Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 Preview – Round 3


Published on Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Author : Samuel Zito

Last year’s grand finalists both enter Round 3 winless after a whirlwind opening two rounds to the 2019 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 season.

While it is far from panic stations for those sides in the lower reaches of the ladder, a breakaway pack could emerge at the top of the table should current form lines continue in Round 3.

The round commences on Anzac Day when Heidelberg and Macleod meet at Warringal Park, with the first bounce at 1:20pm ahead of a twilight match between the Tigers’ women’s side and VU Western Spurs 2.

The clash between the Tigers and Roos already had blockbuster status in a standalone timeslot, however it takes on even more importance given the start each club has made to the 2019 season.

Heidelberg sits pretty in second position after backing up its opening-round win at West Preston-Lakeside with a convincing 60-point win over Hurstbridge in Round 2, while Macleod finds itself in unfamiliar territory – sitting winless in eighth spot.

The Tigers have been an attacking force over the first two rounds and are one of only two sides, with Greensborough, to have kicked more than 100 points in both matches. Chaz Sargeant was particularly potent in the win over Hurstbridge – booting five goals.

Frank Raso must be thrilled with the form of his club’s new additions, with Jack Blair excellent across both wins – while Fletcher McIvor and Anthony Bonaddio were also among the influential players in Round 2.

Heidelberg will get another test of its improved form on Thursday against a Macleod side it has struggled with greatly over the past two years. Since beating the Roos in the 2016 grand final, the Tigers have lost the past four outings by an average of 63 points. Across those four defeats, the Tigers have managed just 22 goals.

A quick check of the recent head-to-head form between the two sides would normally suggest Macleod would enter this game as favourite, however a slow start to the season has most querying where exactly the Roos sit in the pecking order in 2019.

Following a fadeout loss at Montmorency in Round 2, the Roos have already equalled the number of defeats they suffered during the 2018 home and away season.

However, they will be bolstered by the return of a host of key players for the Anzac Day clash, with Lucas Hobbs, Justin White, Brad Leggett, Patrick Martin and Hamish Paynter all in line for a return after missing the loss at Montmorency.

The stakes are high when North Heidelberg hosts West Preston-Lakeside at Shelley Reserve on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s preliminary final. Both will be looking to return to winning form after entering the Easter break on the back of a loss.

North Heidelberg currently sits in fourth position, with the best percentage of the four sides with a 1-1 record. Given its tough draw to commence the season, a 2-1 start would be a promising way start to the club’s campaign, if it can notch a win this weekend.

The Bulldogs could very well have already had two wins to their name in 2019 but fell just short of one of the all-time great comebacks against Bundoora at Yulong Reserve in Round 2.

Trailing by 47 points early in the last term, the Bulldogs finished with seven of the last eight goals in the four-point defeat. Alas, the Bulldogs will lament a slow start and a particularly poor third term, where they were outscored 6.4 to 0.3.

While they will be desperate to get a win this week to get their win-loss record back in the positive, there is also no doubt they would also like to get one back on the side that prevented them reaching an historic grand final berth last year.

West Preston-Lakeside has endured a far from ideal start to its premiership defence, after falling to consecutive home losses to Heidelberg and Northcote Park in the opening two rounds of the year.

The Roosters’ line-up in Round 2 contained just 12 players from last year’s grand final team, with the 38-point defeat to the Cougars compounded by a knee injury to star ruckman Mark Kovacevic in the opening quarter of the game.

The reigning premiers have been made to pay for two particularly bad quarters throughout the first two rounds. In Round 1 they led Heidelberg at three-quarter time before conceding seven goals in the final term. Against the Cougars it was the third term which was costly – coughing up five goals to one.

The club’s depth and resolve has certainly been put to the test early in the season, however with so much star power still within the side, there is no doubting what the Roosters are capable of once everything clicks.

Bundoora plays its second-successive home match when it hosts Lower Plenty at Yulong Reserve. Both sides will be looking to improve their record to 2-1.

The Bulls may have breathed a sigh of relief in their thrilling Round 2 win over North Heidelberg, but the final term fadeout should not mask the impressive form they displayed in the opening three quarters.

There is certainly a new look to the Bulls in 2019, given the extensive list changes the club experienced over the summer, as well as a new style under new coach Andrew Sturgess.

The third quarter domination of North Heidelberg was a clear demonstration that when Bundoora is at its best, it is certainly capable of matching it with any side in the competition.

Three-time Coburg best and fairest Daniel Venditti is showing the reasons he was considered one of the competition’s biggest signings during the pre-season and was outstanding against the Bulldogs, while fellow recruit Brenton Briffa and teenager Bailey Thompson also impressed.

Lower Plenty received a reality check in its 95-point defeat to Greensborough at War Memorial Park on Good Friday. The Bears put up strong resistance until time-on of the second term, before the home side stormed to a big win.

The greatest concern for Ben Turner’s side would be an ankle injury sustained by captain Patrick Flynn – who was among the best players on the ground prior to being forced from the field late in the second term.

The Bears took a conservative approach with the reigning Division 2 best and fairest winner and sidelined him in the second half. They will now sweat on his availability ahead of taking on the competition’s premier ruckman, three-time Frank Rosbrook medallist Matty Dennis.

Lower Plenty can ill-afford to lose Flynn for an extended period, especially with 2018 club best and fairest Tom Keys already sidelined for up to two months following a knee injury suffered in the Round 1 win over Montmorency.

Northcote Park and Hurstbridge meet at Bill Lawry Oval, where the home side is looking to continue its unbeaten streak, while the visitor is aiming to break through for its first win of the year.

Given the large gulf in the performance of the two sides over the opening two rounds, Northcote Park will enter as the warm favourite.

After losing their final seven games in 2018, the Cougars could hardly have scripted a better start to 2019, with impressive wins over Bundoora and West Preston-Lakeside – the latter away from home and without Brock McLennan, Bryn Barnes-Webb and Michael Naldrett.

Ruckman Kyle Galloway and fellow recruit Charles Le Fanu have already added a new dynamic to the club, while defender Lachlan Boscarini has enjoyed a stellar start to the season after an injury-plagued 2019.

The Cougars’ key forward duo of Ash Close and Jackson Starcevich was expected to cause plenty of damage throughout the year and the two have already lived up to the hype – with Close snaring eight goals in Round 2, a week after Starcevich was best afield in the Round 1 win under lights.

It’s been a brutal beginning to the season for the Bridges, who sit bottom of the ladder with a percentage of just 34.96 after two heavy losses to Greensborough and Heidelberg.

After a triple-digit loss in the opening round, the Bridges were certainly better in their Round 2 loss to the Tigers – but were made to pay for an ordinary second term when the Tigers booted 10 of their 16 majors for the day.

The Easter break may prove to be a blessing for the Bridges as they look bounce back from a difficult opening two rounds. Key forward Bailey Jordan is in line for a return after missing the trip to Heidelberg, while Jack Furlong is getting closer to selection after a delayed start to the season.

Close rivals Montmorency and Greensborough meet in a twilight game at Montmorency Park, in the only match of the round that pits two sides in the top-five against one another.

Montmorency opened its 2019 account with a spirited win over Macleod in Round 2. The triumph would have been particularly sweet for Magpies’ coach Garry Ramsay, who was coaching against the Roos for the first time since departing at the end of the 2018 season.

The lead switched hands multiple times in the last quarter, before late goals to Bailey Eustance and Blake Charles clinched an eight-point win for the home side. Montmorency was excellently served by Jesse Donaldson, Steve McCallum and Patrick Fitzgerald (five goals).

Despite the confidence-boosting win and again playing on their home ground, the Magpies are still the outsiders heading into this weekend’s outing against a Greensborough side which has been in scintillating form across the opening two rounds.

The Boro are yet to lose a quarter in the 2019 season and have been in ruthless touch in 113 and 95-point triumphs – entering Round 3 with a whopping percentage of 310.10 and having conceded just 99 points for the year.

While much was made of Greensborough’s outstanding recruiting in the off-season, which included signing the likes of Tom Bell, Liam Read and Jordan McIvor-Clark, perhaps the club’s biggest inclusions in 2019 are Charlie Molyneux and John Desmond.

Following an injury-interrupted first season with the Boro in 2018, Molyneux has been exceptional in the opening fortnight. The strong midfielder sits atop the Coaches MVP leaderboard, having polled votes from both coaches in each of the opening two rounds.

Desmond, who sat out most of the 2018 season, played arguably his best game for the Boro in their Good Friday win over Lower Plenty – earning a perfect 10 in the Coaches MVP voting for his three-goal game.

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