will see one of these sides move a game clear on top of the ladder, with fellow Round 1 winner Thomastown facing a bye this round.
Diamond Creek showed it is ready to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish, notching up a 64-point win over Panton Hill. The Demons were spearheaded by the Kavanaghs, with Rory kicking five goals and Hugh having a best on ground performance, while Matt Aquilina kicked two goals on debut for the club.
Fitzroy was also dominant in the opening round, kicking 21 goals to chalk up an 87-point win over North Heidelberg. The Stars were led by four goals each from father-son duo Lionel and Kain Proctor, while Clinton Benjamin also impressed at centre half back in his first game for this new club.
Last year saw the Stars triumph over the Demons, winning both games the sides contested.
Two teams looking to recover from Round 1 humiliation will square off at Shelley Reserve on Saturday. North Heidelberg and Panton Hill will be looking to get their season’s up and running after dismal opening round performances.
Returning to Division 2 after a single season in Division 1, North Heidelberg is expected to be challenging at the top of the Division 2 ladder this year. But a thrashing at the hands of the Fitzroy Stars last week has momentarily hindered its premiership credentials.
A bright note for the Bulldogs was three goals from Shane Harvey. The Bulldogs will be hoping to see a return of Harvey’s 2012-2014 form, when he broke the 100-goal barrier for three consecutive Division 2 seasons and helped the Bulldogs claim the 2014 flag.
Panton Hill was hoping to improve on a difficult 2015, which saw it narrowly avoid relegation. A heavy defeat to Diamond Creek will not bring optimism to the Redback supporters wanting to see their side play finals in 2016.
The only bright notes for the Redbacks were the multiple goals kicked by Reid Staples, Brendan O’Connor and Daniel Haynes. James Course, Matthew Duckworth and Sam Parks, all playing their first games for the club, were considered as the Redbacks best performers.
2014 was the last time these two sides met and it was North Heidelberg who came out on top, winning by 51 and 47 points in two outing.
The final game of Round 2 sees Hurstbridge host Lalor at Ben Frilay Oval. Having had the bye in week one, Hurstbridge will be hoping to dust off the pre-season cobwebs.
2015 ended in disappointing fashion for the Bridges, who finished second in the home and away season, only to be knocked out of the finals in straight sets, which included a second semi final loss to the Bloods.
An influx of recruits in the form of Dale Eames, Kale and Rhys Frost, Robert Graham, Brent Hay and Alisdair Jackson has the Bridges looking to make it back-to-back finals appearances in 2016. It will also be interesting to see how the dual head coach role works between Rob Dyson and Trevor Frost.
Lalor will be looking for its first win of the season after a surprising 39-point loss to Thomastown in Round 1, where coach Steven Marshall was missing from the sidelines after sustaining a knee injury while playing in the reserves.
Todd Hughes continued where he left off 2015, kicking six of the Bloods’ 14 goals last weekend. The Bloods would be buoyed by Hughes’ form, but will also be looking to the rest of his team to lend an attacking hand.
Last year saw Hurstbridge and Lalor win one game apiece when the two sides met during the regular season, but Lalor had the last laugh, running away with a 38-point win in the aforementioned semi final to book a spot in the grand final.
