The finals picture could become clearer in Round 13, with many finals contenders going head-to-head this weekend.
Ladder-leader Banyule returns from its final bye and now has a six-match consecutive run to the finals, where it will look to peak at the pointy end of the season.
Whittlesea finds itself a game and percentage clear in second spot and the Eagles’ fate is now in their own hands in their bid to secure a double chance in the finals.
Third-placed Eltham remains in the hunt for second spot, but also has work to do to just to secure a finals place.
Thomastown and Diamond Creek both scored crucial wins last week to create a buffer on the Fitzroy Stars, as the three sides vie for the last spot in the top-four. The Stars do have an extra game to play than both the Bears and the Creekers but have big ground to make up.
Meanwhile, St Mary’s stunning run of form has suddenly given it an outside chance to play finals. The Burra will have to win all their remaining five matches to have any chance of a top-four finish, but on recent form they will go in with a chance in every game they play.
Among the key games in Round 13 is Diamond Creek hosting Banyule at Coventry Oval.
Diamond Creek produced arguably its best performance over the past two seasons in last week’s 35-point triumph over Eltham at Eltham Central Park. The win moved the Creekers into fifth position and kept them just two points behind Thomastown.
After falling to a fadeout loss to Whittlesea a week prior, the Creekers were this time able to lift after half time and booted seven goals to two after the main break – with Jacob Booth and Ryan Pingree leading the way and finishing with three goals apiece.
The win was Diamond Creek’s first against a top-four side this year and they will now look to continue the momentum against the competition’s benchmark team this week.
With three of their final five games at home and with just two remaining matches against sides in the top-four, an upset win this weekend could put the Creekers in a great position to secure a finals spot.
Banyule now enjoys an uninterrupted run to round out its home and away campaign and importantly the ladder-leader takes on each of its fellow top-six rivals over the next six weeks in what looms as a perfect preparation for the finals.
Prior to last week’s bye, the Bears responded to their shock Round 10 loss to St Mary’s by thrashing Watsonia in a 134-point result at Beverley Rd Oval. Riley Loton has taken his game to a whole new level in 2019 and was dominant along with Kye Yodgee, while Mannon Johnston booted five goals.
Settling on its best 22 will become a priority for Banyule in the lead-in to finals. The Bears have only used 31 players through their senior side this year, although they have had to manage injuries and unavailability of key players throughout the campaign.
Scott Gumbleton and James Kroussoratis have missed four and five games respectively, while Ricky Dyson has played just three and Brent Stanton has missed a couple due to work commitments.
Banyule ran rampant in its previous clash with Diamond Creek, securing an 88-point win at Beverley Rd Oval in Round 6. The Bears had the game in their keeping by quarter time, following a seven-goal to one opening term. Brent Stanton and Jack Langford (five goals) were best afield, while Jacob Booth played a lone hand for Diamond Creek with four goals.
Fitzroy Stars and Eltham will both be desperate to atone for heavy home defeats when they meet at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval.
With a chance to move inside the top-four on the line, the Stars were jumped early by Thomastown last week and trailed by 46 points at half time. They eventually lost by 58 points to ensure Thomastown retained the NAIDOC Cup.
Eltham didn’t fare too much better and managed just five goals in its defeat to Diamond Creek at Eltham Central Park, which handed the Panthers their fourth loss of the 2019 campaign.
The Round 12 results mean both sides go into this week’s game with plenty to play for.
Despite having an extra game in hand than the four sides directly above it on the ladder, Fitzroy does find itself in sixth place and six points outside the top-four. A loss this week would mean the Stars would have a mountain to climb to play finals this year.
This week’s fixture is followed by consecutive road trips to Whittlesea and Banyule, with the next three weeks likely determine the Stars’ fate in 2019. They will likely have to win at least two of the next three games to have any chance of figuring in the top-four at season’s end.
Eltham entered Round 12 in second spot on the ladder, but a disappointing defeat to Diamond Creek has suddenly left the Panthers looking slightly vulnerable in their quest for a finals place. A win this week is now a must to steady the ship.
Anton Woods, Tim Currie, Lewis Glasgow, Josh Merkel, Daniel Coffield, Jesse King, Ben Montanaro, Adam Brovedani and Brendan O’Sullivan were all missing from last week’s defeat, so the Panthers will certainly get stronger as the pointy end of the season nears.
However, their next two weeks look vital as they look to stay alive in the race for a double chance for the finals, with this week’s fixture followed by a twilight fixture against Banyule next week.
The Panthers lost both earlier fixtures to those two sides, which included a five-goal defeat to Fitzroy Stars Eltham Central Park in Round 4. The Stars kept their host to just five majors in that result, where Carl Groth, Jordan Proctor and Lionel Proctor relished wet conditions to help their side secure its first win of the year.
St Mary’s and Whittlesea enter their clash at Whatmough Park in seventh and second spot respectively, although the game provides more intrigue than ladder positions suggest.
The Burra have won their past three matches, which includes a 45-point triumph at home to Watsonia last week – their biggest winning margin in their inaugural season in A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2.
Recent results have seen the Burra rocket into finals contention. They currently sit two wins and 37.45 percent behind fourth-placed Thomastown making a top-four finish unlikely, however their current form makes them impossible to write off when finals remain a mathematical chance.
After conceding over 90 points in five of its first eight games, St Mary’s has become one of the competition’s best defensive teams in recent weeks – conceding just 152 points over the past three rounds, at an average of just 51 points a game.
Importantly, they aren’t relying on a handful of players to get them over the line – rather a team effort. Last week’s win saw youngsters Rory Hanlon and Mitch Hocking play key roles, while Brandon Jones played arguably his best game at senior level.
Whittlesea has been in equally impressive form in recent weeks. Blair Harvey’s side enters Round 13 on a four-game winning run – the longest active streak of any team in the competition.
Last week’s thrashing of Epping boosted the Eagles percentage from 114.40 to 134.40 and moved them into second spot – a game and 5.41 percent above Eltham in the race for a double chance in September.
The Eagles were ruthless in last week’s win at the Whittlesea Showgrounds. They piled on 10 goals in both halves and kept the bottom-placed Blues goalless in the 132-point victory. Matthew Atta and Mitch Andrews were dominant, while six players kicked multiple goals.
Whittlesea claimed a 28-point win when it played St Mary’s at the Whittlesea Showgrounds earlier this year, although the Burra were their own worst enemy in that Round 4 encounter – recording seven had more scoring shots but kicking a wayward 6.21 (57) to the home side’s 13.7 (85).
St Mary’s has the worst goal kicking accuracy in the competition this year, having kicked 98.138, although recent performances and their last showing against the Eagles would give them every confidence of continuing their giant-killing run.
The final game of the round sees Thomastown travel to Epping Recreation Reserve to take on Epping.
Thomastown will be the warmest favourite of the round as it looks to strengthen its grip on a finals place. A win this weekend, coupled with defeats to Diamond Creek and the Fitzroy Stars would see the Bears move six points and percentage clear in fourth place.
Playing under caretaker coach Scott Plant for the first time following the departure of Ben Chapman, the Bears emphatically returned to form last week in their 58-point win over the Stars. Given the opposition and the importance of the game, the win was the Bears’ best of the year.
It was Thomastown’s best players who all stood up when it mattered most, with Matthew Vasilevski, Dylan Chapman, Adrian Natoli and Anthony Capeci (five goals) all leading from the front.
With their next three opponents all sitting outside the top-four, including Diamond Creek in Round 15, the Bears can go close to sealing a finals place if they can replicate last week’s form over the next month.
Epping will be keen to get back to the field and make up for last week’s season-worst performance, where it was simply no match for a Whittlesea outfit that is hitting its straps entering the business end of the year.
The Blues have been hit hard by injuries throughout the 2019 season and a tough start to the year has been compounded by the unavailability of key players such as Leigh Judd, Alec Buchan, Reed Jepson and Josh Stavely – with Judd the only player among that group to have played more than six games this year.
The club will look to add to its one win for the season in the final stages of the season and one positive is that its next three games are all going to be played at home at Epping Recreation Reserve.
The Blues were competitive in their previous clash with Thomastown, going down to a 26-point defeat at Main Street Recreation Reserve in Round 6. Shannon Ball was best afield for the Bears with four goals.
