The evenness of Division 2 was on show with three close tussles and two bounce-back wins on Anzac Day.
Fitzroy Stars secured its first four premiership points after earning a Division 2 promotion with a stirring 16-point win over Thomastown at Main Street Reserve.
There was barely anything between the two sides over the first three quarters, with the Bears leading by a point at quarter time, before the Stars led by a point at the main break and then two points at the last change.
The game was separated by a decisive burst of three-straight goals in the final term to the visitors, opening up a 21-point lead which they were able to sustain for the remainder of the match.
The Stars racked up some big individual numbers with Kain Proctor (35 disposals), Thomas Clarke (31 disposals) and Ethan Penrith (26 disposals) collecting plenty of the ball while Alex and Matthew Williamson (four goals each) led the way for the Stars in attack.
Zain Yamak was the clear standout for Thomastown with 37 touches and two goals in a near best on ground display in a losing side. James Lucente booted four goals to take his season tally to eight from three outings.
Northcote Park and Macleod duked it out in the NFNL’s Match of the Round which lived up to the billing, the Cougars defending their home patch with a 15-point win to stay undefeated at the top of the Division 2 ladder.
The home side would have been disappointed not to finish their work with better efficiency in the first half, heading to the main break 20 points in front but it could have been much more had the scoreline of 4.7 been a bit more balanced.
Momentum completely shifted in the third term, with Macleod piling on six goals to none for the quarter as their key players started to get on top across the ground. Mackenzie Hogg kicking a couple of goals for the quarter along with Darcy Barden starting to pose a threat forward of the ball. The half time deficit turned into a 16-point lead for the visitors at the final change.
But just as quickly as they’d lost the momentum in the game the Cougars snatched it back, finding their range in front of goal to pile on seven final-quarter goals to Macleod’s two to bank the four premiership points in an entertaining tussle.
Leo and Michael Amad showed their class with three goals apiece for Northcote Park, along with Alastair Pushton and Matt Perry among the best players. Hogg (three goals), Barden (two goals), Joel Anderson and Will Dunn gave their all for the Kangaroos, but ultimately a poor first half was the gap in the game.
Whittlesea bounced back from last week’s heavy defeat at the hands of Macleod to punish Old Paradians by 58 points at Whittlesea Showgrounds. The win sees the Eagles stay in the top five and keep the Raiders below them with superior percentage.
There wasn’t much separating both teams in the first half as Whittlesea took a ten-point lead to half time. But they came out a refreshed unit in the third quarter and put Old Parade to the sword with nine goals to one to run away with a 59-point lead at the last change and really put the result beyond doubt at that point.
Caden Allen put himself at the top of the Division 2 goal kicking table with a bag of six and Paul Higgins chipped in three. Bailey Robinson (16 disposals, two goals, nine tackles) and Eagles captain Mitchell Andrews (35 disposals, eight tackles) were in sparkling form.
Mitch Kane (31 disposals) led from the front for Old Paradians but the result is an early season reminder of the difficulty that many teams will face when travelling to play the Eagles, who play their home ground exceptionally well.
St Mary’s also responded from being soundly beaten last week with a 69-point win over Panton Hill. The class difference between both sides was on show early as the Burra kicked the first five goals of the game before a late Sam Parks goal gave the Redbacks some sort of momentum leading to the first break. But another burst of three goals from the home side opened up a 45-point lead which was never challenged from that point.
Ty Kitchell was clearly the best player on the ground for St Mary’s, collecting 31 touches, 14 clearances and a goal in a midfield masterclass. Harry Butterworth (four goals), Tane Cotter and Joseph Maggio (three goals apiece) proved a dominant three-pronged attack forward of the ball.
Oliver and Samuel Parks (28 and 27 disposals respectively) found plenty of the footy for Panton Hill, but unfortunately the Redbacks find themselves at the foot of the Division 3 ladder without a win from the first three fixtures. They’ll get a chance to correct that when they host Old Paradians next week.
The final game of the week saw South Morang hold on to second spot with a two-point thriller over Lower Plenty.
The Lions were playing catch up after a lacklustre first half saw them trailing by 17 points at half time and Lower Plenty seemingly in control of proceedings. But three of the first four goals in the third term went the way of the Lions, who found themselves in front by two points heading to the final change.
The final quarter was a truly back and forth struggle as the Bears threw what they had at the visiting side in trying to claw the lead back but were left to rue inaccuracy in front of goal, which included the last five behinds of the match and fell two points short.
Teague Van Zwienen (25 disposals), Dean De Propertis (24 dispsoals, one goal) and Cayden Failla (19 disposals, seven tackles) were among South Morang’s best, while Jed Wallace (25 disposals) and Jack Chubb (four goals) gave their all for the Bears who sit at 1-2 but have been very competitive in their first three hit outs and would feel optimistic that they can take it up to St Mary’s this coming weekend.
