FOUR key games take place this weekend as the second half of Round 9 takes us to the halfway stage of the 2016 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 season.
Montmorency’s surprise 50-point win over Bundoora during the Queen’s Birthday weekend saw the Magpies firm as a finals contender and left the top-three race wide open moving into the second half of the year.
Macleod will push inside the top three if it can topple Heidelberg in the game of the round at De Winton Park. The Tigers were 21-point victors when the sides met on Anzac Day.
After starting the year with two impressive victories, the Roos have since battled somewhat indifferent form to slip to fourth on the ladder, with a 5-3 record.
Their last performance was a one-point loss to West Preston-Lakeside in a game they led for the majority – only falling behind in the final minutes.
On average, Macleod has scored more than any other Division 1 side this season, with the Roos averaging 111 points per game.
It makes for an interesting match-up this weekend, with the reigning premier coming up against a Heidelberg team which has conceded just 381 points this year, at a measly average of 48 points per game.
Despite starting the season as outsiders to Macleod and Greensborough in this year’s premiership race, the Tigers are fast firming as flag favourites on the back of a perfect start to their 2016 campaign.
The Tigers’ true test arrives over the next three weeks, with the ladder-leader facing off against Macleod, Greensborough and Bundoora in consecutive weeks.
Heidelberg has been bolstered further in recent weeks by the inclusion of Marcus Marigliani and Dan Connors, while ruckman Sam Gilmore continues to give his on-ball brigade first use from the middle.
Greensborough and Eltham square of at War Memorial Park, with the Boro set to move to outright second if it can produce a victory. Conversely, the Panthers need a win to move back inside the top five.
The Boro have got their season firmly back on track over the past month, winning their past four games.
They have been made to work for each win, with their average margin over the period just 23 points. Nevertheless, last year’s runner-up has done what has been required to keep banking the wins.
Dan McLinden has been a standout during this period, leading the club’s defence. Since losing to Montmorency in Round 4, the Boro have conceded just 27 goals.
Eltham will need to find a way through Greensborough’s tight defence, with the Panthers scoring an average of just 79 points a game this year – ranked seventh in the competition.
They managed just four goals in difficult conditions in a 29-point loss to Bundoora before the break, and kicked just four and six goals in earlier losses to Heidelberg and the Boro.
Despite not playing to the standard of 2015, at 4-4 the Panthers still have a solid enough platform to build a charge towards the finals.
On the back of three solid performances, West Preston-Lakeside is right back in finals contention and will look to carry on its momentum when it travels to Lower Plenty.
The Roosters have notched impressive wins against Bundoora and Macleod in the past three rounds, separated by a close loss to Greensborough in Round 7.
Former skipper Shaun Gannon has been a standout, named in the best in all eight games this season, while Patrick Karnezis has booted 23 goals, despite being held to just two over the past two games.
A win this week would push West Preston-Lakeside into fifth place ahead of successive home games.
Winless in its past five starts, Lower Plenty has improved significantly over the past three matches.
The Bears have lost their past three by an average of 19 points, down considerably from their opening four losses, which came at an average of 94 points.
Patrick Flynn, Tom Keys and Jordan Sacco have enjoyed strong starts to the year, despite their side winning one only game thus far.
In the final game of the round, Whittlesea hosts Northcote Park in an important game for both sides.
The Eagles remain winless in their first season back in the top flight. Despite being more than competitive in most of their defeats, time is running out in the race to avoid relegation.
The Eagles past two losses have been their most disappointing, firstly trounced by Macleod before falling to Montmorency by 44 points in a game that appeared winnable.
The bye may have come at a good time for Jim Atkins’s side as they look to re-energise ahead an important 10 weeks.
After a wretched run with injuries, Northcote Park has already used 38 players through its senior team this season. Sitting eighth with a 3-5 record, the Cougars simply must win this week to remain in finals contention.
Their past two matches have shown they can push the best sides, falling to Bundoora and Greensborough by a combined total of just 32 points.
Bronik Davies and Julian Violato have been the Cougars’ best two players this year, while Gerard Sutton continues to improve.
