The race for the 2024 Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 premiership is down to four, with this weekend’s two semi-finals to give us a clearer picture as to which side is in the hot seat to take out the flag.
Heidelberg and Montmorency will be the first two sides looking to book a Grand Final berth when they meet in a mouth-watering second semi-final this Saturday.
Both sides have finished in the top three for three straight seasons, but this will be the first time the pair have met in a final since back in 2012, making this week’s clash an even more intriguing one.
It would be easy to pencil this as another Tigers victory, considering the minor premiers haven’t lost in their last six finals, and haven’t lost to Montmorency in the previous three encounters.
An even scarier proposition is that Vin Dattoli will have a plethora of star players to select from and could field his strongest side of the season.
VFL-listed players such as Lachlan Wilson, Zavier Maher, Matthew Signorello and Solomon McKay will all be eligible this finals series, and that would be included on top of the likes of Zane Barzen, Luke Bunker, Tom Keys and Daniel O’Dwyer, who have each produced outstanding individual campaigns.
Their Round 15 defeat to Greensborough continues to be an outlier to their otherwise dominant season, with Heidelberg coming into this final on a three-game span that has seen them kick 401 total points and concede just 150 points.
They will look to book a fourth straight Grand Final when they take on a Montmorency team full of confidence following their qualifying final triumph over North Heidelberg.
If there’s one team that can limit the Tigers’ attacking power, it’s the Magpies, highlighted by the fact they kept the second highest scoring team of 2024 in the Bulldogs, to two scoreless quarters last week.
That effort was led by Connor Kane and Stefan Uzelac, causing competition leading goalkicker Parker Heatley to go goalless, and North Heidelberg to produce their lowest score of the season.
Nick Rutley’s men will also be aided by the return of star midfielder Nash Holmes, who missed last week due to suspension. He’ll be joined by an in-form Marcus Lentini in the middle who finished in his side’s best for the third consecutive game last Saturday.
Unlike many teams in the competition, Montmorency’s two performances against Heidelberg have been more than respectable, falling by just one point back in Round 2 and by 28 points with an undermanned lineup in Round 11.
With a Grand Final spot on the line, fans could be set for another fiercely contested game between two old rivals at Preston.
Sunday afternoon will see North Heidelberg and Greensborough lock horns in the first semi-final as both look to keep their premiership hopes alive.
This weekend will mark just over five years since these two sides last met in a final, with Greensborough comfortably defeating North Heidelberg in the 2019 second semi-final.
But a similar result looks unlikely, particularly given how well these two sides have matched up in 2024. Greensborough prevailed by 19 points back in Round 3 before North Heidelberg turned the tables with a 16-point victory in Round 12.
The Bulldogs come into this clash after falling short to Montmorency in a qualifying final that saw Jason Heatley have to deal with some late changes.
Whilst Brent Harvey and Jesse Tardio missed, the experience and class of Liam Hunt and Brodie White in midfield still shone brightly in the 19-point defeat.
White especially has put together some great performances of late and has been named in his side’s best in 11 of his 19 matches in 2024, including in both meetings with the Boro this season.
Parker Heatley will look to put a difficult game behind him after being kept to no goals in last week’s final, just the fourth time the 19-year-old has been held goalless this season. Other goalkickers such as Brock Chircop and Adam Giobbi were also kept quiet, leaving room for the trio to return to their best this Sunday.
Greensborough will believe they have what it takes to go deep in this finals series, after holding on for a narrow four-point elimination final triumph last week, winning the club’s first senior men’s final since that victory over the Bulldogs in 2019.
After leading by a point heading into the final quarter, the Boro were able to take the lead again late and take control of the game thereafter to defeat Hurstbridge for the first time since early 2023.
Matthew Hyde’s men kept a side to under 50 points for the fourth time this year, largely thanks to captain Jack Johnston who was best on ground and very comfortable as an intercept marking defender, while other stars such as Angus Sievers and Thomas Brindley could have more of an impact further up the ground.
Kristian Ferronato and Brody Glenn were close behind Johnston as the most influential player on the ground. The duo will be keen to repeat their efforts against the Bulldogs this weekend.
There’s plenty to look forward to in this contest, as both sides fight it out for a spot in the preliminary final.
