Round 7 looms as a critical week in Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 ahead of the Queen’s Birthday weekend break.
A host of upsets threw a spanner in the works last week, with the bottom-three teams leading into Round 6 all recording wins last Saturday.
Eltham scored arguably the upset of the season in handing Macleod its first defeat of the year; Greensborough broke a five-game losing streak; while Hurstbridge moved within a game of the top-five after comfortably accounting for Whittlesea.
A fifth-straight win saw Northcote Park move to the top of the ladder at Macleod’s expense and the Cougars now host Bundoora in a blockbuster at Bill Lawry Oval. The two sides both sit at 5-1, making this a massive game for both sides’ top-three hopes.
The new ladder-leader was dominant after half time last Saturday, booting 13 goals to six to run away with a 50-point win at Montmorency. It was the Cougars’ fourth-successive win in excess of seven goals, with their percentage standing at 159.69 – the highest in the division.
The Cougars were able to win big despite the late withdrawal of key duo Ash Close and Paul Dirago – with four players kicking three goals or more, led by Ricky Fandrich’s four-goal haul, while Pat Considine was reliable down back in his first senior game since 2015.
In his first season at the helm, senior coach Matt McLennan continues to get an even contribution from his side, with the Cougars last week well served by Paul Steinicke, Tyson Old and Lachlan Boscarini.
Bundoora took another massive stride forward under Ricky Dyson in Round 6, outlasting West Preston-Lakeside in a 21-point triumph at J.E Moore Park.
It was the Bulls’ fourth win on the road this season, having also won away at Heidelberg, Montmorency and Eltham. With seven home games to play in the final 11 weeks, the Bulls would be extremely well placed should they score another win on the road this Saturday.
Brent Marshall did a wonderful shutdown job on Ahmed Saad last week and also offered plenty of drive from defence. Gary Moorcroft and Josh Grabowski combined for nine of their side’s 14 goals, while Matty Dennis and Dom Nixon both continued their good form.
The second grand final rematch of the year takes place at De Winton Park when Macleod and Heidelberg resume hostilities, with both sides looking to rebound from a loss last week. The Kangaroos were triumphant by 51 points in the pair’s Round 2 encounter at Warringal Park.
Despite heading in as heavy favourite, Macleod couldn’t get the job done against a resurgent Eltham last Saturday, falling to a fadeout eight-point defeat at Eltham Central Park after kicking just two goals after half time.
The result once again demonstrated the evenness of Meadows Greyhounds Division 1. The Roos headed into the game on a five-game winning streak, while the Panthers hadn’t won since Good Friday and were on the rebound after conceding 15 final-quarter goals to Bundoora in Round 5.
Ned McKeown was again a standout for Macleod at centre half back. The defender has been his side’s best in consecutive weeks, after also putting in a strong performance in the NFL’s representative win over the WRFL. Chris Long was superb in the ruck, despite his side going down.
Heidelberg’s erratic run of form continued last week, with the reigning premier succumbing to its fifth defeat of the season when beaten by Greensborough by 39 points at Warringal Park. It was a disappointing performance after producing their best win of the year a week prior.
Despite the efforts of Charles Gaylard, Marcus Marigliani and Tom Sullivan, the Tigers were goalless in the first term and contained to just 3.6 in the opening three quarters by the Boro.
The Tigers remain within close proximity of the top-five but need to improve significantly to remain a contender. That begins this week in skipper Michael Brunelli’s 150th game. The match signals the beginning of a month-long litmus test, where the Tigers are opposed to the competition’s top-four sides in consecutive matches.
Hurstbridge and Greensborough are each on the hunt for consecutive wins when they square off at Ben Frilay Oval.
The Bridges’ continued their impressive return to the top flight with a 45-point home win over Whittlesea. The home side kicked 11 goals in the opening half and held a comfortable advantage from quarter time onward.
It was an even performance by Trevor Little’s side, with every player contributing. Sean Jellie and Jack Grimes found plenty of the ball, while six players kicked multiple goals – led by Mitch Burton who kicked four, including three in the final quarter.
This week looms as a vital game for the Bridges, who could push into the top-five with a win or alternatively slip to bottom-place with a loss.
Greensborough made a swift response from its worst performance of the year, bouncing back to comfortably beat Heidelberg. Despite the result, the Boro remained in 10th place after Eltham and Hurstbridge also scored Round 6 wins.
Ricky Mullins was immense in the Boro’s maiden win of the season and capped his best afield performance with a game-high three goals. Jack Johnston was again instrumental off half back, while Billy Bedford’s move forward netted two goals.
Despite their 1-5 record, the Boro’s healthy percentage is holding them in good stead and a win this week could move them within a game of the top-five, putting them back in finals contention when play resumes from next week’s bye.
Whittlesea is on the hunt for its first home win of the season when it hosts Eltham at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
With Andrew Fairchild, Matt Dornauf and Riley Dyson all missing from their side, the Eagles were disappointing in last week’s loss to Hurstbridge – their first defeat on the road for the season.
Matthew Atta and Paul Higgins were their side’s standout performers in the 45-point defeat, while Jaron Murphy was one of his team’s leading possession winners and finished with an equal team-high three goals, along with Justin Sherman and Janan Daniel.
Like a host of teams, Round 7 looms as a vital one for the Eagles who sit both a win off the top-five and bottom-place. A win this week can re-affirm their finals credentials or, alternatively, a loss could consign them to the foot of the ladder.
Eltham showed great character in last week’s upset win over Macleod, giving the club its first home triumph of the season in its fourth attempt.
The Panthers looked in trouble at the final break when they trailed by three goals, but stormed home to kick six goals to one in the final quarter to win a low-scoring contest by eight points.
Adam Brovedani was outstanding in his return from injury, while James Reid continued his strong return from a knee injury. Anton Woods’ strong performance included two goals while Josh Merkel provided a strong target and finished with three majors.
The Panthers will hope that last week’s final-term performance becomes the benchmark moving forward – demonstrating that their best football is certainly as good as any in the competition.
West Preston-Lakeside and Montmorency close out the round at J.E Moore Park, where both sides will be looking to return to the winners’ list following home losses last week.
The Roosters played out a classic against Bundoora, hitting the front early in the last quarter before being overrun in the closing stages. The result saw them lose touch with the top-three, although they remain two wins and percentage clear inside the top-five, albeit having played an extra match.
Andrew Walker put in another starring role for the Roosters, despite his side going down by 21 points. The former Carlton star has been his side’s best player in each of the past two weeks and has featured among the better players in six of his seven appearances.
Walker received good support from Shaun Gannon and Jackson Clarke, while Nathan Valladares was solid down back – again demonstrating his ability to have an impact at either end of the field.
Montmorency suffered its third-consecutive defeat in last week’s heavy defeat to Northcote Park, but stayed a game inside the top-five courtesy of other results going its way.
The Magpies were the far better side in the opening quarter, but proved to be their own worst enemy – managing just one goal from seven scoring shots in the first term to head into quarter-time with only a four-point lead.
They were outplayed after the main break, with injuries playing their part, however they had few solutions to stopping Northcote Park’s small forwards in the second half.
Mark Deaves finished with six of his side’s nine goals, to take his tally for the season to 20, while Pat Fitzgerald, Josh Slattery and Matt Hunt all tried hard.
