It was a high-quality weekend of Division 1 footy with a one-point win and early season draw among the Round 1 results.
Bulls Hold Off Fast-Finishing Bears in Round 1 Thriller
Bundoora have held off a fast-finishing Banyule to claim a thrilling one-point victory in a high-pressure Round 1 contest in Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1.
The Bears welcomed Oliver Poole, Jean-Luc Velissaris and Liam Mackie for the opener, while the Bulls brought in Finnian Raymond and Hugo Crawford.
Bundoora started strongly, moving the ball end-to-end with a slick passage of play following a free kick, but Jesse King couldn’t convert. Max Jones was busy early, helping the Bulls generate repeat forward entries, though they continued to miss opportunities in front of goal.
It took over 10 minutes for the deadlock to be broken, with James Kayrooz taking a spectacular hanger in the goal square to kick Banyule’s first goal of the season. Kye Yodgee followed up with a strong chase-down effort but could only manage a behind. Despite dominating territory, Bundoora struggled to capitalise until a clean pickup and snap from Frasier Lay set up Jesse King, who kicked truly with the Bulls took a narrow two-point lead into quarter time.
The second term was tightly contested, with play largely stuck between the arcs as both sides applied strong pressure. Bundoora controlled field position but again failed to make it count on the scoreboard. After another extended period without a goal, Jesse King stood tall, taking a strong mark and running in to slot his second, extending the lead to 11 points.
Banyule suffered a setback with Liam Mackie leaving the ground with a hamstring injury, but they responded late. A well-worked passage of play up the wing, starting from Ethan Boyd in the back pocket, found Jean-Luc Velissaris, who kicked his first goal in Bears colours to cut the margin to three points at halftime.
The arm wrestle continued after the main break, with neither side able to find a goal in the opening 10 minutes. Jean-Luc Velissaris then stepped up again, kicking his second to give Banyule the lead. Shortly after, Josh Chivers delivered a quality ball inside 50 to Harrison White, who extended the advantage to nine points. Bundoora responded through Peter McEvoy, who took a strong mark on the goal line to reduce the margin, before transitioning quickly from defence to attack, finding Liam Kolar to regain the lead. The Bulls went into the final break with a slender three-point advantage.
The final term was packed with drama. An incorrect disposal decision went Bundoora’s way, allowing Liam Mallia to extend the lead to nine points. Banyule hit back through James Kayrooz, who snapped brilliantly on the run to bring the margin back to four. Jesse King responded once again with his third goal, pushing the lead back out to 10 points.
The Bears refused to go away, with Josh Chivers converting from a downfield free kick to reduce the deficit to three points. Banyule had some good looks late to seal the result, but Logan Kilcullen and Jack Langford both hit the post in the dying stages. In a heartbreaking finish for the Bears, Bundoora held on to secure a heart-stopping one-point win.
Oliver Poole (14 disp, 7 tackles) was outstanding through the midfield for Banyule, well supported by Jack Langford (23 disp) and Tim Martin. For Bundoora, Jesse King proved the difference up forward with three goals, while O’Neill Moncrieff (18 disp, 6 tackles, 5 clearances) and Isaac McMillan (24 disp, 8 clearances) were influential through the middle.
-Bailey Walsh
Around The Grounds
Hurstbridge has opened its account for 2026 with a solid 29-point win on the road against West Preston at JE Moore Park.
The Bridges had the better of an even first half but would have liked to convert more of their chances, kicking 5.8 to the Roosters’ 3.1 for the first half. They began to find their range after half time however, kicking four goals to none in the third term to open up a 43-point lead at the three-quarter time break.
A couple more goals to Hurstbridge sealed the result in the final term as they take second spot on the table after the first round of Division 1 footy. Chris Mccabe (17 disp, 11 contested possessions), Sean McLaren (13 disp, 7 clearances), Joel Naylor (three goals) and Bailey Jordan (three goals) were the standouts for the victors, while Aaron Tsarouhas (two goals), Marcus Frederico, Giacomo Thomas (four goals) and Arben Dani (31 disposals, four clearances) were best afield for West Preston.
Heidelberg has kicked off it’s premiership defence in fine style with a 69-point win over North Heidelberg. An even first quarter had both teams feeling each other out early, before the Tigers put the foot down and booted six goals to two in the second term to set up a 30-point lead at half time.
The second half saw Heidelberg stamp their authority on the contest, piling on 11 goals to the Bulldogs four, albeit the home side was left to rue inaccuracy in front of goal with 7.14 for the day preventing them from keeping the pressure on the reigning premiers.
Sean Martin, Sam Gilmore, Tom Keys (22 disp, three goals) and Matthew Signorello (21 disp, 1 goal) were among the best players for the Tigers in an impressive first-up performance. Mitch Dillon, Bode Stevens (24 disp, 1 goal), Jesse Wallin and Angus McLennan (16 disp, 7 tackles, six clearances) gave North Heidelberg good service across the afternoon also.
The final game of the afternoon yielded the season’s first draw as Division 1 newcomers Diamond Creek couldn’t be separated from Montmorency.
This game was one for the footy diehards, with just nine goals kicked for the afternoon between both sides in breezy conditions at Coventry Oval.
The Creekers had the momentum heading into the final term holding a 12-point advantage which would have seemed significant given Montmorency had kicked just three goals for the day to that point. But the visitors got motoring in the final term, kicking two goals in the first five minutes to draw level. From there both sides had opportunities to win it – minor scores to Blake Murphy and Taj Logan edged Diamond Creek ahead with less than a minute to play.
The Magpies had the final crack at snatching the win and were headed inside their forward 50 as the final siren sounded, leaving neither team fully satisfied with the afternoon’s efforts. The shared points will no doubt provide some interesting variations in ladder standings as the season progresses.
Bailey Griffiths (24 disp, 15 clearances), Ewan Macpherson, Darcy Macpherson (27 disp) and Nathan Searl (26 disp) were the best of the Creekers on the day, while Stefan Uzelac, William Jenkin (22 disp), Cameron Nyko (20 disp, 1 goal) and Nash Holmes (23 disp) were the best fort the Magpies. Former Richmond AFL midfielder Kamdyn McIntosh was also prominent for Montmorency in his first game for the club with 23 touches.
