The top-two sides have separated themselves from the chasing pack, with Banyule and Whittlesea now holding a two-game buffer over third place with four rounds remaining.
Thomastown leapfrogged Eltham on percentage after its big Round 14 win over Watsonia and will be looking to maintain its undefeated start under caretaker coach Scott Plant in the critical clash against fellow finals fancy Diamond Creek.
It’s a big weekend for those in finals contention, with Eltham and Diamond Creek having the chance to bounce Thomastown out of the top-four all together if they can both register wins on the weekend.
In what is shaping as a finals-like game, Diamond Creek hosts Thomastown at Coventry Oval with the winner taking a massive step towards securing a spot in the finals.
The Creekers made it three wins on the trot after recording a comfortable 81-point win over Epping and will move inside the top-four with a win this week, ahead of matches against Watsonia and St Mary’s to round out the season.
Thanks to a six-goal opening term, the Creekers led from start to finish at Epping Recreation Reserve last week – outscoring their opponents in each quarter except the second – when they kicked 3.5 to 4.1.
Nathan Searl was a force up forward with his second five-goal haul of the season, while Nicholas Barro, Jai Norman, Chris Moloney and Daniel Shallard all played large roles in the win.
Thomastown also recorded a third win in as many games with a 57-point triumph over Watsonia – helping them jump over Eltham in third place on percentage.
Leading by just eight points at the first change, the Bears kept the Saints goalless during the second and third quarters to run away with a winning margin over 50 points for the third week in a row.
Brayden Plant had his best game for his new club and was best afield with a stellar seven-goal display. Anthony Capeci chimed in with four goals, which moved him into equal top spot on the goal kicking table with 31 goals, tied with Eltham’s Michael Still.
Diamond Creek and Thomastown share a fantastic recent rivalry, which includes last year’s dramatic Round 18 that saw Diamond Creek prevail, but not by the required margin to play finals, due to a last quarter fightback from Thomastown which saw the Bears hold on to fourth spot.
With a difficult run home which sees them take on the top-two sides after their Round 16 bye, Thomastown cannot afford to drop this week’s game – where a win would see them move six points clear of the Creekers.
Banyule will be looking to continue building momentum into the finals when it hosts the Fitzroy Stars at Beverley Rd Oval.
Banyule had struggled for the past month, taking away just one win from their three games, but bounced back emphatically with a stunning come-from-behind win over Eltham in last week’s twilight clash.
Trailing at every break, Banyule slammed through seven goals to one in the final term to record a remarkable 33-point win at Eltham Central Park, which reinforced their status as the side to beat this year.
Tim Martin was dominant in the ruck and could prove to be the Bears’ biggest weapon in their push for a place in the top flight, while Jack Langford again showed his versatility by spending the game in defence on Tim Currie.
The 16 goals were shared by 10 players. Young gun Kye Yodgee had a major impact and finished with three majors, while four other teammates kicked two goals apiece in the runaway win.
Fitzroy will be looking to bounce back strongly after a disastrous 89-point defeat to Whittlesea. After kicking just one behind in the first term, it was always going to be difficult for the Stars to fight back and they only managed just four goals for the day in what was a crushing blow to their already slim finals hopes.
Carl Groth and Allan Norris led the way for the Stars on a disappointing afternoon and they will be hoping to have more helping hands this week as they look to make a positive start to the final month of the season.
After starting the year as a genuine finals threat, the Stars have managed just a draw from their past five matches. It’s been a disappointing run of form after comfortably beating Eltham and Whittlesea earlier in the season.
Watsonia hosts Eltham at A.K. Lines Reserve, where the Panthers will be looking to bounce back strongly to keep their hopes of a double chance alive.
The Panthers started superbly last week and looked on their way to a great victory when they raced to an early three-goal lead over Banyule.
However, the visitors gradually worked their way back into the contest and completely outplayed their host in the last quarter, where the Panthers managed to just kick one of eight goals in a disappointing 33-point defeat.
On the back of strong games from Brent Macaffer and Bronson Glasgow, the Panthers were one quarter away moving equal on points with Banyule, but it wasn’t to be and the loss means they will have to win all three remaining games and hope Whittlesea loses at least twice to secure a spot inside the top-two.
Tim Currie was exceptional up forward in his return from injury. In the absence of Michael Still, Currie booted four goals and took several mark of the year contenders, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Prior to last weekend, Watsonia remained a mathematical chance for a finals spot. But after being soundly beaten by Thomastown those hopes were erased, with the Saints no match for their host in the 57-point results.
Despite the heavy loss, there were some highlights for the Saints to savour, including the performance of Noah Bazzano – who starred in his first senior game and finished with a team-high four goals. Jamie Haber and Xavier Kelly also toiled hard all day.
With their season done, the Saints will be looking to spoil finals hopes of some of their opposition over the final month – with this week’s game to be followed by matches against Diamond Creek, Fitzroy Stars and Whittlesea.
Epping and St Mary’s go head-to-head in the final match of the round, where both sides will desperately be looking to add to their winning tally.
For Epping, a win would see them give them some hope of avoiding a bottom-place finish – despite their being no relegation this year – while a win for St Mary’s could push them up to a season-high sixth spot on the ladder.
The Blues suffered their fourth loss in a row in Round 14 when they fell to Diamond Creek by 81 points.
Trailing by just three goals at half time after outscoring their opponents in the second term, the Blues were no match for the red-hot Creekers in the second half and were outscored 10 goals to one thereafter.
Corey Middleton, Lucas Aquilina and Dallyce Taylor gave their all against strong opposition, while three players each kicked two goals, including Jake Conway, Chris Chilcott and the in-form Sage Dicello.
St Mary’s enters this week’s match off the bye, but prior to that the club’s three-game winning streak came to an end courtesy of a 44-point defeat to Whittlesea.
Leading by 10 points at quarter-time, the Burra unfortunately never saw the lead again as the Eagles slammed on 15 goals to their six across the final three quarters, seeing them runaway with the win at Whatmough Park.
Dillan Ronalds, Nicholas Daisley and Myles Guldon were named as St Mary’s best in the defeat, which put an end to the Burra’s unlikely bid for a finals berth in their first season in second division.
Nevertheless, they will start as favourite this week as they hunt for their fifth win of the campaign and will take confidence from a 31-point win over Epping when the sides met back in Round 5.
