It didn’t take long for Heidelberg to return to the winners list in the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 competition, getting past Greensborough at Greensborough War Memorial Park to triumph by 22 points.
The Tigers had more scoring shots in all four quarters, with only inaccuracy preventing the reigning premiers from producing a greater result than the 8.15 (63) to 6.5 (41) final scoreline.
Sam Gilmore was brilliant once again in the ruck, the captain had many hit outs to advantage, giving his midfielders first use more often than not.
Jed Rule proved to be an arial threat for Heidelberg whenever the ball entered their forward 50, and was rewarded with two goals, while Sean Martin was a commanding presence in defence. He was vocal and took multiple intercept marks for his side, vanquishing many of the attacking opportunities coming from Greensborough’s midfield.
The Boro’s Angus Sievers and Jack Johnston made life difficult for the Tigers. Their intercept marking and pressure heavily impacted Heidelberg’s efficiency on goal.
The first 30 seconds of the match was a clear indicator of how the game would unfold.
Gilmore would get a clean tap to advantage before the Tigers streamed forward, only to kick a behind. Benjamin Nikolovski scored the first goal of the game shortly after with a snap from 45 metres out in front.
The damp conditions made open play tricky, with a lot of contested ball and plenty of stoppages.
Heidelberg were winning possession, but Greensborough’s Austin Dillion kicked the next major of the game with a nice finish from 40 metres out.
The home side’s defensive efforts were especially highlighted in the opening term, with their pressure forcing Heidelberg’s forwards out into the pockets.
As a result, Greensborough built some momentum and were able to kick the next three goals to quickly establish a 13-point lead. Accuracy was a telling factor with the Boro converting more of their opportunities in the 4.1 to 1.6 quarter time scoreline.
The Tigers dominated in the second term. Again, they struggled early to convert their chances until Luke Bunker was hit up on the lead on the way to converting truly.
His goal ignited the visitors as a major soon after from James Amalfi put Heidelberg back in front.
Finding the goals was still a difficult task, as they kicked 2.5 for the term, but they were able to keep the Boro scoreless, ensuring they held the advantage at the main break.
The second half started off with some Luke Bunker brilliance, kicking a goal out of the contest for Heidelberg to push their four-point half time lead out further.
Jack Johnston was again prolific in defence but much of this was due to the sheer volume of ball coming inside his defensive 50.
Heidelberg then scored quick back-to-back goals, courtesy of Jed Rule and Kai Kearns, to bolster their lead. It was a telling period of the game where Greensborough’s defence looked vulnerable.
It was evident that the reigning premiers were handling the conditions better than their opponents and a 20-point lead at three quarter time looked to have the game very much in Heidelberg’s grasp.
The hosts tried to manufacture a comeback in the final term and thanks to excellent pressure by the Greensborough forwards, Thomas Phelan scored a terrific goal which brought the margin down to less than three straight kicks.
But that hope and optimism was extinguished by two more majors from the Tigers, all but putting the game out of reach for Greensborough.
The Boro found a sixth major late in the afternoon, but Heidelberg would finish 22-point victors.
