Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 Preview – Round 7


Published on Thursday, May 30, 2019

Author : Samuel Zito

It would be hard to script better match-ups in Round 7, with all five games this weekend in Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 featuring sides in similar ladder positions.

It feels as though finals have arrived in June with this weekend’s matches putting first against third, second against fourth and fifth against sixth.

The important games don’t end there, with seventh set to play eighth, while the two bottom placed sides collide in a game where both will be desperate to move away from the foot of the ladder.

Several improved results from sides outside the top-five last weekend has added additional vigour to the top-flight entering Round 7.

We’re now one-third of the way through the home and away season and wins to Montmorency and Macleod have seen the gap closed between the top-five and the chasing pack as we edge towards the Queen’s Birthday weekend.

While Greensborough, North Heidelberg and Heidelberg continue their march at the top – improved performance from sides at the bottom end of the ladder provided a glimpse that those at the top might not have things all their own way going forward.

While every game looks vital this weekend, it is impossible to go past the match between North Heidelberg and Greensborough at Shelley Reserve as the biggest of the round.

Both sides have been in scintillating form and the winner of this one may very well be the outright flag favourite as we roll towards the midpoint of the season.

You would be hard pressed to find a weakness in either sides game to this point in 2019, with both entering the anticipated match with midfields in red-hot form and forward lines capable of kicking huge scores.

Greensborough was again in ruthless form last week and showed no sluggishness coming off the representative break. The 73-point win over Bundoora was the same winning margin the Boro downed West Preston-Lakeside in Round 5 – handing the club its fourth triumph by more than 12 goals this year.

North Heidelberg made it four-consecutive wins with an 18-point victory away to Hurstbridge. The Bulldogs kicked seven goals in the first quarter – their best start to any game this year – before holding off strong resistance from the Bridges.

The midfield battle looks a beauty this weekend and will go a long way to deciding the final result, with the likes of Brent Harvey, Jesse Tardio, Kyle McDonald and Billy Hogan to go head-to-head against Tom Bell, Charlie Molyneux, Ben Fennell and Chris Clark.

Nick Beames may have to shoulder the majority of the ruck work for the Boro after Liam Read went down early in last week’s win over Bundoora, while Jacob Pickett also missed through injury. Beames should good signs and competed well against Matty Dennis.

Nick Riddle has been in outstanding form for Greensborough and was again among the best players on the ground last week. After keeping Ahmed Saad goalless in Round 5, will he line up on North superstar Shane Harvey? Or does that job go to Adrian Cataldo or Billy Bedford – with the latter keeping Gary Moorcroft goalless last week.

Harvey already has 28 goals to his name in 2019 and has kicked no fewer than five majors in each game since Round 2. He was joined among the major goal kickers by Leigh Gilbert last week, with the former premiership skipper kicking four ahead of a bout with his former club.

Northcote Park and Heidelberg meet at Bill Lawry Oval in the second of the top-four outings this weekend.

The home side will be desperate for a response after suffering back-to-back heavy defeats either side of the representative break. The Cougars won their opening four matches by an average of 45 points but have since lost their past two by 53 and 82 points respectively.

As a result, they have slipped from second on the ladder with a percentage of 179, down to fourth with a percentage of 110 and now take on a Heidelberg outfit which has made its best start to a campaign since winning the 2016 flag.

While the Round 5 defeat to North Heidelberg had its reasons – with Ash Close, Kyle Galloway and Charles Le Fanu all sidelined, and Jackson Starcevich injured early in the game – last week’s big loss at Montmorency has raised some alarms.

With Close, Galloway and Le Fanu all back in the side, the Cougars were outscored five goals to two kicking with the wind in the first quarter and never recovered thereafter.

Heidelberg was outplayed throughout the first half of last week’s win over West Preston-Lakeside and went into the main break 20 points behind, before Sam Grimley tore the game to shreds in the third term to put his side ahead. They then stretched out to 23-point victory.

It was the third-successive week Heidelberg has produced a strong third quarter, with the Tigers outscoring their opponents 103-36 during the third term of their past three games.

Heidelberg’s height inside 50m might be a key area in this match-up, with Sam Grimley and Chaz Sargeant booting 10 goals between them last week – while Northcote Park had no answer for Montmorency star Patrick Fitzgerald, who slotted 11.

The sides split the wins in their two clashes last year. It might be worth remembering that Northcote Park led by 102 points at three quarter time when the sides met at Bill Lawry Oval, although Heidelberg did win the return bout convincingly.

A place inside the top-five is on the line when Montmorency and Bundoora clash at Montmorency Park.

The Magpies enter the game off the back of their biggest win this season, while Bundoora has lost its past two and is looking for a response after being thrashed at Greensborough in Round 6.

After being handed a hiding by Heidelberg prior to the representative break, Montmorency bounced back in the best way possible last week and showed that it can match it with the top sides when playing at its best.

Patrick Fitzgerald was the star of the show – finishing with 11 goals. He booted all five of his side’s goals in the first term to get the Magpies off to a flyer. The 11-goal haul surpassed Fitzgerald’s previous best of eight and came a week after kicking five goals in the representative win at Geelong.

Bundoora has several players who could take the job on the Magpies star forward, with Eamon Gilbert likely to have the first crack. The likes of Daniel Guccione and Brenton Keating are also capable of taking on the role if required.

Fitzgerald isn’t the only key Magpie in red-hot form going into this week’s game, with Jesse Donaldson also enjoying a fantastic 2019 campaign. The skipper has featured among the coaches votes in four of six games this year and currently sits in sixth place on the Coaches MVP leaderboard.

Bundoora’s strong grip on a place inside the top-five has been released over the past two rounds, following consecutive losses to Macleod and Greensborough and the Bulls must win this week to stay inside the top half of the ladder.

Despite the recent form slump, the Bulls have an opportunity to consolidate over the next month – with their next three matches all against sides currently sitting inside the bottom half of the table.

There was little to take away from last week’s heavy defeat at Greensborough, although the Bulls faithful would have been happy with the form of defender Ben Young in his first game back from a year-long knee injury. Skipper Brent Marshall also played his first game of the year after suffering a knee injury during pre-season.

Hurstbridge and Macleod have both enjoyed improved form in recent weeks and will be looking to keep that going in their meeting at Ben Frilay Oval.

The Bridges finished within three goals of North Heidelberg last week – which was a promising sign given the Bulldogs’ average winning margin going into the game stood at 55 points.

After kicking just 197 points across the opening four rounds, the Bridges are starting to become a much greater threat in attack and have kicked 119 and 93 points in each of their past two games, with nine players among the goal kickers against North Heidelberg.

The return of Cameron Cloke will certainly bolster the forward line and provides another strong presence, alongside Bailey Jordan and Jack Donnelly – with the latter currently leading the club’s goal kicking with 11 majors.

Tom Simpson enters this week in great form after a dominant showing last week, while Jack Furlong has now put five consecutive games under his belt , which includes representing the NFNL at the AFL Victoria Community Championships.

Momentum is beginning to build at Macleod after consecutive wins and a third-straight win this week could push the Roos as high as sixth on the ladder after starting the season with four-consecutive losses.

It’s worth noting that Lucas Hobbs, Brad Leggett and Reid Brandt are among the players still to return to senior side, while the likes of Josh Totino and Billy Barden played in the reserves last week and can bolster the side when back to their best.

In their absence the Roos have found some new talent, which includes Jordan Corelli. The 18-year-old has been a revelation this season and enjoyed a breakout game in Round 6 when he booted four goals in a best on ground performance against Lower Plenty.

A win this week is a must for the Roos ahead of a five-week period where they take on the five sides currently in the top half of the ladder. While the club is capable of beating anyone when at their best, they can ill-afford to enter such a difficult part of the fixture at 2-5.

A much-needed win awaits for either West Preston-Lakeside or Lower Plenty when the reigning Division 1 and Division 2 premiers lock horns at J.E. Moore Park.

A loss would likely send the Bears to the bottom of the ladder, while the Roosters could find themselves two-games adrift in last spot if results go against them this weekend.

West Preston-Lakeside looked to have turn a corner last week, despite going down in a fadeout loss at Heidelberg. The Roosters had the Tigers on the ropes with nine of the first 13 goals – with Ozgur Uysal, Ahmed Saad and Daniel Valeri all lively around the goal mouth.

However, they were unable to contain the Tigers key forwards in the second half – with the home side finishing with nine of the final 10 goals, which included six goals to Sam Grimley – five of which came in the third term.

While the final result was disappointing, there were positives for the Roosters to take away. Among those was the performance of Joel McDonald – who had an immediate impact in his first game of the season, while Port Melbourne-listed midfielder Matthew Signorello slotted in well in his first game since early April.

It is worth noting the Roosters six matches this year have all been played against sides placed inside the top-five. That’s tough enough in any situation – let alone given club’s long injury list. At 0-6, the next month is crucial as the club looks to climb its way off the bottom of the ladder, with the next three opponents currently places sixth, eighth and ninth.

After five-consecutive losses, the stakes are just as high for Lower Plenty this weekend.

A win this week would release plenty of pressure from the Bears heading into the Queen’s Birthday weekend and provide renewed optimism heading into the long stretch home.

Having missed winning opportunities in each of the past two rounds, the Bears will be desperate to snap their losing streak this week in a game that could have huge ramifications on the relegation battle.

The club’s effort couldn’t be faulted in last week’s 23-point loss at Macleod, where the Bears were right in the contest at three-quarter time, before being outlasted in the final term by the home side.

Unfortunately, finding avenues to goal continues to be an issue, with the Bears averaging just 59 points a game over the past five rounds.

The return of reigning best and fairest Tom Keys last week was a welcome boost and will certainly help the scoring issues. Keys booted two goals in his first game following a knee injury sustained in Round 1 and will be better for the run.

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