Greensborough has continued its unbeaten start to the 2019 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 season, with a hard-fought 15-point victory over Macleod at De Winton Park.
The Boro were their own worst enemy in front of goals, but were accurate when it mattered, kicking three goals to one in the final term to run away 8.22 (70) to 8.7 (55) victors.
The win came at a cost however, with star recruit Tom Bell picking up what looked to be a hamstring injury late in the first term.
The visitors were able to cover his loss, with Charlie Molyneux and Ben Fennell starring in midfield, while Jack Johnston claimed best on ground honours for his superb game off half-back.
The result means Macleod has moved to 0-4 and now has a serious fight on its hands to play finals in 2019, something that the Boro know all too well following their 2017 season.
Speaking after the match, Greensborough coach Mick Harford credited his opponents for coming out hard early.
“We knew they were going to come out hard, a team like this to be 0-3 and facing 0-4 is pretty daunting, so we knew they were going to give us everything,” he said.
The Kangaroos kicked the first two goals of the match, both through Anthony Doherty, before Charlie Molyneux kicked the Boro’s first.
A late goal to Jayden Wilding gave the home side an 11-point lead at the first break.
The Boro dominated the second term, holding the ball inside their forward half for much of the quarter, but 13 straight behinds was all they could muster, until John Desmond finally dribbled through their second goal of the day after 24 minutes of play.
Inaccuracy was not a concern for Harford post-match, with the Boro coach happy with his side’s ability to win the ball forward so often throughout the match.
“In the first two weeks we kicked 23 goals and the last few weeks we’ve been a bit inaccurate, but I’m more concerned about our ability to create scoring shots,” he said.
Macleod was able to win the ball out of the middle on two straight occasions late in the second quarter and goals to Hamish Paynter and Adrian Totino saw them reclaim the lead at the main break.
The arm wrestle continued early in the third quarter, with Patrick Martin kicking the first goal after eight minutes, before three-consecutive goals to Mitch Merkel, Jacob Ireland and Andrew Stellas gave Greensborough a three-point lead at the final change.
Macleod started the final term strong, controlling much of the play early, however only managing three behinds to tie the scores at 49 apiece.
Nick Beames gave the visitors the lead after 15 minutes, before goals to youngster Rayden Garrard and Tynan Smith put the result beyond doubt.
Greensboorugh will look to continue its unbeaten start in Round 5 when it hosts reigning premiers West Preston-Lakeside in a twilight match at War Memorial Park.
Macleod will travel to Yulong Reserve to face fifth-placed Bundoora as it continues to look for its first win of 2019.
Final score: Macleod 8.7 (55) def by Greensborough 8.22 (70)
MACLEOD
Goal Kickers: A. Doherty 2, J. Wilding, L. Brandt, B. Leggett, A. Totino, P. Martin, H. Paynter
Best Players: H. Paynter, P. Martin, J. Baker, J. White, A. Doherty, B. Leggett
GREENSBOROUGH
Goal Kickers: T. Smith, J. Desmond, C. Molyneux, M. Merkel, J. Ireland, N. Beames, A. Stellas, R. Garrard
Best Players: J. Johnston, C. Molyneux, B. Fennell, N. Riddle, C. Clark, A. Cataldo
