With four weeks having passed since matches were last played, all sides in MC Labour Division 2 will be desperate to make a winning return to action.
After missing a much-anticipated showdown with ladder-leader Banyule due to the COVID-19 lockdown, Thomastown again has a prime chance of securing a top-five spot when it hosts Diamond Creek at Main Street Reserve.
It may have felt like forever ago that Thomastown took on Watsonia, but their 16.11 (107) to 6.12 (48) win in Round 7 returned them into the all-important top five – ahead of St Mary’s on percentage.
Four goals from in-form recruit Michael Tang led their 59-point win over the Saints at Main Street Reserve, with his efforts also resulting in three Coaches’ MVP Award votes.
Daniel Caruso and Daniel Chadwick were also in the thick of everything good for Thomastown, while Ben Nesci and Josh Beare both snagged three goals to guide their side to a return to the top five.
It was a welcome return for Beare, who played his first game of the season after a top-10 finish in the competition best and fairest award in 2019.
This week’s match-up will be anything but easy for Thomastown, taking on a Diamond Creek outfit that has put together a stunning start to the 2021 campaign.
The Creekers continued to excel directly before the postponement, with a crushing 56-point win over St Mary’s stamping their claims on a top-three spot on the ladder and a double chance come finals time.
The win kept them in third spot, percentage ahead of three other clubs on five wins. However, the Creekers have played one fewer game than each of those sides, which puts them in the box seat for a double chance finish at this early part of the campaign.
Josh Marchbank has been in brilliant form and last round earned the maximum 10 votes in the Coaches MVP voting, which moved him into fifth place on the leaderboard.
Three-time best and fairest Jacob Booth was brilliant in his return from VFL commitments with Collingwood, while Joel Randall, James Marchbank, Oliver Parks and Tyler Barnes all form a strong nucleus for the young side going forward.
St Mary’s has been somewhat of a surprise packet in 2021 and will be looking to make a major statement entering the second half of the year when it hosts undefeated Banyule at Whatmough Park.
There may be a confident feeling for the Burra, who famously upset the flying Bears in 2019 at the same oval on a wet and windy afternoon – with the result handing Banyule its first loss of that campaign.
The Burra will need to be back at their best, after their worst showing of the season in their most recent match, where they proved no match for Diamond Creek in a 56-point loss at Coventry Oval in Round 7.
A five-goal to one opening term set the tone for the disappointing day, as inaccurate kicking at goal meant St Mary’s could never get back into the contest.
The result saw the Burra slip from third place on the ladder to sixth, with their percentage taking a hit in the heavy loss. As it stands, they currently sit 17.36 percent behind fifth-placed Thomastown and will hope to bridge the gap as soon as possible.
Nicholas Dean was the only Burra to gain a Coaches’ MVP Award vote against Diamond Creek, while Joseph Maggio and Joseph Bergman were both among the best on a tough day.
On the flip side, Banyule must work hard to continue its unbeaten streak and will be keen to atone for their shock loss at this venue last campaign.
The Bears were brutal in their most recent showing, when they thrashed an undermanned Panton Hill by 163 points at Cracknell Reserve.
Bundoora recruit Nick Grabowski was instrumental, with his pace and X-factor sparking his side to its second triple-figure win for the season. Grabowski received eight Coaches’ MVP Award votes, with great support from Reuben Blackmore-Moore and Luke Joyce.
The latter was scintillating in front of goal, snagging a bag of seven majors to partner well with Michael Italia (6 goals), Mitchell Lovell (5) and Patrik Della Rocca (4) inside attacking 50m.
With the season shortened, the race to avoid the bottom spot of the ladder heats up. As such, plenty will be on the line when Watsonia takes on Panton Hill at A.K Lines Reserve.
The break came at the right time for Watsonia, who needs to show improvement in the back half of the year.
The Saints enter the clash with a 1-6 record, having lost their past three games by an average margin of 59 points. Although it must be noted that all three defeats were against top five teams.
Kyle Wheatley was a revelation in the last up defeat at Thomastown, booting five of Watsonia’s six goals for the day in an impressive individual performance.
Wheatley received five Coaches’ MVP Award votes for his dynamic display up forward, with Adrian Saccuzzo the only other Saint to receive recognition in the voting on a tough day at the office.
Van Page was also among the best for Watsonia, and the Saints will be relying on he and other emerging talents to reignite their season and take them forward into the future.
Panton Hill would also have been glad to have a break, with excessive injuries meaning the Redbacks have already used 40 players during the 2021 season, the most of any club in MC Labour Division 2.
In their most recent match, the Redbacks conceded 12 unanswered goals in the first quarter against a fast-starting Banyule.
Despite then fading out in the final term, the Redbacks will take bits of confidence out of their ability to fight hard against the top team throughout the middle two quarters.
Jack Ryan and John Pritchard both toiled hard for two goals each, while Todd Johnston also did everything he could in the one-sided match.
Now entrenched in second spot on the table, Lower Plenty will be looking to continue their good form when they travel to Epping Recreation Reserve to take on Epping.
Since losing to Banyule early in the season, Lower Plenty have hit strong form, including a 94-point win over the bottom-placed Fitzroy Stars in Round 7.
Josh Turner has hit terrific form in the past three matches and has polled 29 of a possible 30 votes in the Coaches MVP Award, to take first place on the leaderboard. Against the Stars he booted three goals to go with nine votes from the coaches.
Usual suspects Ben Paterson, Thomas Blake, Ciaran Porter and Tom Keys were all dominant in the win over the Stars and remain key figures if the Bears are to continue their push for a return straight back to the top flight.
Epping will be fighting to cause an upset but did show some positive glimpses in each of its past two defeats to top five sides Eltham and Thomastown.
Despite the best efforts from the ultra-consistent Jhye Baddeley-Kelly, who took home four more Coaches’ MVP Award votes, the Blues were unable to go with Eltham for four quarters – falling by 52 points after trailing by just three goals at the last change.
Sage Dicello continued to put his hand up inside forward 50 with another two goals, and Michael Jacobson was strong for the home side.
In the final match of Round 10, Fitzroy Stars continue their quest for their first points of the season when they host Eltham at Sir Doug Nicholls Oval.
The Stars entered the extended break as the only team in the competition yet to record a victory and are currently stuck in bottom spot on the ladder, one game behind Epping and Watsonia.
Their woes deepened in Round 7 when they stuttered after a competitive start, eventually being run over the top of by Lower Plenty to lose by 94 points.
Missing some star power, two goals from Patrick Kelly-Briggs and great intensity from James Dau may give the Stars some confidence they can turn their form around in the second half of the year.
While Eltham’s campaign to this point has been somewhat up-and-down, they’ll be buoyed by recent wins leading into this Round 10 clash.
The Panthers were solid after half time against Epping in Round 7, particularly in the final term when they booted 5.8 to 1.1 to record a 52-point victory at Epping Recreation Reserve.
Former Collingwood premiership player Brent Macaffer was back to the scintillating form that saw him share the 2019 Division 2 league best and fairest, controlling the midfield and receiving the full ten Coaches’ MVP Award votes.
Ben Montanaro’s blistering season continued to go from strength to strength with another terrific output, while Jye Lorey and Liam Waldron both impressed for the Panthers with three goals each.
