All eyes will be on a mammoth top of the table clash in this weekend’s slate of Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 games, as we move towards the final third of the home and away campaign.
Can Montmorency topple Heidelberg again in their enormous battle at Montmorency Park North Oval?
The Magpies will certainly think so, having now taken points from every side this season and having remained unbeaten in their previous nine games.
This was achieved after a 30-point triumph over Greensborough at home last week, where they registered 29 scoring shots to 14.
The midfield battle on hand will be mouthwatering, as Montmorency trio Sam Binion, Marcus Lentini and Liam Wale-Buxton have all been in outstanding form, the latter picking up the perfect 10 Coaches MVP Award votes in last weekend’s win over the Boro.
They face a quartet who have been equally as impressive over the last two months, as Sam Gilmore, Brayden Sier, Matthew Smith and Lachlan Wilson will all look to keep Heidelberg on top of the ladder by week’s end.
What has helped make the Tigers so dominant has been the contributions they’ve received from different players, on top of the brilliant work done by the four names mentioned above.
It was highlighted through the strong efforts of Mitch Jorgensen, Jess Gedi and Zane Barzen, who each played roles in the reigning premiers’ convincing win over Whittlesea in Round 11.
The Magpies are the only side to have beaten Heidelberg in the last two years, with both wins coming at Warringal Park by less than a kick.
But they have not defeated the Tigers at home since 2021, with the last match at this venue resulting in a huge 50-point win for the yellow and black.
Only half a game separates the two sides, with the winner to sit on top of the table by the end of Round 12, making this clash even more important for the two premiership hopefuls.
It’s set to be another test for fifth placed North Heidelberg this weekend when they host a fourth placed Hurstbridge side in red-hot form at Shelley Street Reserve
After consecutive defeats to the top two sides, Jason Heatley’s men were able to defeat a top three side for the first time this season, getting a hold of Bundoora at Yulong Reserve.
Jhye Baddeley-Kelley’s put together his best performance of the year for the Bulldogs, stringing together five goals and collecting seven Coaches MVP Award votes in the process.
Brody Bell too impressed alongside Billy Hogan, with the duo proving to be a dangerous mix in midfield for the opposition.
North Heidelberg are still number one in the league for points for in 2023 despite their 10.10 (70) scoreline last week being their highest points total since Round 8, and they will hope to continue that attacking presence against the only side currently in the top five that have conceded more than 800 points in this campaign.
In saying that, Hurstbridge are on a three-game winning streak, picking up important victories against Macleod, West Preston-Lakeside and Banyule to jump into fourth spot with seven games remaining.
Joel Naylor returned to his goalkicking best, kicking 11 majors in that period, which included five goals in his side’s triumph over the Bears in Round 11.
Will Cookson also had his best performance of the year to date and has been a pivotal player for Joel Cordwell’s side all season.
The Bridges came out winners in a high scoring affair at Ben Frilay Oval earlier this year, holding on to win by nine points despite a late push from the Bulldogs.
In the context of the season, this could easily be billed as an eight-point game, with the loser likely to see themselves out of the top five by the end of the week.
Greensborough will look to respond from a rough fortnight when they battle with rivals West Preston-Lakeside at Binnak Park.
These two have met four times since the 2019 Grand Final, but the Boro have only claimed victory in one of those games, and it will be a run they will look to arrest come this weekend.
Saade Ghazi’s men have seen defeats in the last fortnight to Macleod and Montmorency, drop them outside of the top five again, putting them back in a battle with the likes of North Heidelberg, Hurstbridge and Bundoora.
Losses in the last two weeks hasn’t stopped the strong efforts of Angus Seivers, who has been a pillar down back for Greensborough. He has been named in his side’s best for three straight weeks and eight times in total during his 11 games in 2023.
Rayden Garrard has also produced some much-needed attacking presence for the Boro, having scored nine majors in his last three games, including four goals against the Magpies last week.
Despite recent history, they do take on a West Preston-Lakeside outfit who have picked up just one victory since defeating Greensborough in Round 3.
The Roosters had every chance to pick up a triumph over Macleod last week, leading by three points at three quarter time, but conceded 4.8 and scored just one major themselves in the final term to go down by 23 points.
Max Dreher has found himself in his side’s best for four consecutive weeks despite the defeats while four majors for Ahmed Saad last week suggests he is close to his damaging best inside 50.
Another chapter will likely be added to what’s been a great rivalry in the top flight in recent years, and with this game on neutral territory, both sides will see themselves as a chance to produce a great victory.
Banyule will be looking for their first win in over a month when they welcome neighbours Macleod to Beverley Road Oval.
The Bears have had to face the top four sides of the competition in their last four games, and despite not picking up any points in that slate, they will take a lot of learnings out of those matches.
It was a shootout in their battle last week with Hurstbridge as despite going down by 30 points, they produced their highest score since Round 7.
That was largely thanks to Jack Langford after his impressive six goal performance. He also earnt eight Coaches MVP Award votes in his side’s loss and now has 19 majors for the season.
His form will be put to the test when he faces a red-hot Darcy Barden who has been a revelation in defence for Macleod this year.
In the Roos win against West Preston-Lakeside in Round 11, he polled another seven Coaches MVP votes, and has now been named in his side’s best in his last five games.
Michael Hurley meanwhile continues to do the work at the other end of the ground for Craig Hayes’ men. His four majors on Saturday took his total to 22 and he has continued to kick multiple goals in each of his seven games in 2023.
The Roos first win of the season came against Banyule at De Winton Park back in Round 3, when they prevailed by 22 points.
However, the Bears will be determined to produce a strong finish to their inaugural season in the top flight, and will be expected to be at their best in front of their home fans.
Bundoora will look forward to bouncing back from a disappointing defeat at home last week when they travel to face the winless Whittlesea at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
After winning their first two matches at home, Michael Ryan’s men tasted defeat for the third time in their last four games at the ground, proving no match for North Heidelberg.
With their defence under plenty of pressure on Saturday, the experience of Lachlan East and Ben McNiece stepped up to keep the Bulls in the contest for most of the afternoon.
East has been named in his side best in his last four games, McNiece in two of the last four matches, highlighting their importance to this lineup.
Bundoora now sit just two points clear of fourth spot and four points clear of sixth position, and with Montmorency and Heidelberg still to play again, every win is crucial from here if they are to confirm a spot in the top five.
They’ll look to create some momentum against the Eagles on Saturday. Whittlesea were gallant and showed plenty of fight in their clash with Heidelberg last week but were overrun by the ladder leaders in the second half.
The work of Sandringham VFL listed midfielder Blake Watson has been difficult to ignore from the opposition despite his side’s losses, having been named in his side’s best in four of his five games in 2023.
Clancy Bland also did all he could in last Saturday’s contest and was named as his side’s best player.
Bundoora were able to restrict the Eagles to just two goals earlier in the season on their way to a 61-point victory at home, and while the Bulls will be hoping to replicate that performance, Wayne van der Ross’ side will be aiming for a much more competitive effort this time around.
