A two vs three battle is the headline act of this weekend’s action in MC Labour Division 2.
The two most recent relegated sides into Division 2, Macleod and Whittlesea, will lock horns at De Winton Park.
Both sit on equal points heading into this contest, with the Roos jumping into second after they won and the Eagles lost last weekend.
That win for Nick Lynch’s men came against Lower Plenty on the road, coming from behind to win by just three points.
William Tsistsis and Mackenzie Hogg got Macleod over the line in that contest while captain Darcy Barden, against his former side, and Michael Hurley kicked three goals each.
Last weekend made it five wins in a row for the Roos who now face their biggest challenge since their only loss of the season so far to Diamond Creek.
Garry Ramsay’s side went down to the Creekers last weekend at the Showgrounds, fighting hard for the first three quarters before fading away in the last.
Thomas Falls continued his excellent start to the year while Harley Fraumano, Taidgh Bland and Paul Higgins were also serviceable in the 31-point loss.
This weekend will be the first time they meet the Roos since their most recent season in the top flight in 2023.
Macleod have won the last three against the Eagles, whose most recent win against their foes this Saturday came in Round 6 of the 2022 season.
Diamond Creek is set to provide another test for Northcote Park this weekend at Coventry Oval.
The Creekers moved a game clear (and percentage) atop the Division 2 table last weekend after defeating Whittlesea away from home.
Jacob Booth and Dale Marshall starred in the victory, with Booth claiming the perfect 10 coaches votes for the third time this year.
Ben Major was also terrific in tricky conditions for a tall forward alongside Tarwan Rennie. Youngsters Blake Hamilton and Kade Garraway also showed plenty of promise.
They face a third consecutive top four opponent this weekend in Northcote Park who lost their second game of 2025 last weekend.
Anthony Palmer’s men were restricted to just 11 scoring shots in their 23-point loss to St Mary’s at Bill Lawry Oval.
Leo Amad’s purple patch continued in the loss while Noah Langborne and Bryson Norris were also solid in the loss.
Since dropping down into Division 2 in 2023, the Cougars have lost their four meetings to date with the Creekers by an average margin of just over 10 goals.
Both Panton Hill and Lower Plenty will be looking to rebound from closes losses this weekend when they meet at A.E. Cracknell Reserve.
This will be the fourth round out of the last five that the Redbacks play on their home deck. Of their three games to date at Saturday’s venue, they’ve won only once and lost two.
One of those losses came at the hands of Old Paradians last weekend, going down by five points having led for most of that contest.
Bailey Sobol and Riley Livingstone were excellent in the loss while Thomas Blake kicked three goals to add to the 11 goals he had kicked between rounds three and five.
Their opponents this Saturday went down in similar fashion to Macleod at Montmorency Park South Oval.
The Bears led by 32 points at quarter time, 10 at the half and by 15 points at three quarter time before conceding four goals and kicking just one in the last term to lose by three points.
Jack Hutchison and Ciaran Porter fought hard all day in defence while Daniel James kicked a season-high three goals.
Both meetings last year were split between these sides last year, with the Redbacks winning by 62 points in the most recent matchup at Saturday’s venue.
Lower responded in kind later that year with a 103-point victory at Montmorency Park South Oval in Round 18 last year.
Old Paradians will be eager to win a second consecutive game this weekend when they welcome neighbours Watsonia to Garvey Oval.
The Raiders got off the mark in season 2025 with a come-from-behind victory over Panton Hill away from home last Saturday.
Captain Marcus Nolan starred in his return from a concussion, collecting the perfect 10 Coaches MVP votes.
Kyle O’Sullivan and Darcy Vallance also had terrific performances while Sebastian Cannizzaro and Jack Woodfall showed plenty of promise in the win.
Ben Turner’s men will now return to the Garvey Oval looking for their first home win of the season against bottom-placed Watsonia.
The Saints remain winless in 2025 having gone down to Thomastown at Main Street Recreation Reserve last round.
Anthony McGregor’s side kicked a very sharp 12.4 in the 45-point loss. Nick Lawson, Jake McSwain and Luke Sansonetti also had solid outings.
A win here for the Saints would see them move off the foot of the table while the Raiders have an opportunity to jump as high as seventh if they win and other results go their way.
St Mary’s and Thomastown will renew hostilities at Whatmough Park on Saturday afternoon.
The Burra and Bears have had differing starts to 2025 compared to previous years where they’ve battled it out for a finals spot.
Jack Bianchin’s side sit in fifth on the Division 2 table, jumping into that position after defeating Northcote Park away last Saturday afternoon.
St Mary’s kicked 10 goals from 14 scoring shots in that game, with four of those goals coming off Jack Cicitta’s boot. Jake Dambrauskas and Nicholas Dean also excelled in the 23-point win.
On the other hand, Thomastown sit in eight on the table with just one win to their name, which came last weekend at home against Watsonia.
James Lucente kicked six of the Bears 16 goals while Blake Ross continued his great start to life at Thomastown. Ross Hatzis, Youseph Dib and Sean Culhane also played key roles in the victory.
David Folino and Sash Spiroski’s men won both meetings against the Burra last year and have won three in a row against them.
Their most recent encounter saw the Bears come from behind to win by 31 points in the final round of 2024, which was just enough for Thomastown to leapfrog the Burra into fifth place.
