The second third of the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 competition begins this weekend, with Saturday’s matches providing more chances for both the top and bottom halves of the ladder to take shape.
It’s a must-win game for Greensborough this weekend when they welcome an in-form Hurstbridge outfit to Greensborough War Memorial Park.
After winning their opening five matches of the season, the Boro have dropped their last two games at home against two of the current top three sides in Banyule and Heidelberg.
Inaccuracy in front of goal played a big role in their defeats on both occasions, kicking a combined total of 16 goals and 29 behinds.
But, having Northern Knight best and fairest winner Kristian Ferronato at their disposal in the previous fortnight has given extra depth to the Boro’s midfield, and having been named in the side’s best in his two games played so far, he will look to be the key player again to orchestrate things for Matthew Hyde’s men.
It will need to all come together for Greensborough if they are to take down second placed Hurstbridge this weekend who are looking for their fifth consecutive triumph.
Since their Round 2 defeat to Banyule, the Bridges have been improving each week, with their last two games (defeating Montmorency away from home, and Macleod by 106 points) some of their most impressive matches to date.
Both Liam Middleton and Cooper Perrin have been exceptional for Joel Cordwell’s side throughout the last few games, alongside star forwards Bailey Jordan and Joel Naylor, who combined for 11 majors in the big win over the Roos.
Hurstbridge prevailed in a must win clash over Greensborough in the sides’ last meeting at this venue in Round 17, 2023, proving to be the victory that sent the club to a maiden Division 1 finals berth.
And while a finals position isn’t at stake this time around, there’s still plenty on the line for both teams who’ll look to cement their spot within the top five for the time being.
It’s set to be another test at home for Eltham when they take on North Heidelberg at Eltham Central Park.
After a promising start to the season the Panthers have started to feel the pinch, losing their past three games to Montmorency, West Preston-Lakeside and Banyule.
It’s also coincided with their lowest scoring patch since returning to the top flight, as they’ve been unable to kick more than eight goals in their previous three matches.
But they did respond somewhat to their convincing defeat to the Roosters a fortnight ago by only trailing Banyule by six points at three quarter time last week, keeping the Bears to 6.10, their lowest score after the opening three terms in a game so far this year.
Seeing the likes of Jaden Collins and David Evans play key roles in Eltham’s competitiveness on Saturday would have certainly pleased coach Tim Bongetti, and similar outputs from them as well as other young stars will put the Panthers in a good position ahead of their North Heidelberg contest.
The Bulldogs continue to fluctuate in form, with last week seeing them suffer their biggest defeat of the season in a 38-point loss to Montmorency.
They sit outside of the top five as a result with a 3-3 record and are now ranked eighth in the league for least points conceded, having given away 85 points or more to an opponent for the fourth time in six games in 2024.
But with the likes of Jack Mapleson and Nicholas Matthews continuing to impact games in their defensive half, there is still scope for the Bulldogs to be more consistent in the middle third of the season, which they will hope starts this weekend.
This will be the first meeting between both sides since back in Round 16, 2015.
Bundoora will be looking to back up their first win of the season this weekend when they welcome Banyule to Yulong Reserve.
It was a breakthrough win for Heath Scotland and the Bulls, restricting West Preston-Lakeside to just two goals in the first three quarters on their way to a 37-point triumph at J.E. Moore Park.
Sam Green and Peter McEvoy’s stellar form continued in the win, with both men polling nine Coaches MVP award votes and McEvoy kicking six goals on the day.
It was a reward for effort for the Bulls, who had proven their competitiveness in matches against top sides such as Hurstbridge, North Heidelberg and Montmorency in 2024, despite being unable to claim the points in any of those matches.
Nelson Lane has been an influential player for Bundoora in those tighter games, and in his first season at Yulong Reserve, has been named in his side’s best in three of five matches, while also kicking three goals in his last two games.
It’s confidence Bundoora will look to build on against a Banyule side who continued their winning ways last week over Eltham.
The Round 6 victory made it three straight triumphs for Paul Harris’ side, their biggest winning streak in Division 1.
Their form of late has come through multiple contributors but few more than Jack Sammartino, who has produced some brilliant efforts in the first third of the season.
The return of captain Devin McDonald last week is also a boost for Banyule and was a key contributor in his side’s 25-point victory over the Panthers.
The Bears are yet to win a game against Bundoora since taking the leap up to the top flight, and while they would be considered as favourites to prevail on this occasion, the Bulls will be determined to build off their important triumph last week.
Macleod will look to do what their Saturday opponents Montmorency did last week and bounce back ahead of their match at De Winton Park.
After some respectable efforts throughout May, the Roos suffered their largest defeat of the campaign to date, with a 106-point loss to Hurstbridge away from home.
It still didn’t stop Zac Hudson from maintaining his strong influence on this Macleod outfit. Not only did he make it six mentions in the best from six games, but he also earnt a further four Coaches MVP award votes to sit second on the leaderboard.
Particularly without the Hogg brothers, Craig Hayes’ men will need to find more contributors outside of Hudson this weekend against a Montmorency side that were back to their best last weekend.
A 38-point triumph over North Heidelberg saw the Magpies return to the top five, with another outstanding performance from Nash Holmes, who picked up 10 Coaches MVP award votes, leading the charge.
Flynn Riley has also been a strong performer for Nick Rutley’s side in his last two games, being named in his side’s best in both matches, and looks set for an intriguing ruck battle with Macleod’s Hudson.
Since 2022, Montmorency have run rampant over Macleod, with their four wins against the Roos in that period being by an average winning margin of over 71 points.
Recent form suggests another similar result in favour of the Magpies, who could finish as high as fourth with a win, depending on other results, but Macleod will look forward to a fresh week in the hopes of atoning their winless start to the season.
The Heidelberg train will look to keep rolling on when it travels to J.E. Moore Park to face West Preston-Lakeside.
Since Round 3 last year the Tigers have been nearly untouchable, with their undefeated streak in the top flight now reaching 23 games following their triumph against Greensborough last weekend.
Led by Coaches MVP leader Dylan Clarke, as well as other midfield stars Luke Bunker and Brody Tardio, Heidelberg were able to claim a comfortable 30-point triumph in their top of the table clash.
The Tigers are now ranked number one in the competition for most points for and least points conceded and look destined to remain undefeated as they approach the halfway point of the season, playing just one current side in the top five between this weekend and Round 10.
West Preston-Lakeside missed an opportunity to secure back-to-back wins, when despite only having two less scoring shots than Bundoora in Round 6, they fell short by 37 points on their home deck.
While then Coaches MVP award leader Max Dreher was kept reasonably quiet in the loss, Chris Ryall stepped up and had one of his best performances to date, finishing with two of his side’s five goals for the match.
Much like most sides they’ve met in recent history, Heidelberg have defeated West Preston-Lakeside on all four occasions since 2022, with their average winning margin being over 75 points.
It’s going to be a big mountain to climb for Ian Aitken’s men this weekend if they’re to buck the trend but at the very least, an improved performance will be expected from the young Roosters.
