More crucial ladder-shaping games are in store ahead of Round 11 action in MC Labour Division 2.
Whittlesea return home as they look to remain unbeaten when facing St Mary’s at the Showgrounds.
The Eagles had no problems taking care of Laurimar last week, despite seeing their 50-point three quarter time margin reduce to 28 points by the final siren.
In their 10 games so far in 2024, only twice have Garry Ramsay’s men not scored more than 80 points, and while they aren’t the highest scoring side in the competition, they have proven their capability of hitting the scoreboard in dangerous fashion.
Riley Powell booted six majors in the victory over the Power last week to be their leading goalkicker after Round 10, having now scored in every game he’s played in since Round 5.
As mentioned last week, another victory on Saturday will equal their 11-game winning streak set in late 2009, never before have they won more matches in succession.
Their opponents this weekend in St Mary’s come into this clash off some concerning form after back-to-back losses for the first time in 2024.
Still with some key players out of the side, they were no match for Watsonia at Whatmough Park after they were kept to just 5.12 for the afternoon.
In fact, only once since Round 5 have St Mary’s kicked more goals than behinds in a match, and that doesn’t include their 6.25 effort against the Eagles in Round 2, a match where they fell short by 13 points despite having seven more scoring shots.
They will hope to get more out of star forward Jeremiah Antypas who after kicking 14 goals in his first four matches, has only managed two majors in his last three games.
Another loss could see Fabian Carelli’s men fall to fifth by the end of the round, but there’s no doubt that they still have the talent on show to remain competitive with the current premiership favourites this week.
Watsonia can put some more pressure on the sides above them if they can get a result against third placed South Morang at Binnak Park.
The Saints have now picked up 10 of a possible 12 points in their last three games and are suddenly back in the finals conversation following some impressive performances.
They have gotten brilliant output from their star players in recent weeks, including Joshua Boulton and Daniel Annetta, who now occupy fourth and third spot on the Division 2 Coaches MVP Award leaderboard respectively.
Harrison Sinclair has also been named in his side’s best in four straight matches and in eight of his 10 games in 2024. He has been starting to, if not already, put together a terrific campaign.
But they will still need everything to go right if they’re to topple a South Morang outfit who have a great opportunity to distance themselves from the rest of the sides below them.
They did have to battle their way through Lower Plenty but were able to produce an eight-goal to five second half to solidify their eighth win of the season.
During the game, the Lions hit the 100-point mark for the sixth time in 2024 and now average over 106 points a match.
Tye Hall moved to the top of the Division 2 Coaches MVP Award leaderboard after having another influential performance last week, while defender Mitch Kalpakis is also hitting some strong form.
If results go their way, South Morang could be as much as 12 points clear of fourth position, which would put them in the box seat to secure a double chance in September.
But with the Saints in good form, George Lattouf and his men will be eager to cause another upset win.
Northcote Park will hope that their first triumph of the season last week can spur them to more victories in 2024, starting with their battle against Panton Hill at Bill Lawry Oval.
Some recent competitive performances from the Cougars finally went their way last week, when they blew Thomastown out of the park to prevail by 67 points, their highest margin of victory against a side since Round 11, 2023.
Whilst the team are starting to see more contributors on a weekly basis, Jordan Perry has been consistently outstanding and was a key player again in their victory in Round 10. He’s been in his side’s best in all but one of his nine appearances for the club this year.
It’s not out of the realms of possibility to suggest that Anthony Palmer’s men can make it back-to-back triumphs. Not only by noting that their last match against Panton Hill saw them only fall short by five points, but also by the fact that they have been more competitive in matches at home in 2024, having lost by an average of over 40 points away from home, but by just four goals at Saturday’s ground.
The Redbacks however, have been in good form, and that was highlighted last week despite not getting the win over Diamond Creek.
They led last year’s Grand Finalists by six points at half time and managed to keep them to a total of just 63 in the 23-point defeat.
The Parks brothers again starred, and each received Coaches MVP Award votes for last week’s efforts while Hotak Akram has put together a solid month of footy in his second season at the club.
It shapes as a fascinating match both sides will fancy themselves to finish as winners in.
Time will tell whether Lower Plenty and Laurimar’s clash at Montmorency Park South Oval will be as tight as their Round 2 battle.
After trailing late in the game, the Bears produced the last even scoring shots of the match, and while only one converted into a goal, it was enough for Lower Plenty to kickstart their campaign.
But this time around, they head into their upcoming clash with points in just one of their previous four matches and were no match for South Morang away from home last week despite kicking an accurate 11.3.
Patrick Flynn dominated again and was able to win key battles around the ground to keep his side in the contest, while teammate Jasper Collins’ stunning form of late continued, as he has now kicked seven goals in his last four games and been named in his side’s best on all four occasions.
But the Bears will need more contributors to ensure their battle on Saturday doesn’t go down to the wire again.
Laurimar still only have one win to their name but will take more learning lessons out of their 28-point defeat to ladder leaders Whittlesea in Round 10.
Luke Wilson had one of his best games of the season and is starting to settle to life in Division 2 with four straight appearances in his side’s best. The same can be said for ruck Joshua Leather, who kicked a season-high three majors in the loss to Whittlesea.
This is Laurimar’s last encounter against a current bottom five side until late July, and after now occupying the bottom of the ladder for the first time since May, Jimmy Atkins’ men will be determined to return to winning ways.
Diamond Creek will be eager to get back to their dominant best when they host Thomastown at Coventry Oval.
The Creekers did get back on the winners list after a 28-point triumph over Panton Hill in Round 10, but still had to produce a seven-goal to two second half to achieve the feat.
It would have been pleasing to see Ben Major return to the goalkicking list, after booting three majors alongside Ryan Pingree, who now has 21 majors in seven games.
They were also able to get back to their defensive best, albeit against an inaccurate Redbacks outfit, keeping a side to under 50 points for the first time since Round 6.
Matthew Lewis led the way in that department and has now been named in his side’s best in three consecutive matches.
Thomastown head into this contest after their most disappointing performance of the season following a 67-point defeat to Northcote Park at home.
They were kept to their lowest score of the year, despite three majors from James Lucente, and now find themselves vulnerable in fifth position.
However, an upset triumph could see them as high as fourth if St Mary’s go down to Whittlesea, which will provide the motivation for the Bears to quickly forget last week’s effort.
Both Youseph Dib and Lawrence Lo Piccolo still managed to finish in Thomastown’s best during the defeat, and more strong performances from that duo will quickly get the team back to their best football.
The Bears have only defeated Diamond Creek once in their previous eight games, but after surprising results already taking place in recent weeks, there’s no reason why another can’t occur this Saturday.
