This could be one of the most pivotal weekends in the 2023 MC Labour Division 2 campaign, with some massive matchups set to take place in Round 12.
St Mary’s and Watsonia’s clash looks to be a real eight-point game as they meet at Whatmough Park.
The Burra had won three straight games before their defeat to Eltham last week, but lost no admirers in the process, keeping the Panthers to a 15-point victory at Eltham Central Park.
Vincent Loccisano was a highlight for the visitors, kicking two majors and earning nine Coaches MVP Award votes for his efforts. He has now been named in his side’s best for three consecutive games after being selected just once in his first five matches.
20-year-old Lachlan Read is also proving to have a breakout year in just his third season of senior football. He too kicked two majors on Saturday, taking his season goal tally to five which is a career high.
Fabian Carelli’s men sit in fourth spot and will be looking to keep that spot against a Watsonia outfit they defeated in Round 3 to open their 2023 account.
Like they did in April, the Saints come into a game against the Burra off a win, this time an impressive 18-point triumph over Panton Hill.
James Lucente had no problems with finding the big sticks despite his side’s inaccuracy, kicking another five majors, while Joshua Boulton also delivered one of his best efforts for the season, leading the way down back to ensure the Redbacks were held.
The victory gives Watsonia a bit of a resurgence in their finals run, having won two straight games, and a result over St Mary’s could potentially put them back in the top five by week’s end.
They’ll hope to at the very least produce a much better performance against the Burra than their heavy 72-point defeat in Round 3. This game could likely be seen as one that dictates the finals hopes of these two sides by season’s end.
Panton Hill meanwhile will need to wrestle back some winning momentum ahead of their battle with Northcote Park at A.E. Cracknell Reserve.
The Redbacks loss to Watsonia in Round 11 has seen them drop to eight position and six points away from the top five.
Of course, they have plenty of time to bounce back, but they’ll need to bank these wins against sides around the mark, starting with Saturday.
A key focus for Simon Amore’s side would be to re-produce some of their attacking presence. They sit seventh in the competition for points for and have failed to kick more than eight majors in their last three games. That’s despite the best efforts of Riley Livingstone who has kicked eight goals in that same period.
Fortunately for them, they face a side who has actually kicked fewer total points than them, despite sitting in fifth spot.
Northcote Park responded from a disappointing outing with Diamond Creek in Round 10 with an outstanding 83-point victory over Lower Plenty at home which included a nine-goal to nil second half.
Matthew D’Angelo’s return was vital, as he went up forward to kick three majors while James Tadd had one of his best games for the club and has now been named in his side’s best in five of the last seven matches.
This is the first of three enormous weeks for Stephen Saddington’s men, as they face the Redbacks, St Mary’s and Thomastown, all games which could make or break their finals hopes.
A repeat of their 43-point Round 3 will do them well in keeping their top five position intact, but Panton Hill are dangerous when they get on a roll and away from home, the Cougars will need to be at their best to take four points.
Thomastown can make it back-to-back upsets if they are to end Eltham’s winning streak this Saturday at Main Street Recreation Reserve.
The Bears caused a massive shock when they comfortably took care of South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve, winning by 56 points and moving two points behind fifth placed Northcote Park as a result.
Tyrone Leonardis was a clear best on ground again and it would take some stopping for him not to win the Division 2 Coaches MVP Award.
But Saturday also saw the Bears find great performances, in particular plenty of goals from unlikely sources.
The first being Todd Hughes, who kicked four majors in his first senior match since 2021, and the other being Aaron D’Angelo as while he has drifted forward at times this season, kicked multiple goals for the first time in a senior game since 2015, funnily enough, while playing for South Morang.
It puts Peter Bugden’s side in a great position to tackle Eltham and turn around their 40-point defeat in Round 3.
The Panthers again had to slightly hold on for the four points over the weekend, when they defeated St Mary’s by 15 points at Eltham Central Park. They have now won by three goals or less for three straight weeks.
Daniel Owen was excellent all around the ground, still managing to produce two goals, while Lane Sinclair was named as his side’s best for a second time in 2023 and has had a brilliant month with the Panthers.
Dominant or not, Tim Bongetti’s side are on a five-game winning streak and another victory against a Thomastown side they haven’t fallen to since 2021, would all but assure them of another double chance finish in the competition.
Diamond Creek will look to add to what’s been an incredible six-week period when they host Lower Plenty at Coventry Oval.
The ladder leading Creekers sent another reminder to the rest of the competition with a huge 102-point triumph over Epping away from home last week.
Highlights from the game included Ryan Pingree, who kicked three goals as well as producing an excellent specky, Daniel Jarvis who also kicked three majors while receiving eight Coaches MVP Award votes, and Matthew Lewis, who along with also securing eight votes from the match, was named as his side’s best player for the second time in 2023.
Nicholas Barro too featured in his side’s best against the Blues, marking an eighth time in 11 games in which he has achieved this feat.
The Creekers are now ranked number one in the competition for points for and points against, further illustrating their dominant campaign to date, and it is a mantra they’ll look to repeat again this weekend when they face winless Lower Plenty.
The Bears were no match for Northcote Park after half time in their encounter last Saturday, having kicked less than seven goals in a game for the first time since Round 5.
But another strong performance from Joel Leslie, as well as solid efforts by Felix Bell and Brixton Timewell further unveiled some promise in the young outfit.
Facing two current top five sides in the next three weeks, more learning curves might be on the way for Phil Plunkett and his team, but if they can at least better their Round 3 performance where they fell by 94 points over the Creekers, that would be considered as a step forward.
South Morang will hope for a return to the winner’s list when they take on Epping at Epping Recreation Reserve.
After going four games unbeaten, the Lions have lost their last two matche, the most recent defeat being a heavy loss to Thomastown at home, their first loss at Mill Park Lakes Reserve all season.
A key fact to South Morang’s four defeats in 2023 has been their lack of scoring, as they were yet to kick more than nine goals in each of those games.
That’s despite Gary Moorcroft kicking multiple goals for a fourth straight week and Jake Potter snagging a season high of four majors last Saturday.
Nonetheless, it puts Gary Hall’s men in a vulnerable position approaching the last third of the season. They sit in third spot, but just eight points separate them and seventh placed Watsonia.
Plus, with Diamond Creek and Eltham still to play again, the Lions will be determined to collect the four points against Epping this weekend.
The Blues couldn’t create another fast start when they hosted Diamond Creek, not scoring a goal after half time to go down by 102 points.
Jordan Hollow and Leigh Judd were again the key contributors for the Blues and have both now been named in their side’s best in seven of 11 games in 2023.
In similar fashion to Lower Plenty, Epping will aim to at least better their 95-point result when they last faced South Morang in Round 3. Doing so will help the side build some momentum ahead of a massive backend to the home and away campaign.
