Round 14 of the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 season features four closely matched contests, with most teams set to face opponents sitting just one spot above or below them on the ladder.
A bottom-of-the-ladder showdown is set for Round 14, as South Morang and Bundoora compete at Mill Park Lakes Recreation Reserve.
South Morang put up a tough fight against Heidelberg in Round 13, only losing by a 50-point margin against the top team, considering their form this season.
Adam De Propertis stood out for the Lions, earning two coaches votes and being the only player from his side to be acknowledged for his efforts.
Joshua Lansfield also impressed with three goals against the Tigers, taking his tally to an impressive 34 goals in 11 games.
Midfielder, Koby Davies was dominant throughout the game, earning an appearance in the best for the second time in the last three weeks.
As Bundoora only sit one win ahead and a similar percentage, the Lions will be hungry to win and boost their form as the season comes to an end.
Although suffering a six-point loss to Banyule, the Bulls succeeded in using their backline pressure, using key defender Micheal Fitz-Gerald to shut down the Bears forward line and kept them to 5 goals from 19 scoring shots.
Riley Greene has stepped up in recent rounds, polling a coaches MVP vote against the Bears and featuring in the votes in three of his last four games.
Peter McEvoy booted two of Bundoora’s five goals and earnt himself three coaches MVP votes.
Bundoora won by 15 points in their last encounter and will be keen to take on South Morang again, this time away from home
A roar is set to echo through Beverley Road Oval this Saturday, as Banyule hosts Hurstbridge in one of the highly anticipated feature matches.
With both teams currently sitting fourth and fifth on the ladder, Banyule will aim to boost their percentage as finals are just around the corner.
Following a losing streak over the past four rounds, the Bears narrowly broke through and scraped in a six-point win over Bundoora.
After having a goalless first quarter, the Bears picked up their intensity in the second half of the match to overcome Bundoora’s lead.
Key midfielder, Kye Yodgee, continues to impress with his clean ball movement and pressure around the ball, scoring six coaches MVP votes.
Not far behind, Oscar White and Noah Wheeler were both awarded 5 and 4 coaches MVP votes. Wheeler remains at 5th place in the Coaches MVP Leaderboard as the end of the season nears.
The Yulers will need to sharpen their accuracy following a performance of five goals and 14 points if they hope to challenge the Bridges.
Hurstbridge saw some success in Round 13 with a 21-point win, seeing them sit in fourth on the ladder.
Like Banyule, Hurstbridge also recovered from a halftime deficit to secure the win against West-Preston Lakeside.
Star players Lachlan East and Joel Naylor continue to perform consistently, with East achieving a perfect 10 coaches MVP votes and Naylor currently leading in goals for Division 1 after a three-goal outing last weekend.
Cameron Wild and Mitch Dale also had handy contributions, both earning three coaches MVP votes.
The last time the two met was back in Round 5, where Hurstbridge claimed a one-point win. This match promises another close outcome.
North Heidelberg return to Shelley Street Reserve in a head-to-head battle with Greensborough, looking to put their previous loss behind them and take advantage of their home turf.
North now sit just outside the top five with an equal number of wins and losses, plus the one draw, following a disappointing and unexpected 92-point loss to Montmorency.
While Monty kept them scoreless in the first quarter, North still struggled to keep up and struggled under pressure for the majority of the game.
Kicking the first for the Bulldogs, captain Brody Bell, was influential around the contest and led by example with his composure.
Liam Hunt also had an immense impact on North’s forward and mid pressure, kicking two of their five goals.
Greensborough turned the tables at the Good Friday rematch against Eltham, taking home a 33-point victory.
The Borough continue to ride a winning streak since Round 8 and are sitting comfortably at 2nd place on the ladder behind Heidelberg.
Nathan Howard continues his great season, collecting three more coaches MVP votes to take his season tally to an impressive 39.
Jack Johnston and Ben Ham starred against the Panthers, with Ham attaining nine coaches MVP votes and striking four goals for the Borough.
Back in May, Greensborough claimed a 16-point win at their home, but the Bulldogs will look to capitalise on their own home-ground advantage to turn the tables this time round.
West Preston-Lakeside will take on Eltham at J.E. Moore Park, who sit just one position below them on the ladder and are only separated by a game.
Last Saturday, West Preston-Lakeside were defeated by 21-points against Hurstbridge at the Bridges home ground.
They currently sit one win ahead of Eltham and will be eager to boost their percentage and capitalise on their ladder advantage.
Featuring third in the Coaches MVP leaderboard, Matthew Harman, is sitting at 57 votes following his dominant six count performance last Saturday.
Kristian Lawson also delivered with an equal count of six coaches MVP votes.
While keeping a close score all match, Eltham unfortunately fell 33-points short to Greensborough at War Memorial Park.
Alex Bellchambers has been fundamental in the Panthers midfield, bagging 10 coaches MVP votes over the past three rounds.
Declan Ayres was also impactful in defense, helping to withhold Greensborough to 12 goals from 22 scoring shots and earned seven coaches MVP votes for his performance.
Coincidentally, Eltham maintained a 33-point win over the Roosters in Round 5 of the 2025 season.
