North Heidelberg remained inside the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 top five with a 21-point victory over Eltham at Eltham Central Park.
Coming into the NFNL’s match of the day it was a lively crowd at Panther Place. A highly intense game with both sides putting in their best, but it was the Bulldogs who took away the win 20.8 (128) to 15.17 (107).
North Heidelberg now move a game and a half clear of Eltham (and West Preston-Lakeside) while the Panthers remain winless against sides inside the top five.
Eltham looked for a win after last week’s loss to top of the ladder Heidelberg, while North Heidelberg were looking for their fourth win of the season.
Coming in hard for the Panthers were David Evans and Jameson Wood, both kicked four goals for the day, while Alex Bellchambers and Jason McCormick were electric in the midfield.
For the Bulldogs, Lachlan Smith had an amazing game getting the best on ground and kicked five goals alongside Ben Giobbi who kicked two goals and fought his heart out in the midfield and forward line.
The Panthers came in with a strong start to the game with David Evans kicking three goals in the first term. They were able to keep pressure on the Bulldogs, creating rushed kicks and struggling to hit targets. This pressure led the Panthers on top for the first term 4.5 (29) to 2.1(13).
Both teams fought hard in the second term, but it was North Heidelberg who fought even harder.
Kasey Duncan’s men were able to kick another eight goals in the second quarter, keeping Eltham to only two goals as Thomas Rivis and Mitch Dillion stayed composed in defense while Jesse Tardio had a brilliant quarter in the midfield.
Lachlan Smith provided plenty of presence in attack that quarter and was one of many mutiple players to kick two or more goals in the term. That blistering second term saw the Bulldogs head into half time leading 10.2 (62) to 6.7 (43).
It was an extremely competitive second half as both teams came in with a large presence. Alex Bellchambers was electric in the midfield from the Panthers using his speed and ability to play smart footy.
Bellchambers kicked a goal coming into the later stagers of the third quarter creating a 10-point margin, followed by another goal from David Evans making it his fourth goal of the day and creating a five-point difference as the third term ended 12.5 (77) to 10.12 (72) to the away side.
A nailbiter coming into the last quarter, both teams looking for the win. Eltham star Jason McCormick gave it his all in the midfield while Lachlan Smith continued to be a reckoning presence for the Bulldogs.
A high scoring game saw Eltham put another five goals on the board in the last, but the Bulldogs couldn’t be stopped, kicking another eight goals to seal their win, 15.17 (107) to 20.8 (128) to the Bulldogs.
