The second half of the 2019 A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 season begins this weekend, with a game and percentage separating the top-four from the sides outside.
Round 10 action shapes up as another critical round, with several games looming as genuinely season-defining in the race for a finals place.
Whittlesea hosts Eltham at Whittlesea Showgrounds in a blockbuster encounter which could go a long way to shaping the top-four and the race for a double chance.
Whittlesea enters in fourth position having added to its win tally last week with a tight nine-point triumph over Thomastown.
It was a crucial result for the Eagles who secured their first triumph over a top-four side this year and created a four-point buffer over the Fitzroy Stars in fifth. They will now look to continue that momentum against an Eltham side which has won its past five games.
Last week’s result helped the club overcome a recent poor record against the Bears, who sat one win above the Eagles entering the game. Trailing by a point at three-quarter time, the Eagles kicked three goals to one in the last term to claim a vital win.
Paul Higgins continued his outstanding month of football and was named best afield, with support from Matthew Coen and Mitchell Andrews. Clancy Bland was the Eagles’ only multiple goal kicker, finishing with three majors.
Eltham was also a beneficiary of Whittlesea’s win, with the Panthers moving a game and percentage clear in second spot after securing a 38-point win over St Mary’s at Eltham Central Park.
The Panthers trailed by a point at the first change, but their accurate kicking helped them stay ahead of a gallant Burra outfit for the remainder of the match to move one step closer to booking a double chance in the finals.
Michael Still returned after missing the win over Thomastown and had a day out, finishing with a season-best bag of six goals to jump to the top of the goal kicking table. Still now has 24 majors in seven games.
The ever-reliable Brent Macaffer and Anton Woods were again influential in the middle of the ground, while Nick Reibelt impressed in his first senior game since Round 1. The teenager has featured in the Panthers’ best in both his matches this year.
Eltham won the Round 3 encounter between the sides by 14 points, although the Panthers trailed for the opening three quarters and triumphed with a six-goal to one last term. Another Panthers win this week would go a long way to confirming this year’s top-two.
Diamond Creek and the Fitzroy Stars go head-to-head at Coventry Oval in a vital match. Both enter with a 4-4 record and need a win to keep in touch with the top-four.
The Creekers enter off a bye, but prior to that, they overcame a last quarter comeback from Watsonia to come away from A.K Lines Reserve with a nine-point win. The result provided the Creekers consecutive wins for the first time this year.
After trailing by three points at half time, the Creekers put in a dominant third term to lead by 18 at the final change and held on thereafter. Jai Norman and Jacob Booth were pivotal in the win, while Dean Limbach impressed in his first game for the club.
Limbach’s inclusion could be vital in the second half of the year – giving the Creekers a big presence in the forward half. Star midfielder Tom Bennett could also return shortly following an arm injury sustained in the Round 1 win over the Stars.
Fitzroy will be hell-bent to bounce back after they suffered a shock 38-point loss last week to the same team the Creekers beat the round prior – Watsonia. The Stars were headed all day and managed just two of the last 10 goals to suffer a very untimely defeat.
The loss was compounded by Whittlesea’s win at Thomastown, meaning the Stars now sit a game and percentage outside the top-four. It concluded an interesting three weeks for the club, who only just scraped in for wins over St Mary’s and Epping in the preceding rounds.
Max Maynard, Kain Proctor and Brodie Cook did their best to steady the ship against the Saints, while Andrew Lovett showed good signs in his second game of the season and chimed in with two goals.
Diamond Creek scored a 14-point win when the sides met at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval in Round 1. Nathan Searl was a standout with five goals, as the Creekers made a fast start before holding off a late Stars comeback to claim a gripping win.
Watsonia and Epping meet for the second time this season when they clash at A.K. Lines Reserve.
The Saints last week kept their slight finals hopes alive when they broke a five-game losing streak with a 38-point triumph over the Fitzroy Stars. The win was perhaps on the cards, following competitive losses to Diamond Creek and Whittlesea in the two weeks prior.
Ahead by five points at half time, the Saints booted three unanswered goals in the third term to push 20 points ahead at the last change, before kicking five goals to two in the last to finish the game in style.
Adrian Alfonsi was instrumental with his five-goal haul, while Hayden Mitchell and Kyle Kemp were named among the Saints’ best. Tyrone Leonardis played his first game for the club and was also a standout.
Epping remains on the lookout for its first win after suffering its seventh loss of the season to ladder-leader Banyule last weekend. It was the Blues’ first game in three weeks after having a bye following the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
Unfortunately, the Blues were never in with a chance against a dominant Bears outfit who blitzed them from the outset to lead by 76 points at half time, before going on to win by 107 points.
Thomas Burnside and Leigh Judd were best in the disappointing loss, where the Blues kicked just three goals. It was Epping’s biggest loss of the season and followed three-successive promising performances, where their average losing margin was just 23 points.
The club will hope to return to the form it displayed between Rounds 5-7, knowing that this week’s game provides an opportunity for a win ahead of three successive games against sides currently placed inside the top-four.
St Mary’s and Banyule lock horns at Whatmough Park where the Burra will be out to cause an upset and end Banyule’s unbeaten run so far this season.
Despite just one win for the season, the Burra are threatening to claim a big scalp and last week again showed good signs despite eventually going down to second-placed Eltham by 38 points.
The Burra kicked themselves out of a winning position again. They led by just one point at quarter time, despite registering six more scoring shots in the first term. The inaccurate kicking continued thereafter, with the Burra booting a wayward 8.18 for the game.
Jacob Yeomans continues to emerge as a star and was named best in the defeat, with Nick Daisley and Dillan Ronalds also playing well. Nicholas Dean and Tane Cotter kicked two goals each.
As expected, Banyule continued its winning streak with a comprehensive win over Epping. The Bears blew the Blues off the park in the first half with 12 goals, ensuring they went on to record their eighth win of the season.
Reuben Blackmore-Moore, Kye Yodgee and Tim Martin stood out in the huge win, while James Kroussoratis and Yodgee each bagged three goals.
The result at Epping was Banyule’s second win by over 100 points this season, with their average winning margin standing at 65 points.
That includes a 112-point thrashing when the Bears last met St Mary’s in Round 3. Reuben Blackmore-Moore and Jack Langford were dominant in the Anzac Day win, while Mitch Lovell and Mannon Johnston each booted four goals.
With each win Banyule etches closer to securing a double chance in the finals, which has proven vital when looking back at past premiership winners in Division 2. Only once in the past decade has a team won the Division 2 flag after finishing outside the top-two, with Whittlesea managing the feat in 2015.
