The halfway mark of the 2021 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 campaign is behind us and the race is on to keep pace with two-time reigning premier West Preston-Lakeside.
The 2018 and 2019 back-to-back premier has broken clear of the pack after 11 rounds, opening a two-game buffer at the top of the ladder following a seventh-successive win last week.
In an enthralling tussle for the remaining spots in the top half of the ladder, only one win and percentage separates second-placed Heidelberg and sixth-placed Montmorency – ensuring plenty of entertainment heading towards the final series.
But with Roosters stretching their advantage on the rest of the competition, the question has to be asked – can anyone stop the three-peat occurring?
The two-time reigning premiers are better placed this year than at any time in their past two premiership campaigns as they hunt an elusive third-straight flag that would confirm their place as one of the all-time great teams in the league’s history.
Over the past decade the top-flight has certainly had a knack of throwing up upsets results come season’s end. So, while the premiership race is far from a foregone conclusion, one thing that is certain is the competition has work to do to bridge the gap on the benchmark team.
The pick of this week’s matches takes place at Warringal Park, where Heidelberg and Bundoora resume their great rivalry in a second-versus-third battle.
Heidelberg has had somewhat of a roller-coast journey in Danny Nolan’s first year at the helm.
The Tigers won their first three games of 2021, lost the next three and have now responded with another run of three-straight wins to jump from fifth place on the ladder to second since their Round 6 loss to Montmorency.
The most recent triumph came at Ben Frilay Oval last Saturday, where the Tigers prevailed by eight points in an entertaining battle against Hurstbridge, spearheaded by Tom Schnerring who booted five against the Bridges for the second time this year.
But it wasn’t just on the field that Heidelberg impressed last week, with the club making waves off the field by lodging a transfer for former Essendon ruckman Tom Bellchambers just days before the transfer window closed.
The 136-game Bomber’s availability will be based around commitments with Essendon, where he serves as ruck coach, but he looms as a huge addition (literally and figuratively) to the Tigers’ line-up in the lead-up to September.
He and Sam Gilmore look set to create a fearsome combination in the ruck, with the Heidelberg skipper spending plenty of time forward in recent weeks – perhaps in anticipation for Bellchambers’ arrival.
Bundoora has been in red-hot form since the return from the break and has conceded just 101 points in its past two wins over Greensborough and Whittlesea, climbing to a season-high third position on the ladder.
Reigning best and fairest Bailey Thompson, Nathan Thomas and Hamish Shepheard have been dominant over the past two weeks, and all three now sit among the top 15 vote winners in this season’s Coaches MVP voting.
Their form helped the Bulls edge past Whittlesea last week despite star forward Sam Lloyd being held goalless against an opponent he booted eight majors against back in Round 3.
It will be tough to keep Lloyd quiet two weeks in a row, but in any case, Bundoora’s forward line might become more formidable in coming weeks following the return of club legend Gary Moorcroft.
The three-time premiership hero lodged a clearance from Bright a fortnight ago and booted six goals in the reserves last week. Even at the ripe age of 45, Moorcroft still possesses all the tools to serve as a wildcard in the second half of the season.
Bundoora inflicted Heidelberg’s first loss of the season when the sides met in Round 4, overcoming a 33-point deficit to win by six goals at Yulong Reserve. The Tigers were decimated by injury in the first half, before the Bulls piled on 12 of the final 15 goals.
The stakes are just as high when Montmorency and North Heidelberg meet at Montmorency Park North Oval.
The sides switched places on the ladder last week, with the Bulldogs taking fifth place at the expense of the Magpies, who slipped to sixth spot.
That was the result of North Heidelberg surviving a major scare by coming from behind to down bottom-placed Northcote Park by three points, while Montmorency was no match for West Preston-Lakeside in a 54-point defeat at J.E. Moore Park.
The Bulldogs now sit a win and 8.71 percent above the Magpies, with this week’s game taking on a finals-like feel given how much the result will impact both teams’ prospects going forward in 2021.
North Heidelberg has battled its way through its past five games, winning only two of those matches by margins of just four and three points.
While last week’s win over Northcote Park was far from pretty, it could hardly have been more important, with the Bulldogs booting six goals in the final term to overcome a 22-point three quarter time deficit – which included three goals from Jackson Starcevich.
A fit and firing Starcevich looms as a huge asset for the Bulldogs as they hunt a finals place for the third-successive season since their return to the top-flight and his final term heroics against the Cougars showed his match-winning capabilities.
When Starcevich is at his best his contested marking ability is close to unrivalled in the competition and last week served as a timely reminder that is right in the mix among any conversation about the league’s best forwards.
With a spot inside the top-five up for grabs, Montmorency will hardly need any further incentive to be primed for this game.
However, if the Magpies are looking for added motivation, they need look no further than their fadeout defeat to the Bulldogs at Shelley Reserve in Round 4. They led for much of that game but booted only one of the final seven goals to fall to an 18-point defeat.
Given how tight the race is for a top-five spot, they can ill-afford to drop two games in the one season to an opponent vying for a similar spot on the ladder – making this week’s game so vital in their quest for a finals berth for the second-successive season.
The Magpies also made a significant transfer during the course of the week, with Will Golds approved a transfer from Old Xaverians. The 21-year-old midfielder has previously spent time on Hawthorn’s list after being selected with pick 28 in the 2019 Rookie Draft.
A Round 12 match between sides placed seventh and tenth on the ladder would normally not draw too much attention, however that is not the case this time around when Northcote Park hosts Macleod at Bill Lawry Oval.
The winless Cougars have improved massively since the break, pushing West Preston-Lakeside a fortnight ago before falling agonisingly short of their maiden victory in last week’s three-point defeat at North Heidelberg.
The challenge now is to not allow last week’s heartbreaking loss to affect their form and focus, with their performance at Shelley Reserve demonstrating that the gap between them and most of the competition is no longer that large, despite a 0-9 record.
Ben McNiece and Matthew Perry were brilliant last week and guided their undermanned side within three minutes of the upset of the season, despite losing several key players in the days leading into the game.
While ladder positions would dictate that this is very much a winnable game for Northcote Park, seventh-placed Macleod is proving to be one of the form teams of the competition – having won four of its past five starts.
The Roos backed up their Round 10 win over North Heidelberg with another triumph against a top-five side, last week securing a comfortable 24-point win over Greensborough to keep their finals hopes alive.
Christian Stagliano’s side still has plenty of work to do to bridge the gap on the top-five, sitting two games and percentage off fifth. However, they have proved they can more than match it with the finals contenders and are giving themselves every chance of a September tilt.
After consecutive wins against quality opposition, Macleod will be wary of a drop in concentration this week against an opponent who derailed their finals hopes back in 2019 at this same venue.
The Roos had overcome a 0-4 start that season to move inside the top-five with three rounds remaining. Despite winning their previous six matches against Northcote Park by an average of 72 points, they were upset by an out-of-form Cougars line-up in a 16-point boilover.
The defeat led to a three-game losing streak which cost Macleod a finals place for the first time since 2013, so they will be cautious of history repeating this time around.
Greensborough returns to War Memorial Park for the first time since Round 7 to host Hurstbridge.
The Boro sat atop the ladder following an 88-point demolition of North Heidelberg in their last home match, but now find themselves in fourth spot following successive defeats for the first time since 2018.
The 58 and 24-point losses away to Bundoora and Macleod have been very unlike Greensborough and the club will be desperate to respond this week, with a win certain to propel them back into the top-three given Heidelberg and Bundoora meet each other.
The Boro lost the game to Macleod in the opening half hour, falling 29 points behind before they had troubled the scorers. They did manage to hold within 20 points at the last change but conceded four of the first five goals of the final term to never look a winning chance.
After averaging 90 points a game over the opening seven rounds, scoring has dried up since the extended break with the Boro booting just 15 goals over the past two games – although it must be noted they kicked an errant 5.16 in the loss to Bundoora.
Hurstbridge sits in an interesting position, where it is too far back to challenge for the finals but has a three-game cushion on the bottom-placed side and doesn’t look in any threat of relegation.
However, the final seven rounds will be anything but meaningless for the Bridges – who can use the next two months to continue to develop their improving list in the hope of emerging as a finals contender in 2022.
The Bridges weren’t far off in a high-scoring affair against Heidelberg last week and may feel they can expose Greensborough’s lack of scoring of late when they make the trip to War Memorial Park this week.
Joel Naylor and Bailey Jordan continue to prove a handful for opposition defences and now sit second and seventh respectively on the goal kicking table after sharing 10 goals against the Tigers last week.
West Preston-Lakeside ventures to Whittlesea, where the Roosters will be looking to extend a winning streak at the Whittlesea Showgrounds that extends back to 2014.
The Roosters continue to rise to every challenge that is thrown down to them and last week eased past a Montmorency side that had been in good touch – booting 11 goals to three after quarter time to romp to their eighth win of the season.
In a scary sign for all opponents, last week’s win was achieved with Max Dreher and Aidan Tilley watching from the sidelines. VFL pair Matthew Signorello and Garrett McDonagh are yet to be sighted this campaign but would only make this line-up even more dominant if they become available.
Having worked hard to establish a two-game cushion on top, the reigning premiers will be mindful of not taking their foot off the gas against an opponent which will be determined to claim a scalp in its bid to avoid relegation.
Since losing its opening three games by heavy margins, Whittlesea has been able to find its feet at the higher grade, despite what its win-loss record may indicate.
Last week’s 24-point defeat to Bundoora again demonstrated their improvement throughout the campaign, with the Eagles trounced by 75 points when they met the Bulls just eight matches earlier.
There is no doubt they will start rank outsiders this week against the all-conquering Roosters, but they will take confidence from their last outing against the reigning premiers – where they stayed within three goals at J.E. Moore Park.
At the very least, the game will provide a valuable experience for many of the Eagles’ emerging stars, who have the opportunity to test themselves against the competition’s very best.
After holding Sam Lloyd goalless last week, Zach Molloy is likely to get the starting job on Ahmed Saad, while fellow young gun Blake Watson will get the chance to battle it out against the division’s elite after an outstanding performance against the Roosters back in Round 4.
