The 2018 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 campaign reaches its midway point this weekend, with five enticing Round 9 match-ups rounding out the first half of the season.
The results during the Queen’s Birthday split round have made for a very congested looking ladder after eight rounds. Four sides take 5-3 records into Round 9 – with just two wins separating sides placed second to eighth.
Macleod has been the most consistent team in the competition and has established a very cushy lead at the top of the ladder. At the other end of the table, Whittlesea continues to lose touch with the competition, with only Hurstbridge within reaching distance.
This weekend the competition’s top-two sides lock horns, with Macleod travelling to J.E. Moore to take on West Preston-Lakeside. The Roos return from a week’s rest, while the Roosters will be breathing fire after letting victory slip through their grasp last week.
Macleod stretched its winning run to seven games in the first week of the split round when it overpowered North Heidelberg to score a 61-point win in front of a big crowd at De Winton Park. The result was in stark contrast to the pair’s Round 1 outing, which North won by 19 points.
Patrick Martin was the standout with seven majors, taking his season tally to 23. The often-unheralded forward is well on track to top last year’s career-best effort of 29 majors, having been kept goalless just once this year.
Anthony Doherty produced his season-best game against the Bulldogs, while Joel Kidd was among the best players for his run-with role on Brent Harvey.
West Preston-Lakeside missed a golden opportunity to push one game and percentage clear in second place after fading in its 23-point loss to Heidelberg at Warringal Park. The Roosters led comfortably nearing three-quarter time but managed just one of the last 10 goals.
The loss of in-form tall Mark Kovacevic to Coburg was certainly felt, with Heidelberg midfielders Ryan Stone, Tom Sullivan, Michael Brunelli, Lachlan Wilson able to get the home side going from the middle. An injury to Patrick Karnezis only soured the loss further.
However, a win this week against the ladder-leader would go a long way to setting up the Roosters’ campaign, ahead of four consecutive games against sides currently placed outside the top-five.
Northcote Park hosts Heidelberg at Bill Lawry Oval, where both sides will be looking to register their sixth win of the season.
With the exception of Macleod, Northcote Park has proven to be the form side of the competition over the past month and takes a three-game winning streak into this weekend’s clash against the Tigers.
After managing just 38 points a game in successive home losses in rounds 4 and 5, the Cougars have become the competition’s most attacking team in recent weeks, scoring an average of 122 points per game over the past three weeks – ranked No.1 in the competition.
Even with Ash Close subdued last weekend, the Cougars still managed to kick 13.16 (94) in their six-goal triumph over Greensborough, with the goals spread across nine players – including three to Jackson Starcevich in his first game of the year.
Fielding their strongest line-up for the season, the Cougars broke away from the Boro in the second half – led by Paul Dirago, Jordan Perry and Bronik Davies.
Dirago continues to lead all comers in the Coaches MVP voting, while Perry – who took out the award last season – has well and truly hit his straps after a slow start to the year and has polled 26 of a possible 40 coaches votes over the past four weeks.
Heidelberg sits fourth on the ladder following a spirited 23-point win over West Preston-Lakeside last Saturday. The Tigers trailed by 24 points late in the third term but came home with a wet sail to score their second come-from-behind win over the Roosters this year.
The Tigers were without a host of key players, including Sam Gilmore, Jordan Treloar, Will Knight, Callum Lewis and Will Goss, however they managed to pile on eight goals to one in the last quarter to score one of their best wins in recent times in Mark Favrin’s 200th club game.
Josh Gribben was heroic in defence and locked out the Roosters in the last term, while Sam Grimley was colossal late in the game and took a number of telling marks in the final stanza, repeating his effort from the Round 2 win at J.E. Moore Park.
Recent outings between Northcote Park and Heidelberg at Bill Lawry Oval have produced tight results and there is now great anticipation ahead of this game, with a place inside the top-five potentially at stake.
Bundoora hosts Montmorency at Yulong Reserve in a match that could be season-defining for both sides. The Magpies were rampant when the sides met in Round 3, with Patrick Fitzgerald booting eight goals in an 86-point win.
Bundoora breathed life back into its premiership defence with a 73-point away win over Whittlesea in Round 8 and the Bulls will be hoping to now secure back-to-back victories for the first time this year.
Three-time Frank Rosbrook medallist Matthew Dennis made a welcome return from injury last week to help his side end a three-game run of outs against Whittlesea, stretching back to 2016.
On a day when many of his teammates found form, Josh Grabowski was the standout performer, earning maximum coaches votes for his three-goal effort. It was the start of a great week for the Bulls’ star, who was also selected in Vic Metro’s 34-man preliminary squad to face Vic Country next month.
Montmorency takes strong form into this encounter, having scored consecutive 10-goals wins over the past two rounds – albeit against the bottom-two sides. Nevertheless, the Magpies are playing strong attacking football despite the absence of a host of injured stars.
The Magpies booted 20 goals in the opening three quarters of last week’s 60-point triumph over Hurstbridge, before easing in the last term. In his first game for the season, Werribee-listed forward Kye Declase had a day out, kicking nine goals.
Declase was joined in the Magpies best by Ben Kennedy, Ben Walton, Tyrone Leonardis and Luke Collins. Despite the likes of Jesse Donaldson, Ben Fennell and Danko Bzenic being sidelined with long-term injuries, the Magpies still boast a long list of match winners.
Greensborough and Hurstbridge will be out to end losing streaks when they meet at War Memorial Park. The Boro will ditch green for a blue and white jumper this week to support the Fight MND campaign in honour of late club great Bonnie Dickson.
Robert Hyde’s side has fallen outside the top-five for the first time this season on the back of a third-straight loss to Northcote Park in Round 8. How different would the picture have been for the Boro had they held on against Macleod at De Winton Park in Round 6?
Timing can be everything in football and the undermanned Boro got Northcote Park at the worst time last week – with the full-strength Cougars booting 7.13 to 3.3 after half time to secure a six-goal win at Bill Lawry Oval.
Captains Tristan Stead and Chris Clark were among the Boro’s best in defeat, along with Adrian Cataldo. Despite the final scoreline, there were some promising signs for the future with Tynan Smith (four goals) and Tom Brindley showing they have bright careers ahead.
Hurstbridge has endured a turbulent period and will be looking for a pressure-release as it aims to win at Greensborough for the first time in Division 1. Like their host, the Bridges are desperate to end a three-game losing streak and will need to if they are to remain in the finals race.
In a free-flowing match, Hurstbridge was unable to contain Montmorency last Saturday – falling to a 60-point defeat, despite kicking 13 goals for the day. Jay Barbera and Angus Butterfield were best, while Ryan Jackson and Daniel Keenan both produced strong showings against the side they each used to captain.
Round 9 concludes with North Heidelberg hosting Whittlesea at Shelley Reserve. It will be the first meeting between the sides since 2013.
The final score didn’t tell the true story in North Heidelberg’s loss to Macleod. The Bulldogs were certainly put to the sword in the last term in the 10-goal defeat, however they put up a strong showing in the opening three quarters and trailed by just 20 points at the last break.
Jesse Tardio and Jake Brown were each among the Bulldogs best players once again, while Liam Hunt and Brent Harvey (three goals) also threatened to break the game open at times throughout the day.
The Bulldogs will this week start favourites against the out-of-form Eagles and if they can get themselves to 4-5 at the halfway point of the season they will certainly be in a position to make a challenge for September action in the back half of the year.
Whittlesea was once again slow to start against Bundoora last week and was 27 points behind at quarter time. The Eagles were much improved in the second and third quarters and closed within three goals, however a fourth-quarter fadeout undid any good work.
The Eagles have been outscored 11.18 (84) to 37.23 (245) in first quarters this year. The stat is even more damning over the past five matches, where they have managed a total of just four first-quarter goals, while conceding 25.
