Macleod may have maintained its two-game buffer atop the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 ladder, however the Roos weren’t the only side to stake a premiership claim in Round 9.
Having saluted in each of their past eight matches, the Roos are certainly deserving of flag favouritism heading into the back half of the campaign.
But massive wins by Northcote Park and Bundoora against top-five opponents has breathed new life into the campaign – with both the Cougars and Bulls sending stern reminders of how good their best football can be.
The competition reaches its concluding half with eight teams still very much in finals contention. In a rollercoaster season one thing is for certain – there are sure to be plenty of highlights and reality checks within the final nine rounds.
Remember, Northcote Park sat as low as seventh place on the ladder one month ago, while Bundoora looked in tatters as recently as Round 7. Strap yourself in for the ride.
Old foes Montmorency and Greensborough rekindle their strong rivalry at Montmorency Park in a game that will be telling for both sides’ finals hopes.
Montmorency produced its worst performance of the season in last week’s 62-point drubbing at the hands of Bundoora. It was a 148-point turnaround from the pair’s previous outing, which the Magpies won by 86 points in Round 3.
It was all one-way traffic after a tight first quarter, with the Magpies managing just four goals in the final three quarters. Ben Walton was one of few positives, booting five of his side’s seven goals, while Ben Kennedy and Matthew Hunt also offered resistance.
At their best the Magpies are very much in the premiership mix, however the gap between their best and worst certainly needs to be bridged. The club’s four losses have come at an average margin of 47 points – far too heavy for a side with finals ambitions.
Greensborough managed to break a three-game run of outs, but not without a tough challenge from Hurstbridge. The Boro led at every change in the 17-point triumph at War Memorial Park but couldn’t shake their persistent opponents until late in the fourth quarter.
Despite the challenge, it was a meritorious win for the Boro given the extensive list of players who were unavailable, including Nick Riddle, Jack Johnston, Charlie Molyneux, Dan McLinden and Josh Callaway.
Jason Rogers produced a standout performance to will the Boro to their fifth win of the campaign, snaring six goals. Rogers has been in great goal kicking form this year – having already landed 15 majors, and is on track to eclipse his 26-goal effort from the 2014 premiership season.
Last week’s win pushed the Boro back into fourth place and they will now look to replicate their Round 1 performance against the Magpies – where they kicked away in the last quarter to win by 27 points.
It’s not often a clash between the sides positioned eighth and second on the ladder draws too much attention, but this week’s outing between North Heidelberg and Northcote Park looms as an exception.
The Bulldogs have won three of their past four games to be knocking on the door of the top-five. This week’s game against the in-form Cougars will provide last year’s Division 2 premiers a gauge of where they sit among this year’s contenders.
By their own admission, the Bulldogs were scratchy at times during last week’s win over Whittlesea. Yet they were still able to draw away in the second half to secure a 52-point win – a positive sign that they can still produce good football, even when not at their absolute best.
Brandon Bailey capped a strong month of football with his best performance for the club. Fellow recruit Jhye Baddeley-Kelly was just as damaging, while Shane Harvey’s five-goal haul took his season’s tally to 29.
While the Doggies will be hunting a third-successive home win, Northcote Park will be looking to continue a winning run that extends back to Round 6 – with the Cougars’ average winning margin over the past four matches an impressive 46 points.
The Cougars produced a near faultless opening three quarters at home to Heidelberg in Round 9, putting an undermanned opponent to the sword in an outstanding display of attacking football.
Ahead by 60 points at half time, the Cougars produced a 10-goal third term to take a 102-point lead into the final quarter, before slamming their foot on the brake, with the final margin finishing at 66 points.
Paul Dirago and Jordan Perry again produced dominant showings to push their side up into second place, while Ricky Fandrich and Jackson Starcevich did the damage up forward and combined for 13 goals.
Having notched successive wins for the first time this season, Bundoora will be looking to close in further on the top-five when it travels to Ben Frilay Oval to take on Hurstbridge.
The Bulls last week reminded the competition what they are capable of – smashing Montmorency by 62 points to record their first home win of the season. In doing so, the reigning premiers moved within a game and percentage of the top-five.
Bundoora won all four quarters in the 18.7 (115) to 7.11 (53) triumph and, importantly, went on with the job to improve their percentage from 88.49 to 97.00, which could be vital when the squeeze for finals places is on at season’s end.
Kain Proctor produced his best showing for the Bulls since crossing from the Fitzroy Stars, while Joe Palazzolo and Dale Marshall also played important roles. Todd Hughes also continued his return to form, with a season-best four-goal haul.
A fourth-consecutive defeat may have ended Hurstbridge’s hopes of playing finals football, however the Bridges looked to have turned over a new leaf in last week’s tight defeat to Greensborough.
Co-captain Lachlan East continued to lead admirably and was his side’s best player. He has now featured among the Bridges best players in four of the past five matches as he tries to turn around his side’s fortunes.
While the Bridges no longer appear a finals chance, they can certainly shape the top-five and will be hopeful of this week securing their first home win of the season in their first game at Ben Frilay Oval since June 2.
Whittlesea and West Preston-Lakeside will be looking to return to the winners’ list when they meet at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
Whittlesea was able to make a reasonable start in last week’s match against North Heidelberg and remained in the contest at half time. However, the Eagles couldn’t keep pace with their host after half-time, with the Bulldogs booting 11 goals to five after the main break.
Xavier Dimasi, Mitchell Andrews and Nathan Stefanile were among the best players in the loss at Shelley Reserve, however it wasn’t enough to stop their side slipping to an eighth-consecutive defeat.
The Eagles will be looking for a forward to breakthrough in the second half of the year. Chris Horman leads the club’s goal kicking with eight majors – with the Eagles the only club to not have a player register more than 10 goals in the opening half of the year.
West Preston-Lakeside has slipped to third place on the ladder on the back of consecutive defeats, however the Roosters now face bottom-five opponents in each of their next four matches.
A 15-minute lapse was detrimental in last week’s 18-point defeat to Macleod. After kicking the opening two majors, the Roosters conceded six consecutive goals and trailed by 24 points at quarter time. Despite throwing up numerous challenges in the next three quarters, the deficit proved too much to overhaul.
James Tadd, Matthew Harman and Carl Adams all put in strong displays against the ladder-leader, while Ahmed Saad kicked four goals. The star forward has not kicked fewer than three goals in his six games this year – a testament to his consistency.
Heidelberg will be chasing a swift response following last week’s humbling loss, however the task won’t be easy with the Tigers facing the unenviable task of taking on red-hot Macleod.
With key defenders Aaron Crispe and Josh Gribben both coming out of an already undermanned line-up, the Tigers could do little to stop a rampant Northcote Park last Saturday.
Despite receiving a hiding, the Tigers were at least able to take something out of the game with a spirited last quarter – where they booted six unanswered goals to add some respectability to the final scoreline.
Sam Grimley toiled hard and finished with six majors, while Tom Sullivan was industrious and Chaz Sargeant’s move to defence helped contain Ash Close.
Macleod entered last week’s game against West Preston-Lakeside without Reid Brandt and Ben Lennon. However, the Roos allayed any concerns about kicking a winning score by producing an even performance across the board.
Patrick Martin was again able to have a big influence and booted four goals. Nick Lynch and Shane Doherty both hit the scoreboard in their first game of the year, while Hamish Paynter celebrated his 150th club game in style with a commanding midfield performance.
In a competitive season where many sides have staked finals claims, it is the Roos who continue to set the bar by maintaining an exceptionally high level each week.
