No team is without a loss heading into Round 4 of the 2022 Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 season, with this Saturday’s matches a perfect opportunity for sides to gain some breathing room.
After their dramatic victory last weekend, Montmorency will face a test of similar ilk in a couple of days’ time when they host Greensborough.
The Magpies held on to defeat a fast-finishing Heidelberg by just one-point in one of the games of the season.
Liam Wale-Buxton continued his brilliant start to life in black and white, polling the perfect 10 Coaches MVP votes over the weekend to move into equal first in the award. Patrick Fitzgerald continued to lead the way in the forward half while Jai Robinson and Mitch Honeychurch put in solid performances in the victory.
Now 2-1, Garry Ramsay’s men will have a huge task ahead of them as they look to defeat a well-rested Greensborough side.
The Borough will still aim to bring as much momentum as they can with them following their 107-point thumping of Macleod on Good Friday.
Ben Pannam also moved to equal first in the Coaches MVP award after receiving 10 votes for his four goals on the day. Harvey Daniher and Mitch Hill also combined well in the forward line whilst Tom Bell and Jack Johnston continue to dominate season 2022.
These sides met once in the shortened 2021 campaign, and it was Montmorency who left with the four points with a classic three-point win. Patty Fitzgerald kicked five on the day whilst eventual AFL draftee Darcy Wilmot made his Montmorency debut.
This one is set to be a ripper of a game and will no doubt be an early finals preview.
North Heidelberg will be looking to gain some consistency in the early stages of the season, but it will be a difficult task this week when they play host to West Preston-Lakeside
In an ultimately disappointing loss on Good Friday, the Bulldogs had a 19-point half time lead over Bundoora before a six goal to nil third term blew them away.
Jesse Tardio continues have a big impact in the middle, always giving his all to win clearances and move the ball forward, with Nicholas Matthews and Adam Braendler contributing at both ends of the ground.
The Roosters on the other hand bounced back from their shock Round 2 loss to defeat Northcote Park at Bill Lawry Oval.
Rob Maiorana’s side were pushed by the Cougars for many stages of the game but found a way in the last term to win by 15-points.
Ahmed Saad, who came into the game with an injury cloud, was kept goalless but Kobe Brown picked up the pieces to kick three goals whilst Matthew Harman had a day out in the ruck, picking up the perfect 10 Coaches MVP votes.
These two sides didn’t meet in 2021, with their last battle being the 2019 Preliminary Final.
The Roosters kicked an accurate 11.6 to win by two straight kicks and would ultimately go on to win the 2019 flag.
Macleod and Northcote Park becomes an intriguing match to keep an eye on, with opportunities aplenty for both sides.
Macleod were brought back down to earth on Good Friday after being dismantled by a strong Greensborough outfit.
Whilst the Borough forward line flourished, the usually free-flowing Roos only kicked 5.7 with their lack of midfield clearances a big contributor to the defeat.
Luke Joyce showed glimpses of his prowess up forward with two impressive goals whilst Sebastian Latina was promising in the midfield.
The Cougars had an improved showing in Round 3 despite still falling short against the reigning premiers.
Michael Amad was their leading goalkicker on the day with two, with Reed Jepson and Daniel Tallariti putting in good performances also.
Stephen Saddington’s side only trailed by one straight kick at three quarter time and the Cougars ability to push the Roosters until the end will give them plenty of belief to take home their first win of the season this weekend.
Last time these two met was at Bill Lawry Oval in Round 12 last year, with Macleod cruising to a 37-point victory. Inaccuracy cost the Cougars on the day, with their final score being 2.12, with eight of those behinds coming in the final term.
Another set of sides looking to bounce back will be Whittlesea and Heidelberg as they face each other at Whittlesea Showgrounds.
On the back of their impressive performance over West Preston-Lakeside a fortnight ago, the Eagles couldn’t repeat those efforts against Hurstbridge on Anzac Day.
It was a tight-knit affair for most of the match, but the Bridges managed to find a few extra goals each time to give the Eagles their second loss of the season.
Paul Higgins led the way up forward with two goals whilst Brody Bell and Jaron Murphy played key roles.
Heidelberg couldn’t keep their undefeated streak going when they fell just short to Montmorency last week.
In what Danny Nolan called an early litmus test against a strong Magpies lineup, the Tigers were up for the fight for most of the match but went down by the smallest of margins.
Captain Sam Gilmore came back into the side and made an immediate impact, kicking three goals while Matthew Smith, Tom Schnerring and Keenan Posar also had strong contributions.
These two met very early on in the 2021 season out at the Showgrounds, with a massive 22-1 final quarter the difference in the Tigers 32-point victory.
Despite coming off a five day break the Eagles will be looking to pick up another big scalp whilst Heidelberg will want to quickly bounce back to keep up with the top sides in the competition.
Coming off back-to-back wins for the first time in three years, Hurstbridge’s confidence will be sky high when they battle with Bundoora out at Ben Frilay Oval.
Following their big win over Greensborough in Round 2, the Bridges backed up that performance with a fast finishing 24-point win over Whittlesea on Anzac Day.
In front of a large crowd away from home, Hurstbridge’s pressure was immense all day with the likes of Cooper Perrin (four goals) and Michael Florance (seven Coaches MVP votes) having a big say in the victory.
Bundoora however will have the rest advantage coming into this encounter, with this their first match since their come from behind triumph over North Heidelberg on Good Friday.
Despite winning by 20-points, it could’ve been a much bigger margin for the Bulls as they kicked 3.7 in the final term.
Nathan Thomas played a massive role in midfield and up forward, picking up 10 Coaches MVP votes and kicking three goals. Luke Collins, John Jorgenson and Sam Lloyd were instrumental in the victory.
It was a classic the last time these two met at Yulong Reserve in Round 7, 2021, with the Bridges holding on to win by five points in what would be Cameron Cloke’s last game for Hurstbridge.
It looks set to be another tight contest, this time out on Hurstbridge’s home deck, as both look to go 3-1 by the end of the round.
