With just six weeks to go in the MC Labour Division 2 campaign, the race towards finals is as tight as ever with more ladder shaping contests set to occur this weekend.
The highlight of the round will be the top of the table clash between Diamond Creek and Eltham at Coventry Oval.
These are two teams many didn’t expect to occupy the top spots on the ladder at this point of the season but with just one game separating both sides, this match presents a massive opportunity for both clubs to stake their claim as premiership threats.
Both sides have been in incredible form, with neither the Panthers nor the Creekers tasting defeat since April.
Andrew Tranquilli’s men recorded a comfortable 27-point triumph Watsonia last week, leading at ever change to remain in second spot.
Sam Gleeson has put in a stellar 2022 season for Diamond Creek, securing another 10 MVP votes over the weekend and now sitting in second spot in the overall leaderboard.
Consistent performances from Sage Dicello, Jai Norman and Ryan Pingree are also leading the Creekers to victory after victory.
The Panthers are coming off a 14-point victory over Thomastown, with a five-goal lead at half time setting up their triumph.
Young guns Daniel Horsfield and Finnbar Maley were again superb while 17-year-old debutant Oscar Berry stole the show, kicking three majors.
Despite losing key personnel in the pre-season, Eltham’s use of their young talent has played a big role in their regular season success to date.
When these two sides last met in Round 2, they were separated by just two scoring shots, but Eltham’s accuracy was what led them to a 37-point win at home.
In what could shape up to be a grand final preview, expect a fierce contest.
In another meeting of top-five sides, Banyule will host St Mary’s as both clubs plan to establish their final positions in the lead up to finals action.
The Bears can all but secure a top three position with another win, and with the top two sides facing off this weekend, the four points will be crucial for Banyule’s pursuit towards the top spot.
Paul Harris and Ricky Dyson’s side made it four consecutive wins after they held off a Lower Plenty comeback to prevail by 11 points last week.
Riley Loton has led the way in the midfield all season for the Bears, producing another fantastic performance to be seven votes clear on top of the Coaches MVP Award, while four majors from the talented Reuben Blackmore-Moore further highlighted his influence at all ends of the ground.
If the Burra can cause a minor upset, they’ll be one step closer to booking their first finals appearance in Division 2 and in order to do so, they’ll use all the momentum they produced from last week’s comfortable 73-point win over the Fitzroy Stars.
20-year-old Jack Cicitta is proving to be a revelation up forward, kicking another three majors to make it seven goals in his four senior games this year while Mitchell Hocking produced his best match of the season, scoring the perfect 10 Coaches MVP Votes.
With both Watsonia and Thomastown playing bottom five sides this weekend, the pressure will be on St Mary’s to keep their distance and avoid a similar result to their last meeting with Banyule, where the Bears ran out 60-point winners in the opening round.
Two games out of the top-five, Watsonia are still in the hunt for a finals spot and will be hoping to take all four points when they face Panton Hill this Saturday.
The Saints kept pace with Diamond Creek for most of last week, before falling away in the second half to eventually go down by four goals.
With the fifth placed Burra facing a top five side on Saturday, Watsonia will see this match as an opportunity to close the gap however they’ll be weary of a Panton Hill side who are coming into this match on a two-game winning streak.
The Redbacks most recently defeated Epping to the tune of 33 points, making it two from two against the Blues this year.
Parks brothers Samuel and Ollie were again amongst the side’s top players in the win, with premiership player Scott Conte again inspiring his team towards an impressive result.
Incredibly, Panton Hill can still mathematically qualify for a top five spot in 2022 and while the likelihood of it occurring is small, a third consecutive triumph would potentially put Simon Amore’s side just two games outside a finals place.
The task for Watsonia will not only be to claim the four points, but to also aim to improve on their percentage, as by sitting almost 36 percent behind St Mary’s in that category, it could be the deciding factor in their finals hunt.
Having come off their second heartbreak loss in three weeks, Lower Plenty will be out to get back on the winners list in emphatic fashion when they take on Epping.
The Bears fell 11 points short last week, with Tom Keys, Darcy Barden and Tyler Wallace the standouts in the defeat, which would come to the surprise of few considering their recent form.
It now sits Phil Plunkett’s side 10 points away from a double chance spot, but with four bottom five sides in their final six matches, there is still time for the Bears to make a charge towards a top three finish, starting with this weekend.
The Blues meanwhile had their chances to stay in the hunt against an inform Panton Hill outfit but proved no match in the end, kicking 4.9 to 7.9 in the second half to go down by 33 points.
This may have been Epping’s last opportunity to win a game for the remainder of the season, but the focus will continue to be on improvement and development.
They will particularly want this to be the case against a Lower Plenty side who they went down to by 132 points in their last outing in Round 7.
The Fitzroy Stars will hope to celebrate Sir Douglas Nicholls Round in style when they host the struggling Thomastown.
Both sides will be playing for the NAIDOC Cup on Saturday, which has become an annual event between both clubs.
Despite only trailing by 21 points at half time against an inaccurate St Mary’s, the Stars were blown away in the second half, ultimately going down by 73 points.
Riley Livingstone again continues to impress and will no doubt be the favourite to take home the Stars’ best and fairest award.
Still searching for their first win in the 2022 campaign, Lionel Proctor’s side will sense this match as an opportunity, as they face a Thomastown line up which is low on confidence having been defeated in their last five matches.
In what has been the story of their season, the Bears again produced another competitive performance against a top five side, pushing Eltham to their limits in a close battle at Main Street Recreation Reserve. However, it resulted in another loss, this time by 14 points.
It puts Thomastown 14 points behind the fifth placed Burra, meaning another finals berth is unlikely, but the aim this Saturday might be to just get back on the winners list. If they can produce a similar performance to their Round 4 clash in which the Bears prevailed by 103 points, that will be a bonus.
