Three games separate third and ninth, but the gap could easily widen by week’s end, in the lead up to a massive weekend of Round 9 action in Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1.
Anticipation is high ahead of a huge clash between North Heidelberg and Montmorency at Shelley Street Reserve.
The Bulldogs have won five consecutive games while the Magpies have yet to taste defeat since Round 2.
Since losing their opening three games of the 2023 campaign, Jason Heatley’s men have been on a rampage, winning their last five matches by an average margin of 67.2 points, which included a comprehensive 77-point victory over Whittlesea in Round 8.
Their surge has come in part thanks to the incredible work of Billy Hogan who, after shifting from the forward line to the midfield, has put together an outstanding few weeks.
He has collected 26 Coaches MVP Award votes in the last three games, including a second perfect 10 votes in the win over the Eagles, to lead the count after Round 8.
Majak Daw and Jesse Tardio didn’t feature in the triumph over Whittlesea, but that didn’t stop North Heidelberg’s dominance, with contributions from Brock Chircop, Mitchell Dillon and Joshua Hamilton, all ensuring it was another comfortable victory.
Montmorency have been just as impressive, with their win over Banyule a fortnight ago keeping them just one game behind the ladder leading reigning premiers.
The triumph over the Bears was highlighted by Patrick Fitzgerald who in his 250th game, produced six majors as well as young gun Bronson Hill.
Fitzgerald has now kicked 38 goals in 2023, the most amount he has kicked in the first eight matches of any senior season in his career, and he is on track to beat his career high home and away season tally of 67 majors set last year.
Plus with the terrific form of Sam Binion and Liam Wale-Buxton at the minute, the delivery inside 50 will be perfect for the key forward to continue his goalkicking feats.
Weather providing, we could expect an incredibly high scoring contest, with these two teams ranked first and second in the competition for total points scored, and with the form both sides are in, a cracking match is in store.
Macleod and Hurstbridge are set to do battle in an important game at De Winton Park, as both sides aim to avoid a fourth straight loss.
The Roos sit three games outside a finals spot, having won just one of their last five games, but did put up a respectable performance against Bundoora prior to the bye, going down by 20 points away from home.
Darcy Barden had been a critical cog of the Macleod backline since joining the club in the off-season but had to play in the ruck in his side’s clash with the Bulls, performing excellently against the powerful duo of Peter McEvoy and Hamish Shepheard.
Jordan Corelli has also impressed in Craig Hayes’ side, with the midfielder kicking seven goals in his last four games and being named in his side’s best in the previous two matches.
Their Saturday opponents in Hurstbridge have fallen away a little following a strong opening month to the season.
In saying that, they have been mostly competitive against difficult opponents in recent weeks, with only one result since Round 5 being greater than a four-goal defeat.
They were given every chance to defeat Greensborough at Ben Frilay Oval a fortnight ago, but they kicked 5.14 to fall short by 22 points.
Despite the recent defeats, Bridges trio Blake Fitzgerald, Christopher McCabe and Jake Richards all produced strong efforts, highlighting how quickly they’ve settled into life at Ben Frilay Oval.
Both contests between these two last year saw close finishes, with Macleod claiming nine and 15-point triumphs in 2022.
With each side desperate to not only return to the winners list, but also keep in touch with the top five, we could see another tight battle take place this weekend.
Banyule will face their biggest test yet since joining the top flight, when the host the reigning premiers in Heidelberg at Beverley Road Oval
The Bears have continued to experience the highs and lows of Division 1 over the last month or so and have won two of their previous five matches.
Max Jones has been in ripping form for Paul Harris and Ricky Dyson’s side, being named in the Bears’ best in his last four games, the perfect lead up to face his old club this weekend.
What might work in Banyule’s favour is their record as the home side, having not tasted defeat once at either A.K. Lines Reserve or Beverley Road Oval in 2023.
However, it would still be nothing short of an upset if they were to defeat a team who have lost just twice in their last 27 games. In fact, the Tigers have not lost a game away from home since Round 6, 2021.
Heidelberg were challenged against West Preston-Lakeside in Round 8, but as we’ve come to expect from the reigning premiers, they out together a strong second half to continue their winning ways.
Brayden Sier is producing a Team of the Year calibre season and was excellent again for Heidelberg in the Roosters win. It will be an interesting experience for the midfielder this weekend as he faces his former junior club. He also played six senior games for the Bears in 2015 before being drafted to Collingwood at the end of that season.
Lachlan Wilson will play his 100th club game this weekend (his 90th at senior level) and after an already stellar career to date, he will be looking to make Saturday the eighth time in nine matches where he has been in his side’s best.
West Preston-Lakeside will look to turn their competitive performances of late into wins when they host Bundoora at J.E. Moore Park.
The Roosters had Heidelberg’s measure in the opening half of their clash a fortnight ago, but couldn’t go on with the job, suffering their fourth defeat in the previous five games as a result.
Matthew Harman has continued to prove his 2022 Frank Rosbrook Medal was no fluke, finishing as his side’s best player for two straight weeks, while being prolific in the ruck and up forward in each of the four games he’s played in 2023.
Max Dreher’s recent performances have also been impressive alongside Ahmed Saad, who has kicked 13 goals in his first four games of the year.
But they’ll need a four-quarter effort from all 22 players if they’re to topple a Bundoora outfit who are quickly starting to hit their straps.
Sam Lloyd put together his first perfect 10 Coaches MVP Award vote performance in just his second game of the year and was supported well by captain Luke Collins in midfield as Bundoora held off a determined Macleod side at home.
They have also again had an even spread of goalkickers up forward as despite the loss of Shuan McKernan after Round 2, they currently have three players (Kyle Green, Peter McEvoy and Jack Maruff) who have kicked 10 or more goals in the 2023 campaign.
The last meeting between these two saw Bundoora thump West Preston-Lakeside by 104 points at Yulong Reserve, but while the form of Michael Ryan’s side in the last two games have been strong, the Roosters will certainly push the Bulls to their limit.
Greensborough have a big opportunity to further their gap from the bottom five when they take on Whittlesea at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
Wins in three of their last four games have given the fifth placed Boro a handy six-point gap from sixth position approaching the midway point of the season.
They bounced back from a heavy defeat to North Heidelberg in Round 7 with a crucial triumph over Hurstbridge a fortnight ago.
Jamie Smith’s return against his old side was an important factor in his side’s win, while excellent performances from Zac Hart and Ben Pannam also contributed to the result.
Captain Jack Johnston continued to produce his best and still holds a top five spot in the Coaches MVP Award leaderboard after polling four votes in the triumph over the Bridges.
They do battle with a Whittlesea outfit who were no match for a rampant North Heidelberg side in Round 8 and are still yet to secure a win in season 2023.
The Eagles’ struggles offensively continue to haunt them and coming up against arguably one of the best defensive sides in the competition, they could have their work cut out.
Blake Watson’s injection into the side since his return from VFL duties three weeks ago has been a huge boost for the club, while Mitchell Andrews continues to be Whittlesea’s most consistent performers.
This will be the fourth meeting between these two sides since the Eagles’ promotion into the top flight in 2021, and while the Boro have won all three encounters since, Whittlesea will continue to strive towards a more competitive performance in front of their home fans.
