The third week of matches in MC Labour Division 2 sees plenty of match up’s that could have early implications on how the 2024 season will play out.
South Morang will be out to make it three wins from their opening three games when they host Thomastown at Mill Park Lakes Recreation Reserve.
The Lions were back on their home deck for the first time in 2024 last weekend, recording a comfortable four-goal win over Watsonia and will be looking for more of the same when they return to play in front of their faithful this weekend.
Starting the season in hot form, the ruck-midfielder duo of Nathan Stefanile and Tye Hall will be key again to their side’s victory on Saturday afternoon. The pair received 10 and four Coaches MVP Award votes respectively in their Round 2 triumph.
Eyes will also be on Tyrone Leonardis as he suits up to play his old side for the first time since making the transfer from Main Street Recreation Reserve in the off-season.
The visitors in Thomastown come into the clash having lost to a rampant Diamond Creek outfit, going down by 31-points, despite leading by under a goal at half time.
Their recruits are having an immediate impact with Kyle Green producing another strong display in both the midfield and forward line, kicking three goals in the loss to the Creekers, while James Lucente also seems to be finding his goalkicking boots again, with his three-goal effort in Round 2.
Captain Anthony Capeci is in great form himself, as he sits in second spot in the Coaches MVP Award leaderboard.
Both sides scored one win apiece in their two meetings last year, with the Bears having won the most recent battle, however with South Morang’s current form, they look to be the favourites on their this time around.
Northcote Park and Lower Plenty face each other at Bill Lawry Oval in what is an intriguing match for these two sides early in the season.
The hosts head into this game having yet to taste victory in their opening two encounters of the season. They had a great opportunity to gain four points last Saturday when they travelled to Panton Hill, leading by a point late in the game before falling short by five points at full time.
New coach Anthony Palmer will see this as another chance to get off the mark in 2024, particularly with the club having defeated Lower Plenty by an average of almost 65 points in their two battles last season.
Jordan Perry and Daniel Tallariti have been the two standouts across the opening two rounds for the Cougars and will no doubt be looked upon to lead their side again this Saturday.
But the Bears will have a bit more of a spring in their step after claiming a narrow four-point triumph over Laurimar away from home last week.
It was the usual suspects of Joel Leslie and Jordan Sacco who starred in the side’s triumph and are already emerging to be Lower Plenty’s most consistent performers of the season.
Seth Hill too was impressive in the absence of Patrick Flynn and will be a player that Travis Stephens can rely on to play multiple roles as the season goes on.
With both sides knowing how important it will be to bank wins early, expect this to be a fierce contest.
St Mary’s and Panton Hill lock heads at Whatmough Park, with both teams coming into the game with a 1-1 record.
The Burra did have the better chance of the two sides of remaining unbeaten, as despite registering 31 scoring shots, they fell short to Whittlesea by 13 points on their home deck.
What that scoreline does say however is that like last year, where St Mary’s were ranked two in the competition for points for, the side can kick a winning score.
A large reason for that is Jeremiah Antypas, as his strong marking ability and brilliant goal sense sees him create multiple opportunities inside 50 each week. He also sits on top of the Division 2 Coaches MVP Award leaderboard with 14 votes.
Further afield, John Desmond has been solid in back-to-back matches while Jack Bianchin’s impact was felt immediately in his first game of the season last week.
Panton Hill will be pleased to have gained an important four points following their tight home victory over Northcote Park in Round 2 and will be eager to replicate their competitiveness against the Burra.
The Parks brothers continued to excel, as both Oliver and Sam received five Coaches MVP Award votes in the winning effort. Ethan Gorski was also named in his side’s best for a second straight match since returning to the club in the off-season.
With unbeaten sides in South Morang and Whittlesea to come in two of the next three matches, coach Simon Amore will be hopeful that some of the momentum to come out of their exhilarating win last week can translate into a solid effort against the Burra.
Two wins from two games has put Diamond Creek in a strong position ahead of their match with Laurimar at Coventry Oval.
The Creekers have put in a pair of superb performances to kick off the 2024 campaign, winning both matches by an average of 44.5 points. That’s despite trailing at half time to Thomastown last Saturday before turning the tables and prevailing by 31 points.
Their defence remains the side’s strongest asset, with Nathan Searl and Joel Randall leading the charge with terrific performances throughout the last fortnight.
Furthermore, Andrew Tranquilli’s men have only conceded an average of 33 points across their two matches of 2024 so far, as well as two goals in total across third and fourth quarters this season.
They will be expecting more of the same on their home deck against a winless Laurimar outfit.
The Power produced a spirited showing against Lower Plenty in their first ever Division 2 match at Laurimar Reserve but despite kicking three of five last quarter goals, they fell short by just four points.
Without Noah Mooney, Joel Lawson stood tall as the side’s best player for the afternoon, finishing with four majors. Bailey Macleod was solid also, earning a second consecutive mention in his side’s best.
While Diamond Creek are expected to record another comfortable victory in this contest, expect the Power put in a competitive effort in their first trip to Coventry Oval.
Whittlesea will be out to keep their unbeaten start intact when they host Watsonia at Whittlesea Showgrounds.
The Eagles produced consecutive victories for the first time since their last Division 2 season in 2019, following their 13-point win over St Mary’s.
We got to see Xavier Dimasi at his best during Whittlesea’s triumph, with his brilliant efforts in midfield earning him 10 Coaches MVP Award votes.
Cameos from Clancy Bland and Jaron Murphy have also played roles in their side’s dream start to the 2024 season and coach Garry Ramsay will be hopeful the duo’s good form can continue into this week and beyond.
Watsonia meanwhile have put together two respectable showings against sides that finished higher than them in 2023 in St Mary’s and South Morang, and will need to do so again ahead of their meeting with the Eagles.
Although they are yet to produce a win so far this year, fans will be delighted with the impact Ethan Lowe has had up forward, with his eight goals throughout the past two matches seemingly offsetting the loss of 2023 competition leading goalkicker James Lucente in the summer.
Daniel Annetta and Harrison Sinclair have also featured in the side’s best in both games this campaign, and their consistency will be needed again when Watsonia make the trip to the Showgrounds.
Having shown glimpses of promise throughout the opening fortnight, George Lattouf will be hoping his men can execute a four-quarter performance against one of the contenders for the 2024 season.
