Some more top-five shaping clashes loom in an action packed Round 14 of the 2024 Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 season.
Two sides coming off important wins in Hurstbridge and Montmorency will look to boost their finals credentials when they meet at Ben Frilay Oval.
For most of the season to date, the Bridges occupied a spot in the top three, but with two wins in their previous six matches, they have slipped down to fourth position.
However, one of those victories came last weekend, when they took care of West Preston-Lakeside to the tune of 38 points.
Harry O’Brien played a key role in the triumph alongside Nick Kent. Both men kicked three goals whilst O’Brien was the only player in the top flight to poll 10 Coaches MVP Award votes in Round 13.
It would be a confidence boosting result for a side that picked up the four points without the likes of Kye Agosta, Mitchell Moschetti or Joel Naylor, but they will face a greater task this weekend against a Montmorency outfit who have arguably found their groove at the right time of the year.
The Magpies produced a comprehensive display on their home deck to defeat Banyule by 77 points, seeing them maintain their status as having the second-best percentage in the competition.
Whilst Ayhan Bajramov returned to the forward line, it was Lachy Batchelor and Stefan Uzelac who kicked four majors apiece to help their side register their highest score of the season to date.
Batchelor earned nine Coaches MVP Award votes for his troubles, while Uzelac has now been named in his side’s best in all of two of his 12 games in 2024.
Montmorency will be out for revenge this weekend after going down by 17 points to Hurstbridge back in Round 5 at Montmorency Park, and with both teams coming off strong wins the week prior, this game has the makings of a critical contest in season 2024.
It’s set to be another test for Banyule when they welcome an in-form Greensborough outfit to Beverley Road Oval.
Just like the game at Ben Frilay Oval this weekend, there’s plenty on the line in this contest, with the loser likely to sit outside of the top five by day’s end.
The Bears currently occupy sixth spot after two crushing losses in a row against the current top two sides of the competition in Heidelberg and Montmorency, despite having sat in second position less than a fortnight ago.
With key personnel missing, Banyule’s leaders in Kurt Aylett and Jack Langford have had to step up, with the duo being shining lights in the team’s disappointing defeat to the Magpies.
They are really missing their ability to hit the scoreboard, as despite doing so in eight of their first 10 games of 2024, the Bears have failed to score north of 70 points in three consecutive matches.
Banyule will hope their fortunes start to turn around against a Greensborough team who have prevailed in three of their last four matches.
The Boro looked to be in control throughout the afternoon in their match with Eltham last week, prevailing by 59 points, their third largest winning margin in 2024.
Ben Fisher has been one player that has helped Greensborough create some strong momentum in recent weeks, having been named in his side’s best in his last four matches.
The Boro have still only claimed one victory against sides sitting inside the top six, dating back to Round 3 against North Heidelberg at Shelley Street Reserve.
Their most recent meeting with Banyule saw them rue missed chances in front of goal, kicking 8.17 in the 10-point loss to the Bears.
But having been more accurate in recent weeks, Matthew Hyde’s men will hope it all comes together in this highly anticipated contest.
West Preston-Lakeside will look to respond from a disappointing fortnight when they host Eltham at J.E. Moore Park
There’s been signs of promise from the young Roosters this season, but it hasn’t always translated to wins, particularly in recent weeks where they have claimed just one triumph in their previous five matches.
They were kept to just six goals in their loss to Hurstbridge last week, their lowest score since the final round of the 2023 campaign.
Despite this, Ian Aitken continues to unearth some young talent.
Dante Colosimo and Chris Ryall continued their strong seasons despite the loss while 21-year-old Kyle Galvin-King impressed again in one of his best performances of 2024; he’s now been named in his side’s best in four of seven senior games after spending his first five games of the season in the reserves.
West Preston-Lakeside will sense an opportunity to equal their number of wins from last year’s campaign when they take on the Panthers.
Eltham have also been able to showcase their young talent despite recent defeats, with Harry Downes, Mitchel Stafford and Miller Wortley all featuring in the side’s best in their loss to Greensborough last Saturday.
But Tim Bongetti’s men have also been boosted by the recent inclusions of premiership stars Josh Merkel and Jackson Weatherald, with the latter finishing as his side’s best player in his first match since the 2023 Division 2 Grand Final.
Sitting in ninth spot, and a game clear of bottom placed Macleod, the Panthers likely need at least one more win to ensure safety in 2025, and they will hope it can be achieved this weekend.
But at the least, an improvement on their 62-point loss to West Preston-Lakeside back in Round 5 will also do Eltham a world of good in the long run.
The second Grand Final rematch of 2024 is set to take place this weekend, with a red-hot Heidelberg outfit welcoming Bundoora to Warringal Park.
The undefeated Tigers have been an extraordinary side to witness in 2024, having not looked threatened for almost the entire campaign.
They had no issues in taking care of Macleod to the tune of 81 points last week, registering their seventh triple figure score and their fifth winning margin of 80 or more points this year.
Luke Bunker’s form has been hard to ignore, having earned 10 Coaches MVP Award votes in the triumph over the Roos to lead the competition by 16 votes, while also being named in his side’s best in 12 of 13 matches in 2024.
Not since 2009 has a Division 1 side recorded a perfect 18-0 regular season, and while the Tigers are still five games away from that feat, they’ll be confident that the winning ways continue against Bundoora this weekend.
The Bulls are looking to avoid a 10th consecutive defeat to the Tigers, a streak which includes a 48-point loss to the reigning premiers at Yulong Reserve in Round 5.
Since that clash, the club has certainly improved under Heath Scotland, winning three games, two of those being current top five sides in Hurstbridge and Montmorency.
Last weekend however, they went down convincingly to North Heidelberg despite more positive performances from defenders Jackson Davies and Lachlan East.
It’s this pair that have been massive contributors in the Bulls being the sixth best defensive side in the competition to date, with last week being only the second time in 2024 they’ve conceded a score of 100 points or more.
If the trend can continue against a team averaging almost 115 points a match, the Tigers may have a tougher task than first thought to record another triumph.
North Heidelberg could make it three consecutive wins for the second time this season when they play Macleod at Shelley Street Reserve.
Since dropping games to Heidelberg and West Preston-Lakeside, the Bulldogs have started to hit their straps throughout the previous fortnight.
The return of key personnel, such as Brent Harvey and Lachlan Smith, along with Liam Hunt, Brodie White and Parker Heatley’s stellar seasons continuing, have seen them account for Greensborough and Bundoora comfortably over the last two matches.
Scoring wise, they’ve produced their two highest totals of the season in the last two matches, with only Heidelberg registering a bigger total in the same period.
And there will be no reason why Jason Heatley’s men won’t think a similar outcome will occur this Saturday when they take on Macleod.
The Roos were never going to match the Tigers in last week’s Round 13 defeat but did manage to kick five goals to three in the last quarter when the margin threatened to reach triple digits at the final break.
Michael Hurley’s return to the lineup was a successful one, with him as well as Darcy Barden and Mackenzie Hogg all earning Coaches MVP Award votes despite the heavy loss.
Craig Hayes’ side took it right up to North Heidelberg in their most recent meeting in Round 5, falling 10 points short at De Winton Park after leading at three quarter time by two points.
If the Roos can regain that competitive edge and produce a similar output against an in-form Bulldogs outfit, the margin of this contest may be closer than many expect.
