Montmorency will head into the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 Qualifying Final with plenty of confidence following a 25-point victory over North Heidelberg at Montmorency Park North Oval.
The Magpies broke away in the second quarter and despite some opportunities from the Bulldogs to make it close, the hosts were never headed thereafter on their way to a strong 13.18 (96) to 10.11 (71) victory.
Montmorency will now face Bundoora in the Qualifying Final meanwhile North Heidelberg miss out on a top three position and will face Hurstbridge in the elimination final next Sunday.
Liam Wale-Buxton led from the front for the Magpies, being more than serviceable in ruck contests and being great around the ground, finishing with two goals to his name.
Braedyn Gillard also starred, kicking three goals, and was always the hosts most dangerous forward target, as he took many contested marks inside his forward half. Corey Sleep too produced three majors to continue what’s been a terrific patch of form.
Despite the loss, Jesse Tardio was a dominant force for the Bulldogs in the middle, racking up disposals and centre clearances at will.
Meanwhile Dane Whitnall put up an impressive effort in the ruck and was a main factor in keeping the Bulldogs in the game early on.
Early on, all signs pointed to the contest being a very even affair, with neither team kicking ahead by more than three goals for the entire term.
Both sides couldn’t capitalise on their opportunities early, with each team kicking two behinds to start the game, before North Heidelberg’s Zane Anderson delivered for the first goal of the match 10 minutes into the contest.
Montmorency’s Corey Sleep soon responded, after taking a great sliding mark, which he soon converted to level up the scores.
The Magpies then had control for much of the remainder of the term, with goals from Sleep and Daniel Clarke extending the margin out.
But North Heidelberg managed to rally hard to finish the quarter strong, with late majors from Braidyn Hirt and Brody Bell helping the visitors hit the front.
Although Montmorency were able to add a goal through Stefan Uzelac, the Bulldogs headed into the quarter with their heads up, only trailing the Magpies by six points.
Jonathan Manzoney’s men came out firing to start the second term, locking the ball in their forward 50 from the outset and creating many opportunities to score.
However, against the run of play, North Heidelberg were able to convert on their first opportunity through Hirt.
Jesse Tardio was able to make his presence felt in the quarter. He was brilliant in contests and was able to find and dish the ball off to his teammates without issue.
Montmorency had to wait patiently for their first major of the quarter but would eventually score two goals in rapid succession, including the goal of the match through Marcus Lentini, who produced a brilliant running major from the centre square to his half forward line where he was able to convert truly.
Corey Sleep then added a third major to widen the gap even further and head into half time with a handy 28-point lead.
It didn’t take long for Montmorency to kick ahead even more as the second half commenced, kicking the first goal of the term within minutes.
Dane Whitnall answered for the Bulldogs after producing a nice set shot and it started a period where while they weren’t able to gain as much possession as their opponents, their efforts were improving which allowed them to gain chances on the scoreboard.
But as the quarter wore on, it was Montmorency that appeared to be the fresher side, creating opportunities at will as Liam Wale-Buxton was able to add to his already great day at the office with a major.
With three quarter time fast approaching, North Heidelberg’s accuracy would prove to let them down, kicking 1.4 for the quarter thanks sone great defensive pressure applied by the Montmorency defensive unit.
North Heidelberg’s Zane Anderson was able to strike first for the Bulldogs in the last term as they came out of the three-quarter time break looking as lively as they have been all day.
Montmorency’s Patrick Dozzi looked to all but put the game to bed with a brilliant running goal moments later.
But Whitnall looked to inspire the Bulldogs with a great mark in his forward 50 and was able to convert for his second major of the game to cut down the margin to within four majors.
Brody Bell was then able to make it two on the trot for the Bulldogs before again, Montmorency had the answers to ensure there was no chance of a comeback for the visitors.
Nicolas Uzelac would produce the sealer, kicking a terrific major on the run from just inside 50, to make it the Magpies’ 14th win of the season.
