Whittlesea have moved to equal top on the MC Labour Division 2 table after defeating Macleod by 11 points at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
In a free-flowing contest where the largest margin was 16 points in favour of the Eagles, the home side kicked the final three goals to claim the 13.11 (89) to 12.6 (78) win at home.
The result means there’s a three-way tie for first spot on the Division 2 table, with Macleod slipping to second after Diamond Creek’s triumph yesterday while the Eagles remain in third.
Whittlesea tall Khaled El-Leissy was superb all day in ruck, winning plenty of hit outs whilst working hard when the ball hit the deck.
Paul Higgins was the Eagles biggest threat in attack, kicking three goals while setting up many attacks.
Taidhg Bland and Mitchell Andrews were also at the best in midfield, with the latter kicking a crucial goal late in the piece.
For the Roos, Captain Darcy Barden continued to provide a presence in attack, finishing with a game-high four goals to increase his tally to 68 goals in 13 matches.
Kurt Manuel performed exceptionally in midfield while Zac Hudson had his moments of dominance in ruck despite El-Leissy’s brilliant performance.
El-Leissy, alongside Bland, played a key role in the Eagles getting off to a fast start, with Higgins on the end of a brilliant first centre clearance which saw the hosts score inside the first minute.
Jack Taylor scored minutes later before Barden responded, with those first three goals coming inside the first four minutes of the game.
Whittlesea then started to gain the ascendancy after that fast start and were eventually rewarded through Higgins. Macleod then flicked a switch, kicking the next two goals to reduce their deficit to a solitary point.
Liam Tyrrell and Jordan Corelli then both kicked time-on goals to end the first quarter, with the Eagles holding a two-point lead heading into quarter.
The home side looked to extend this advantage in the early stages of the second, kicking the first goal inside the first minute and a half through Taylor.
As they had earlier the Roos responded with two of the next three goals to once again make it two points the difference midway through the term.
Whittlesea then started to well and truly get on top, having five scoring shots in the final 20 minutes of the term, two of which were goals through Nathan Andrews and Riley Powell.
A Jordan Corelli goal on the half time siren then reduced Macleod’s deficit from a then game-high 15 points to nine.
Mackenzie Hogg then kicked a goal within the first minute of the second half, reducing the margin to three points.
250th gamer Lucas Hobbs then came to life with two goals in two minutes, pushing the Eagles margin back out to 15 points.
Both sides looked to gain the momentum midway through the term. It was the Roos who did though, kicking the final two goals through Cooper Windebank and Barden.
With only four points separating the two sides at the last break, both once again looked to take control early in the last.
It was Nick Lynch’s men who did, kicking the first two goals of the term to take the lead for the first time.
With the home crowd urging them on the Eagles came home with a wet sail, kicking the final three goals of the game within five minutes from one another to seal their 11th win of 2025.
