Ahead of Round 3 of the MC Labour Division 2 competition, Saturday presents as an important opportunity for sides to either assert themselves as an early contender or open their account in season 2023.
Eltham will hope to keep their dominant start to the 2023 season going when they host Thomastown at Eltham Central Park.
The Panthers would feel they’re the favourites heading into this fixture, having won their opening two games by an average margin of 12 goals.
Last year’s minor premiers look like a side destined to make amends from their 2022 Grand Final defeat, exemplified in their 93-point triumph over St Mary’s last week.
Having had 10 different players named in their best across the first two games, Tim Bongetti has been able to build on the chemistry from the playing group last year. One to watch for the Panthers will again be Daniel Horsfield, with the 23-year-old playing a brilliant role in midfield and always being damaging around the contest.
Their opponents will be their toughest challenge so far, although it is a Thomastown side who are coming off a surprise loss last weekend to South Morang at home.
The Bears led the Lions by 11 points at half time, but despite registering more scoring shots, they couldn’t get on top of a rampaging South Morang outfit, going down by 23-points.
Tyrone Leonardis has been the one constant across Thomastown’s opening two weeks, with his influence in the midfield and at stoppages giving his side multiple chances to maintain possession and kick a winning score.
A win over Eltham at Eltham Central Park would be their first since Round 11, 2021 when they prevailed by eight points in an entertaining contest, and with a point to prove, Thomastown will be eager to repeat those efforts on Saturday.
Watsonia can continue to stamp their authority on the competition in the early stages of the season as they prepare to face St Mary’s at Binnak Park.
The Saints have had a dream start to the 2023 and after missing out on the top-five last season by just two points, the look to have taken the next step in their Division 2 journey.
Joshua Boulton and Kobe Van Zwienen have started the season with a bang, the duo arguably the two most in-form players in the entire competition.
Blake Charles and James Lucente will be threats up forward having combined for 15 goals to start the season and will look to give the Saints their third straight 100+ score for the year.
Their Saturday opponents have had the complete opposite beginning to this year’s campaign, with two heavy defeats.
It means, including last year, Fabian Carelli’s side have lost their last six matches, however there is certainly plenty of time for their form to turnaround.
Jeremiah Antypas and Tane Cotter have been the only two Burra players to receive Coaches MVP Award votes in the last fortnight with Joshua Carelli and Nicholas Dean joining the duo as four players to have been named in their side’s best in both games this year.
The Burra do have the wood over the Saints in recent meetings, winning both matches last year, and it will take a similar performance for them to get off the mark in season 2023.
Having returned to the winners list last week, Northcote Park will look to build on that momentum ahead of their battle with Panton Hill at Bill Lawry Oval.
The Cougars will come into the fixture full of confidence having ran out victors by 46-points over Lower Plenty last weekend.
They led by 10 goals at half time and despite letting their opposition take control in the third term, Northcote Park’s three-quarter effort will be something they’re keen to repeat on Saturday, only this time, for the entire match.
Alexander Boyse and Daniel Tallariti have been consistent contributors for the Cougars throughout the opening fortnight, with the talented duo hitting the ground running to start the season.
Panton Hill meanwhile will be desperate to bank their first four points of the season, having come off two comprehensive losses to start 2023.
Tom Keys has proven to be a brilliant recruit for Simon Amore’s side, having been the standout for his team in their losing efforts. His ability to have an influence in all areas of the ground has kept Panton Hill competitive in moments throughout games over the first two rounds of the season.
But in their first ever clash with Northcote Park, the Redbacks will need all 22 players on the field to have an impact if they’re to claim their first win of the season.
Diamond Creek have the chance to start a season 3-0 for the first time since 2021 when they travel to face Lower Plenty at Montmorency Park South Oval.
As they did last season, the Creekers have flown under the radar to start this year’s campaign, with back-to-back wins suggesting they can not only match their efforts of a preliminary final appearance last season, but maybe even go further.
Giving his side first use out of the middle and having been a decent target when rested forward, ruck Nicholas Barro has arguably the side’s most influential player so far in 2023.
Teammate Jack Empey has also been impressive to start the year, highlighted by his effort in the Creekers victory over Epping, where he received 10 Coaches MVP Award votes.
Lower Plenty meanwhile, remain winless following the first two games of 2023, and despite some promising signs from the younger players of the team, they will be hoping for a more competitive effort this week.
Their third quarter against Northcote Park last week suggested that Phil Plunkett’s men are capable of getting a run on when behind and it’s something they can build on as the season progresses.
These two sides had pretty close contests in 2022, with the Creekers winning by nine points in Round 8 before the Bears triumphed by 18 points in Round 14. Neutrals will be hoping for another tight affair this week.
A more competitive Epping outfit will face another huge test this weekend when they take on the in-form South Morang at Epping Recreation Reserve.
The Blues had the worst average losing margin (90.87) in the competition last year, and after losses by an average of 63 points in their first two games against top five sides in 2022, Epping have certainly shown improvement over the last six months.
Jordan Hollow has been brilliant to start the campaign, having picked up Coaches MVP Award votes in both games, while Luke Lirosi has been an important acquisition for the club both on and off field.
But despite playing Division 3 football just six months ago, the Lions have shown they belong in Division 2 after two impressive performances to begin the season.
Coming from behind to defeat Thomastown away from home last week will boost the confidence of the tight-knit side with players old and new having a big say in their recent good form.
Lachlan Potter has slid perfectly into the South Morang lineup and has had a great fortnight, while Kain Hall had a best on ground performance in the Lions’ win over the Bears last week.
This will be the first game between these two sides since the 2017 Division 3 preliminary final where the Lions claimed an eight-point win and while a lot has changed since, expect these teams to give it their all on Saturday.
