AS we enter Round 11, two games differentiate the fourth and fifth-placed sides in Division 2, meaning teams outside the top four must start winning quickly if they have any intentions of playing finals this year.
In the game of the round, top side Hurstbridge hosts second-placed North Heidelberg in what could be a preview of this year’s Grand Final.
Last week the Bridges were too good for Panton Hill and ran away with a convincing 70-point victory.
Without Brendan Fevola up forward, Chris Burton once again became the leading goal kicker for the Bridges and ended the match with four majors, while Aron Burns kicked three and Tom Simpson kicked two.
Brayden Shaw, Jarrod Tilley and Robert Graham were voted the best players for the Bridges, who once again showed they are this year’s Division 2 pacesetters with their eighth win on the trot.
After a slow start to the season North Heidelberg has returned to the form that saw them win the 2014 Division 2 premiership.
The Bulldogs’ 72-point victory over Thomastown was the third time this year they have won by over 50 points.
Shane Harvey’s fine form continued with another bag of six goals to increase his goal tally to 33 majors for the season.
As well as Harvey, who was voted best on ground, Leigh Gilbert and Leigh Taggart were in impressive form for the Bulldogs.
Tall forward Liam McLeod snared three goals in just his second match, a week after impressing on debut.
Round 4 was the last time these sides met and in that game Chris Burton kicked six goals to guide the Bridges to 42-point win.
But since that match, the Bulldogs have been undefeated and appear to be the most potent opponent the Bridges have faced this season.
In the battle of the bottom-placed sides, Thomastown hosts rival Lalor at Main Street Reserve.
This time last year both sides were sitting comfortably in the top four. This year it appears unlikely either of these sides will be competing in the finals.
Certainly the loser of this week’s match will almost certainly have their finals hopes dashed at 2-7.
Thomastown enters the game desperately needing a form reversal, having recorded six-straight defeats. Its last performance was a 72-point hammering to the hands of North Heidelberg, despite competitive second and third quarters.
Again the Bears had trouble finding an avenue to goal and only kicked one major in the second half. James Rizzolio, James Mercuri and Matthew Dirkx were Thomastown’s best players, while Matthew Cupo was the only multiple goal kicker.
Lalor’s season went from bad to worse when it could only manage one goal in the opening three quarters in a 72-point defeat to Diamond Creek last Saturday.
Three final-term goals ensured there was some respectability in the Bloods score, for what was surely the club’s worse defeat this season.
In his first game for the Bloods, Jordie Grainger was Lalor’s best player on the day.
The round concludes with the Fitzroy Stars hosting Panton Hill in a battle between the fourth and fifth-placed sides.
The Stars will be looking to return to the winners list after having the bye last week. Prior to the week off, the Stars were beaten by a Brendan Fevola-led Hurstbridge.
The Stars were well in the contest for a majority of the match, however injuries struck at the wrong time, with the Stars restricted to just one fit man on the bench in the last quarter. They ultimately ran out of steam, going down by 30 points.
Mungara Brown and Daniel Francis were lively up forward and booted three goals apiece, while Peter Hood and Clinton Benjamin were impressive around the ground and Alex Williamson played his best senior game.
In recent weeks Panton Hill has been much more competitive and has climbed off the bottom of the ladder.
However, against Hurstbridge, the Redbacks returned to their form from the start of the season. Their 70-point loss was their biggest defeat since Round 3, which incidentally was against the same opponent.
Panton Hill will be hoping to recapture its form from Round 5 when it last played Fitzroy Stars at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval.
In that match, Tyler Scarce kicked five goals to guide the Redbacks to their first win of the season, overcoming a 29-point three-quarter time deficit to win by three.
