A faceoff between first and third headlines a big weekend of MC Labour Division 2 football.
Old Paradians will test themselves against the competition leaders as they host Northcote Park at Garvey Oval.
Having scored wins over the bottom four sides on the table to date, the Raiders will get a real idea of where they sit in the MC Labour Division 2 picture as Northcote Park come into Saturday following a strong win over Lower Plenty last week.
Connor McDonald and Kyle O’Sullivan look to be key figures again this week after leading the charge against St Mary’s as Old Parade take an unchanged line up in from last week. The key focus will be finishing their work in front of goal to avoid a similar scoreline to last week which read 9.15.
Northcote Park’s ability to generate offence from defence has been their one wood thus far, having scored the third most points of any side while having the lowest points against tally after five rounds. The Cougars will also be boosted by the return of Matt Perry who has been named in the best players three times from four games this season. He re-joins the line up already boasting top liners Leo and Sam Amad and James McArdle.
The two Division 2 newcomers South Morang and Fitzroy Stars go head-to-head at Mill Park Lakes Recreation Reserve in the NFNL Match of the Day, with the Lions ready to pounce on top spot if they can get the four points.
The significant omission from last week is former Richmond forward Noah Cumberland, who’s been a class above in the three appearances he’s made and leaves a big hole to fill in the Lions’ forward line. In saying that, South Morang had seven individual goal kickers last week against Lower Plenty and should be able to spread the load in attack again.
Fitzroy Stars have had to wring the changes this week and will be tested to cover the significant outs of Jai Burns, Kain Proctor and Matthew Williamson, but after recording their third-straight win last week against Macleod will head into this game knowing they have the potential to cause an upset.
Ethan Penrith is having a terrific season for the Stars and leads the Coaches MVP award voting, but will need support from Thomas Clarke and Patrick Farrant to cover the loss of a couple of major ball winners in Burns and Proctor. Alex Williamson and Elijah Taylor will also be ones to watch inside 50 for the Stars.
Up north, Whittlesea hosts Lower Plenty in a game with plenty on the line for both sides. The Eagles find themselves sitting fifth on the ladder currently having mixed their form wildly over the first five rounds. Wins over South Morang, Old Paradians and Panton Hill have been offset by losses to Macleod and Fitzroy Stars, making it hard to get a read on their fortunes this week.
The unavailability of Thomas Falls headlines five changes for the home side which will be keen to start stringing some more consistent footy together over the coming weeks. Bailey Robinson and Deakin Tennant have been consistent performers thus far and will need to step up to cover the Eagles’ missing personnel.
It’ll be a battle of the spearheads at either end as Whittlesea’s Caden Allen and Lower Plenty’s Jack Chubb both sit on 19 goals for the season and equal-top on the goal kicking table. Chubb will get some support with Jack Madgen returning to the Bears’ lineup this week along with captain Jordan Sacco.
A win for Lower Plenty would keep them in touch with the top five, a loss would have them towards the back of the pack.
Macleod will look to dust itself off from a loss to Fitzroy Stars last week when it hosts a Panton Hill side looking for its first premiership points in 2026.
The Kangaroos weren’t far off against the Stars last week and their best form has shown they’re more than capable of beating any side in this competition, but the challenge has been doing it often enough for long enough. A win here would have them trending in the right direction and potentially moving up the ladder.
Darcy Barden continues to be a goal kicking machine, sitting equal-top of the goal kickers with 19 alongside Allen and Chubb. He presents the biggest threat to Panton Hill’s backline. Look for Haydon Manuel, Kobe Brandt and Mackenzie Hogg to be leading the way through the midfield.
Panton Hill’s record is a touch misleading, having been very competitive in the last fortnight against Old Paradians and Whittlesea. That form line would have them right in the mix here against the Kangaroos provided they continue to bring that level of effort.
Sam, Oliver and Nicholas Parks have been standouts for the Redbacks and Riley Livingstone has started to find more of the footy in the last couple of weeks. They’ll be sniffing an upset if Macleod don’t come to play from the opening siren.
St Mary’s and Thomastown close out the round in another intriguing fixture. Both sides will be boosted with some big names returning – Ty Kitchell is back from VFL duties and will have an immediate impact for the Burra, while the Bears are strengthened significantly by the inclusions of Youseph Dib, James Lucente and Zain Yamak.
Better efficiency in converting inside 50s into scores will be the focus for St Mary’s, which registered just six goals from 45 entries last week against Old Paradians. The more looks they can give the likes of Harry Butterworth and Wil Ryan, the better.
Thomastown, much like Panton Hill, have been pretty good and certainly better than their 1-4 record suggests. With their biggest loss for the year coming last week against South Morang by 25 points, the Bears will feel that with their inclusions, they have the firepower to knock over the Burra on their home turf. It should be a great watch either way.
