A huge twilight fixture featuring the first and second placed sides of 2023 headlines Round 2 action in the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 competition.
Montmorency and Heidelberg will renew hostilities when they meet in a highly anticipated contest at Montmorency Park.
Since the beginning of 2022, these sides have produced some epic encounters, with last year seeing some of the most dramatic games of the season feature these two clubs.
The Magpies won by less than a kick in Round 3 before the Tigers came hard late to claim a draw in their famous Round 12 match at Montmorency Park.
As they had in previous battles, both teams come into this clash following wins.
Montmorency fought off a resilient Bundoora outfit to open their 2024 account with a 22-point victory. Recruits Ayhan Bajramov and Nash Holmes shone in their black and white debut with Bajramov finishing with three goals alongside Ben Paterson, the latter of whom picking up five Coaches MVP Award votes.
Stefan Uzelac also made a successful return to the Magpies senior lineup while Cameron Nyko played a key role in helping Nick Rutley claim his first win as head coach of the side.
Heidelberg were able break their Round 1 game against North Heidelberg open after quarter time, kicking 11 goals to four in the final three terms to run away 35-point winners.
Vin Dattoli saw immediate impact from Dylan Clarke and Daniel O’Dwyer who are back full-time with the Tigers after spending most of last season in the VFL.
However, it was star recruit Tom Keys who stole the show up forward with a six-goal performance that earnt him 10 Coaches MVP Award votes. Fellow fresh face Adam Galgano also delivered inside 50 with two goals after starting the game in defence.
With a history of high-quality battles, expect Saturday’s clash between two premiership contenders to be nothing less.
Two sides also aiming to make it two wins from the opening two matches are Hurstbridge and Banyule who are set to meet at Ben Frilay Oval.
With all but one senior coach of a Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 club tipping one of these sides to be the biggest risers this season, Saturday’s matchup is set to give fans a good indicator of how these two might place in 2024.
Joel Cordwell’s men saw a wide spread of contributors in their 26-point win over Eltham last Saturday, with William Cookson and Jake Wild leading the way in the Coaches MVP Award votes and Bailey Jordan, Joel Naylor and Cameron Wild the focal points up forward with two goals apiece.
Wild was one of three new players to feature for the Bridges over the weekend alongside Sean McLaren and David Mennen, while Cooper Perrin made a successful to the club. All four will look to have a positive effect on the side this season.
Five of Banyule’s recruits also pulled on the Bears jumper for the first time in their Round 1, with two of them in Davin Cameron and Daniel Owen each kicking a goal in their 18-point victory over Macleod at Beverley Road Oval.
It took until the second half for the Bears to break open the match with the Roos, finishing with 34 scoring shots despite only claiming a three-goal win.
Vivian Blackmore-Moore and Kye Yodgee impressed, kicking five majors between them, and loom as important players to Paul Harris’ side in this year’s campaign.
Banyule will have fond memories of when they last met Hurstbridge in a Round 2 match, as they claimed a 42-point victory at A.K. Lines Reserve. A replica result this Saturday would put the Bears in the finals conversation, even this early in the season.
Greensborough will look to continue their hot start to 2024 when they travel to Yulong Reserve to face last year’s runners up in Bundoora.
The Boro sit on top of the Division 1 ladder after the opening round with two wins at Greensborough War Memorial Park against Eltham and West Preston-Lakeside.
Following a comfortable Good Friday win against the Panthers, last weekend saw Matthew Hyde’s men come from 13 points down at three quarter time to win by 12 points over the Roosters.
Their defence was at its best once again, with full back Deakin Lawler polling 10 Coaches MVP Award votes and providing solid support for Angus Seivers.
If they are to claim another victory this weekend, it will be the first time since 2019 that Greensborough have started a season 3-0, which would put the side in a great position ahead of matches against North Heidelberg, Heidelberg and Montmorency over the next month.
Bundoora put in a more than respectable performance despite falling short to Montmorency away from home, having trailed by just 14 points at three quarter time before eventually going down by 22 points.
After losing star forward Peter McEvoy early in the contest, Daniel Younan came to the fore and finished the game with four goals, meanwhile Zane Barker and Lachlan East produced impressive displays against tough opposition.
The last match between these two sides at this venue saw Greensborough prevail by 11 points, which will give Boro fans more confidence heading into Saturday’s clash, however Bundoora are 11-5 at Yulong Reserve since 2022 and will be eager to continue that good record to get off the mark this season.
Saturday will see a good opportunity for both Macleod and Eltham to get their first wins of the year when they meet at De Winton Park.
The Roos put up a gallant fight in defeat against Banyule, restricting the Bears to just 12 goals despite conceding 34 scoring shots.
Craig Hayes’ side was able to make the most of their opportunities on the other end, particularly Michael Hurley who finished with six goals and eight Coaches MVP Award votes.
Mackenzie Hogg enjoyed a solid debut for the Roos after coming across from Heidelberg in the off-season while it was another promising performance from Zachary Hudson in ruck.
Eltham put up a similar effort despite their loss to Hurstbridge over the weekend as they continue to settle into the top flight.
In his first senior game back for the Panthers since 2022, Alex Bellchambers impressed for Tim Bongetti’s side, earning five Coaches MVP Award votes.
David Evans also earnt a mention in the best following his two-goal performance on Good Friday, meanwhile Declan Ayres was terrific defensively, following on from his appearance in the 2023 Division 2 Team of the Year.
Saturday’s meeting at De Winton Park will be the first between the two sides since Round 12 2017, with Macleod claiming a 26-point triumph on their way to a third consecutive Grand Final appearance.
Seven years later and it’s set to be a much tighter contest this time around as both sides look to get off the mark in 2024.
J.E Moore Park hosts the match between two sides in West Preston-Lakeside and North Heidelberg who will look to rebound from opening round losses.
The Roosters were the closer of the two sides to end the round with a win, as the scores were tied late in their match with Greensborough before conceding the last two majors to fall short by 12 points.
Following strong 2023 campaigns, Max Dreher and Matthew Harman led the way once again for West Preston-Lakeside and were influential in keeping their side in the game.
New coach Ian Aitken would also have been impressed with Kobe Brown, who made his return to the club and finished with a couple of Coaches MVP Award votes.
Despite last week’s honourable result, it will need to be a complete performance from the Roosters on Saturday if they are to topple North Heidelberg, despite the Bulldogs going down to reigning premiers Heidelberg by 35 points under lights last week.
The Bulldogs ended the afternoon with a 6.14 (50) scoreline. Only twice last year did they score less points in a match, so the highest scoring side of 2023 will aim to put an emphasis on getting back to their attacking best this weekend.
Adam Giobbi formed as one of their avenues to goal in his Bulldogs debut last Saturday, being the side’s only multiple goalkicker. Tom Wallis also impressed in his first appearance in the red, white and blue.
After losing four straight matches against West Preston-Lakeside from 2019 to 2022, North Heidelberg defeated their Saturday opponents by an average of 78 points in their two meetings last year.
Jason Heatley will expect more of the same from his side in order open their 2024 account.
