Round 4 looms as an important weekend in Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 as every side looks to head into the representative bye with winning form.
Only two sides remain undefeated after the opening three rounds, however a one-game and percentage gap has opened between the top five and the remaining pack following last weekend’s action.
West Preston-Lakeside suffered its first loss of the season last week and returns to J.E. Moore Park to take on Whittlesea.
Without Luke Lirosi, Shaun Gannon and Mathew Stokes, the Roosters were unable to halt Macleod’s strong midfield in last week’s 49-point defeat at De Winton Park. The result saw them slip from first to third on the ladder.
In a bizarre opening half the Roosters conceded the opening seven goals to trail by 42 points after just 24 minutes. However, the visitors woke from their slumber late in the first term and piled on four goals in a three-minute blitz to trim the deficit to just 18 points at quarter time.
With Nathan Valladares (four goals) and Patrick Karnezis in strong form, the Roosters pinched the lead midway through the second quarter, but faded thereafter – managing just four of the game’s final 16 goals to fall to a heavy defeat.
Adam Valeri was industrious in the midfield and Andrew Walker again had a big influence, but it was an otherwise disappointing day for their Roosters, who were also unable to curb Macleod’s many avenues to goal.
Despite West Preston-Lakeside’s loss in Round 3, the home side will head into this week’s game against Whittlesea as favourite following the Eagles’ poor showing last Saturday.
Entering the game on the back of one of their best wins in the top flight, the Eagles were no match for Northcote Park in an 86-point romp at Whittlesea Showgrounds.
The home side was slow out of the gates but managed to keep with touching distance in the opening half. The same could not be said after the main break, as the Cougars piled on 12 goals to two to run away with a percentage-boosting win.
The positive for Whittlesea was season-best performances from Max Dyson and Matthew Coen, however it will require a greater spread of contributors this week at J.E. Moore Park.
Hurstbridge is still on the search for its first win when it hosts Heidelberg at Ben Frilay Oval. The match pits last year’s Division 2 premier against the reigning Division 1 premier.
For the third-successive week the Bridges pushed a finals contender to the line, with the final scoreboard not giving a fair indication as to how close the game was in last Saturday’s 14.12 (96) to 10.10 (70) loss at Bundoora.
Without Jack Grimes and trailing by just 13 points at the last change, the Bridges challenged strongly early in the last quarter and threatened to leave Yulong Reserve with a surprise victory. However, Bundoora steadied late and ran away with a 26-point win.
Ryan Burton and reigning Division 2 best and fairest Tyron Loader were the Bridges’ best, while former Bull Robert Graham and Tom Simpson also put in strong performances. Daniel Francis’ four goals was his best haul since returning to the club from Fitzroy Stars.
Heidelberg got its 2017 campaign going with a 43-point win at Eltham Central Park, with the Tigers jumping from bottom-place to sixth on the back of the result. A win this weekend could push them within percentage of the top five.
After averaging just 65 points a game in their opening three losses, Heidelberg netted its highest score of the season, kicking nine second-half goals to win 14.11 (95) to 6.16 (52), with Sam Grimley leading the way with four majors.
Adam Symes was outstanding for the Tigers, marking everything that came his way, while Charles Gaylard again led with distinction. The playing-coach has been in superb touch this year and capped off last week’s performance with three goals.
Macleod plays its second-consecutive home game when it welcomes Greensborough to War Memorial Park. The sides last met in the 2016 qualifying final, however this time it is a match-up between first and ninth.
The Roos shot to the top of the ladder following last week’s 49-point triumph over West Preston-Lakeside. It was another message of intent from last year’s runners-up a week after beating Heidelberg by 51 points.
Chris Long’s strong ruck work ensured Lucas Hobbs and Cathal Corr had plenty to feed on at ground level – with both relishing the heavy conditions to be among the top few players on the ground.
Macleod’s versatility inside forward 50 was again on display, with six players kicking multiple goals. Patrick Martin was the most dominant forward on the ground and finished with seven majors, with six of those coming by the midway point of the third term.
Shane Doherty continued his great start to the year, while defenders Brad Leggett and Laurence Schubert also put in strong performances, with Schubert containing competition leading goal kicker Ahmed Saad to just two goals.
Greensborough heads into this week’s game as underdog and will need to improve on its opening three performances to cause an upset. The positive for Robert Hyde’s side is that its best has been quite good this year, however it has only been produced in patches.
After consecutive four and five-point losses to start the season, the Boro put in arguably their worst showing last week in losing to Montmorency by 17 points at War Memorial Park.
The Boro led by six points at quarter time, but conceded 11 of the next 14 goals to trail by 43 at the main break. They fought the game out and booted the final five goals, however the damage had been done.
Jack Johnston continued his strong start to the year and found plenty of the ball, while Ricky Mullins, Adrian Cataldo and John Desmond all battled hard in defeat. Mitch Merkel also finished with three goals.
Eltham plays the second of four-straight home games when it takes on in-form Northcote Park at Eltham Central Park.
Eltham was left to lament poor kicking at goal in its loss to Heidelberg, managing just six majors from 22 scoring shots. Inaccuracy has been an issue for the past fortnight for the Panthers, whose combined losing aggregate has been 96 points despite having just 11 fewer scoring shots than their opponents.
Since kicking nine goals in the opening half of their Good Friday win over Greensborough, the Panthers have managed just 15 goals in their next 10 quarters of football. They have conceded 37 in the same period.
Lachlan Merkel justified his selection to be named Eltham’s best in his first senior game for the club since 2014. He was well supported by Adam Brovadani and 19-year-old Jack Woodfall, who impressed on debut.
Northcote Park has gone about its business quietly this season, but has produced the goods in its opening month under Matt McLennan. The Cougars could well have been undefeated, but for a poor final quarter in Round 1.
After a strong finish to the 2016 home and away season, the Cougars have now won eight of their past 11 matches. Last week they romped to victory over Whittlesea at a venue that has caused the club grief in the past.
Jordan Perry was once again dominant and continues to replicate the form that saw him win last year’s club champion award. He had plenty of assistance with Jackson Starcevich (three goals), Lachlan Boscarini, Paul Dirago and Marty Hore all in good touch.
Brock McLennan was lively in his first game of the year, while Ash Close, Julian Violato and Luke Svarc combined for 11 goals.
One of the great local footy rivalries resumes when Montmorency hosts Bundoora in the twilight timeslot at Montmorency Park.
Montmorency has been the surprise packet of 2017, proving pre-season doubters wrong to a produce a 3-0 start to the year. With key players still to return from injury, the Magpies have built a strong platform to launch an assault towards September.
Mark Deaves continues to give the Magpies a strong focal point and backed up his five-goal haul against Eltham with another four over the Boro last week. He had strong support from midfielder Stephen McCallum who slotted five majors in a best on ground display.
Veterans Daniel Keenan and Brett Zorzi each played leading roles, while ruckman Joel McLellan and teenager Jackson Jones also featured among their side’s best players for the second time this year.
The next month will prove telling for Montmorency, with matches against Heidelberg, Northcote Park and West Preston-Lakeside to come. However, given the club’s early season form each of these matches appears winnable.
Without Ricky Dyson and Kris Bardon, Bundoora was staring down the barrel of a second-consecutive loss when it trailed Hurstbridge last week. However, the Bulls rallied late to run away with a 26-point win.
Ben Nesci impressed in his first senior game since crossing from South Morang and finished with two goals, while Josh and Nick Grabowski combined for seven majors and were instrumental in getting their side across the line.
After a delayed start to the season, former Coburg midfielder Nathan Thomas made his club debut and the playing-assistant was quick to find his feet, featuring among his side’s better players.
Despite a big win in this fixture in Round 2 last year, the Bulls were no match for the Magpies when the sides met later in the season and will hope for payback for that 50-point loss at Yulong Reserve.
