The pecking order in the top five of the MC Labour Division 2 ladder will be made clearer in Round 7 as the fight for a finals spot already begins to heat up.
Six sides now sit well above the rest, with an eight-point gap emerging between sixth-placed Thomastown and Panton Hill in seventh. Yet those inside the top six still face a nervy time ahead, as the squeeze is put on ahead of the all-important finals series.
St Mary’s and Diamond Creek have been two of the most promising sides throughout the opening third of the year and now face off against each other in a telling clash at Coventry Oval.
Diamond Creek was gallant in defeat away to undefeated ladder-leader Banyule last round, starting strongly in a tight tussle to lead at quarter time.
The Creekers were outscored five goals to one during the second term, but fought back well to close within two points of the home side at the start of the final quarter. However, they were overrun in the latter stages and lost by 26 points.
Jack Prosser was terrific up forward with four goals, Jaspa Watson produced a strong showing, while Tyler Barnes’ gut running and Jai Norman’s strong marking power should have the Creekers confident that a repeat performance could lead to victory this week.
But a trip back home to Coventry Oval will not be made easy by an in-form St Mary’s, who continued their winning ways against the Fitzroy Stars on the weekend. The result gave the Burra a fifth win from their past six starts and propelled them to third place on the ladder.
A strong start meant the Burra were never flustered in their 14.15 (99) to 7.3 (45) win over the bottom of the ladder Stars, with emerging forward Tane Cotter once again shining with four majors and nine Coaches’ MVP Award votes.
Co-captain Nicholas Daisley, Mitchell Hocking and Matthew Coen were all brilliant contributors on the day, with the Burra putting their foot on the accelerator after the main break when they booted 7.6 to 1.0.
An even spread of goalkickers will have the Burra optimistic that they can come away with a win that would confirm their standing amongst the competition’s best teams in 2021.
After bouncing back for a much-needed win in Round 6, Thomastown has a big chance of making it two on the trot when they face Watsonia at Main Street Recreation Reserve.
A solid brigade of reliable Bears were back to their best last round in Thomastown’s relieving 51-point victory over Epping, a result which ended a two-game losing run.
Michael Tang once again proved what a brilliant recruit he has been for the Bears with four goals, as Aaron D’Angelo and Adrian Natoli both led the way with nine Coaches’ MVP Award votes apiece.
Multiple goals to Salvatore Mamone, Ben Nesci and Shannon Ball will give Thomastown a boost of hope that they have returned to the scintillating attacking football they excel in.
However, it was not all great news, with Tyrone Leonardis going down with a serious hamstring injury. The star midfielder joins an already long injury list, with Anthony Capeci, Josh Beare, James Rizzolio, Todd Hughes, Brayden Plant and Kane Slater all sidelined last week.
The Bears take on a Watsonia outfit who will be reeling after suffering their biggest loss of the season in a 93-point blowout away to Eltham last Saturday. The Saints had been relatively competitive in their four prior losses but had no answer against the Panthers.
A horror first quarter, where Eltham piled on 9.6.60 to 1.1.7, set the tone for a dismal day at Eltham Central Park, as only a three-goal final term helped the Saints avoid a triple-figure defeat.
Kyle Wheatley was a shining light up forward with three of his side’s five majors, while Harrison Sinclair was by far Watsonia’s best player, picking up four Coaches’ MVP Award votes for his gritty performance.
A much better start will be the focus for the Saints, who must bring the intensity early if they are to have any chance of matching it with Thomastown’s big guns.
After outlasting multiple flag contenders in the previous few rounds, Banyule will be looking to extend its unbeaten run when it travels to Panton Hill.
Panton Hill showed good signs early last week against Lower Plenty, booting four of the first five goals and remaining on level-pegging with the Bears for most of the second half.
However, an eight-goal to zero second quarter meant they were never in the contest after the main break, eventually succumbing by 55 points in a result that brought its two-game winning run to a halt.
John Pritchard was gallant in defeat, as his hard efforts were rewarded with six Coaches’ MVP Award votes. Brent Ryan had looked good in a forward role with two goals, before sadly suffering an Achilles injury.
The Redbacks will have to be better for longer if they are to match it with Banyule, who head into the contest having beaten top-five opponents in each of the past three weeks.
In a top of the table clash against Diamond Creek last week, the Bears warmed into a close clash that they ended up winning by 26 points, as some young talent came to the fore when they needed it most.
Reuben Blackmore-Moore was simply outstanding for Banyule, kicking two vital goals and snagging the full 10 Coaches’ MVP Award votes for his impressive efforts through the midfield.
Patrik Della Rocca’s return from injury made the difference, with his three goals helping the Bears pull away in the final term. Meanwhile, Connor Walsh’s two clutch final quarter majors showed the impressive depth Banyule has at their disposal.
Only a game off bottom spot, Epping will need to cause an upset if they are to topple Eltham at Epping Recreation Reserve.
The Blues threatened to cause a boilover against Thomastown at Main Street Reserve last week, when they hit the front early in the third term – having rallied after conceding the opening four goals of the match.
However, they were unable to go with the Bears as the game wore on, with the home side finishing with nine of the last 11 goals to inflict a 51-point defeat on the Blues.
The positives for Epping included Stefan Balassopoulos, who caused defenders plenty of headaches with three goals, while Jhye Baddeley-Kelly was yet again his side’s best and polled three Coaches’ MVP Award votes.
The job in front of Epping will be made harder after Eltham returned to its brutal best last week in a dominant 93-point win over Watsonia at home.
Lane Sinclair continued with his excellent display against Banyule the week before, snagging a bag of six goals, which saw him rewarded with nine Coaches’ MVP Award votes.
Young Luke Sirianni impressed with three majors, while Daniel Jarvis also slotted three goals in the big win.
Reliable midfielders in Ben Montanaro and Brent Macaffer led the way in the engine room to ensure their forwards enjoyed plenty of good service, while Jaden Collins impressed in just his second senior game.
In the final game of Round 7, Lower Plenty can cement it spot in the top-two when it faces the Fitzroy Stars at Montmorency Park South Oval.
Without Darcy Barden, the Bears started slowly in Round 6 but unleashed their mighty best in an eight goal second term that set up the 55-point win over Panton Hill.
Debutant Zak Goodwin immediately made his mark on the side with three goals, while Andrew White also slotted three majors to help the Bears secure their fourth victory on the trot.
Josh Turner was at his instrumental best running through the midfield, with his commanding performance earning him the full ten Coaches’ MVP Award votes for the second successive week.
The Paterson twins also produced strong showings to ensure Lower Plenty got back in control after falling behind early.
The Bears can now turn their attention to Fitzroy Stars, who just cannot find ways to stay in matches long enough to challenge down the stretch.
The Stars started poorly against St Mary’s last weekend and were four goals down at the first break. A strong second quarter brought them back within two goals at half time, but they faded after the main break and were made to pay in the 54-point loss.
The five-goal second quarter showed what Fitzroy Stars are capable of when they are at their best, however the third term was the exact opposite when they conceded 5.4 and failed to register a score.
David Boxer again toiled hard, Rivva Karpany was prominent, and Riley Livingstone booted multiple goals for the fourth time this campaign.
The Stars will need to continue the trio’s form to continue, plus more support around them, to have any hope of breaking through for their maiden win this weekend.
