Some intrigue surrounds the upcoming weekend of action in Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 after last weekend saw many surprises.
North Heidelberg and Hurstbridge are set to renew hostilities this Saturday at Shelley Street Reserve.
Only one win separates the two sides heading into this weekend, with Hurstbridge sitting in fourth place and North Heidelberg in sixth.
Kasey Duncan’s men had an opportunity to jump into the top five last weekend after Banyule went down. However, they failed to capitalise, going down by eight points to Bundoora at Yulong Reserve.
Lachlan Smith continued his impressive run of form with another four-goal outing, making it 17 goals in his past four games.
His new partner in crime, Parker Heatley, kicked three while Brodie White continued his impressive season last Saturday.
This weekend marks the beginning of a three-round stretch where the Bulldogs face three of the top five teams in Division 1.
Their opponents this weekend were able to return to the winners list in Round 11, holding off a late Eltham charge to win by 11 points.
Lachlan East had one of his best games since returning to Ben Frilay Oval, claiming nine coaches votes in the win.
Caelan Anderson and Mitch Wild were also key contributors in the victory while Bailey Jordan kicked three goals.
Last time around the Bridges and Bulldogs couldn’t be separated by the final siren, with both locked on 92 points apiece.
With the Bulldogs looking to jump back into a finals spot and the Bridges aiming to remain inside the top five, this weekend’s contest could be just as hotly contested as the last.
Some intrigue surrounds the West Preston-Lakeside and Bundoora contest this weekend at J.E. Moore Park as both look to boost their chances of surviving relegation.
Whilst the Roosters sit in seventh and the Bulls in ninth, only one game separates the two sides heading into this weekend’s game.
Heath Scotland’s men boast a stronger percentage than West Preston-Lakeside and enter this weekend having won their past two games.
Liam Mallia was the standout in the Bulls eight-point victory against North Heidelberg last round, kicking five goals and claiming eight coaches votes.
Luke Lo Valvo and Isaac McMillan continued their magnificent seasons in the win while Riley Greene was also a key player.
This weekend will be the second time in the past three weeks that they face a bottom four opponent away from home.
Ian Aitken’s men went down last weekend in convincing fashion to Heidelberg after claiming the four points against South Morang the week prior.
Aleksandr D’Arro was a shining light in the loss though and was the only Rooster to claim coaches votes.
Liam McVeigh also fought hard all day alongside Cooper Shoebridge who kicked two goals alongside Matthew Harman and Luke Vincitorio.
The Roosters came away with the points in their first meeting with Bundoora this season. After trailing by eight points at three quarter time, Ian Aitken’s side kicked four goals to no score to secure a 19-point victory at Yulong Reserve.
The Battle of Beverley Road is back this weekend, with Banyule set to welcome next door neighbour Heidelberg to Beverley Road Oval.
Both sides have been in contrasting form of late, with the Bears slipping to fifth after dropping their last three games whilst the Tigers are still undefeated this season.
Over the past two weekends the Bears have gone down by a combined 92 points against Montmorency and Greensborough, with their loss to the Borough coming at home last weekend.
Despite the loss Jack Langford still fought hard in defence while Vivian Blackmore-Moore and Riley Loton provided some spark in attack and up forward.
They now face their third consecutive top three opponent this weekend as well as their fourth top six opponent in a row.
The Tigers now sit four games clear atop the Division 1 table after their victory over the Roosters as well as Montmorency’s slipup against South Morang last Saturday.
Luke Bunker and Tom Keys shone yet again while James Nadalin had another impressive performance in the 88-point victory at Warringal Park.
Vin Dattoli’s men have yet to lose a game to their neighbours since the Bears were promoted into the topflight in 2023.
Last time around the Tigers claimed a 120-point victory on ANZAC Day at Warringal Park, with four players kicking four or more goals that day.
Eltham is set to welcome Montmorency to Eltham Central Park this weekend, with both sides looking to return to the winners list.
Tim Bongetti’s side have now lost their last six games, with their past three defeats coming by an average margin of just under two goals.
Last weekend’s game saw Cooper James kick another three goals after four the week prior. Mitchell Stafford and Bronson Glasgow also impressed alongside Alex Bellchambers and Colm Culligan.
The Panthers return to Panther Place to face a Montmorency side that suffered a shock loss last weekend at the hands of South Morang.
Connor Kane still fought hard in defence and was one of the Magpies alongside Hudson Holmes while Jake Spencer and Corey Sleep led the way in attack with two goals each.
Nick Rutley’s men have won all three encounters against the Panthers since 2024 by an average margin of 27 points.
They claimed a 30-point victory in their Round 3 meeting with Eltham at Montmorency Park despite having the same amount of scoring shots that day.
South Morang and Greensborough will look to build off impressive performances last weekend when they meet at Mill Park Lakes Reserve.
Gary Hall’s men had one of their best performances last weekend since their 2024 Division 2 Grand Final match.
Joshua Lansfield was the main man in attack with five goals, increasing his tally to 29 goals in nine matches. Bailey Brown also had his best performance of the season against his former side, collecting the perfect 10 coaches votes.
They’re set to welcome a Greensborough outfit who’ve won their last four games to jump up from sixth to equal second on the table.
Nathan Howard and Jack Johnston led the way in their 51-point victory over Banyule last round while Tyler Dixon, Jamie Smith and Rayden Garrard kicked three goals each.
Matthew Hyde’s side were able to claim a 40-point victory over the Lions in their first meeting with them since the 2006 season.
That day Darcy Blakeley kicked three goals for the Borough Joshua Lansfield kickstarted his 2025 campaign with a five-goal outing.
