Two heart-stopping one-point thrillers headlined a dramatic weekend of Division 1 football in Round 2.
Heidelberg’s premiership defence is off to the perfect start after it dismantled Montmorency by 53 points.
The home side’s dominance was undeniable, spearheaded by individual brilliance that the Magpies had no answers for. Daniel O’Dwyer and Keenan Posar were everywhere, combining for an astonishing 63 disposals and 38 marks between them. Heidelberg’s superior ball movement and aerial prowess were the clear drivers behind this comprehensive win.
Heidelberg fired the first shots, establishing an 11-point lead by quarter time thanks to three goals from Jack Andrew. Montmorency showed glimpses of life in the second quarter, managing to match Heidelberg’s three goals, as Matthew Clark contributed 2 for the visitors.
The third quarter saw Heidelberg truly break the shackles, unleashing a formidable surge and holding Montmorency scoreless. This clinical performance extended Heidelberg’s lead to 32 points by the three-quarter time siren.
Heidelberg continued their relentless charge in the final term, adding another four goals as Jordan Smith kicked two majors to seal the deal. Their sustained pressure and offensive power left Montmorency with no answers, widening the margin decisively.
Keenan Posar was among the Tigers’ best, racking up 35 disposals and 21 marks, while Daniel O’Dwyer’s 28 disposals and 17 marks were equally instrumental. Montmorency will be hoping for a quick response in an away fixture with Eltham this coming Saturday.
Bundoora has moved to 2-0 and sits second on the Division 1 ladder after an 18-point win over North Heidelberg.
Bundoora roared to life in the opening quarter, swiftly slotting four goals and controlling the ball around clearances. Peter McEvoy’s two early goals were pivotal in establishing Bundoora’s 12-point advantage by the first break, setting a challenging pace for the home side.
The second quarter evolved into a grinding battle where both teams could only muster one goal each. As the half-time siren blared, Bundoora still clung to a ten-point lead.
The third quarter saw a spirited resurgence from North Heidelberg as the Dogs began chipping away at the deficit. However, Jesse King continued to cause headaches as he delivered two more vital goals ensuring his side maintained a precarious six-point buffer at the final change.
In the decisive fourth quarter, Bundoora threw down the gauntlet, kicking four goals while holding North Heidelberg to just two, effectively squashing any hopes of a comeback.
The win was spearheaded by the Bulls’ star players – Jesse King was electric for Bundoora, dominating up forward with four sensational goals. Peter McEvoy set the tone with two early goals and finished the day with three, while O’Neill Moncrieff was all class through the midfield with a best on ground performance of 30 disposals and eleven clearances.
Diamond Creek and Hurstbridge played out an absolute thriller in their first encounter since 2016, with the Creekers prevailing by a solitary point in the NFNL’s Match of the Round.
Diamond Creek exploded out of the blocks, booting six opening quarter goals to the home side’s two to set up a 27-point lead at the first break. Liam Farrar was a force, slotting three goals in the opening quarter, while Joel Naylor managed two goals for Hurstbridge to keep them in touch after a slow start.
Hurstbridge weren’t about to lie down on their home deck though and managed to get the game back on terms with four goals in the second term to Diamond Creek’s one. Despite the fightback, Diamond Creek still held a 12-point advantage at half-time.
The second half continued the entertaining back and forth contest, with Hurstbridge continuing to chip away at the lead in the third quarter and cut the deficit to a mere seven points by the final change.
The final quarter was as tense a term as you’re likely to see in local football. With still only one point separating both teams with a couple of minutes to go, a crafty kick inside 50 from Darcy Laurie found the hands of Liam Farrar, who duly went back and calmly booted his sixth goal of the day to put the Creekers seven points ahead. Hurstbridge responded straight away from the resulting center clearance, with Joel Naylor kicking his fifth goal to give the Bridges a hope. It wasn’t to be though, as the siren sounded as soon as the ball went back to the middle to end an absolute classic.
Farrar and Naylor dominated the respective forward 50s all day, giving their teams a fighting chance in an epic contest. Jacob Booth (23 disp, ten clearances) controlled proceedings in the midfield for Diamond Creek along with Matthew Lewis and Blake Hamilton. Blake Fitzgerald (28 disposals and nine clearances) gave his all, while Jake Richards and Lachlan East were also among the Bridges’ best.
Banyule pulled off a stunning 5-point victory over Greensborough to put the disappointment of last week’s one-point loss to Bundoora behind them.
The Bears had the best of the early going, booting four goals to two in the opening term to establish a 14-point lead. Greensborough found a foothold in the second term, kicking five goals for the quarter to head to the rooms at half time with a four-point advantage.
The Borough looked as though they were poised to run away with the contest in the third term, holding the home side to just one point for the quarter and applying pressure at the other end with two goals to take the lead out to 19 points at the last break.
But Banyule weren’t about to go quietly to their second loss of the season and on the back of some exceptional performances from defender Jack Langford (26 disposals, 16 marks) and gun midfielder Jean-Luc Velissaris (36 disposals, seven clearances, two goals) were able to stick their noses in front and hang on for what was a showstopping win.
Greensborough would be disappointed to let slip a win from a position of strength in the final term and will be keen to atone when it hosts Hurstbridge on Anzac Day.
Eltham snatched a heart-stopping and emotional one-point victory against West Preston-Lakeside to cap a dramatic Saturday of Division 1 football.
This game was another one that went back and forth between the two sides all day. West Preston held a slender eight-point lead at quarter time before Eltham turned that into an eight-point lead of its own heading to the main break.
Neither side gave an inch in the third term as the goals started to flow on both sides, but it was the Panthers with four goals for the quarter who remained just three points ahead before an enthralling final quarter played out.
Having booted the first three goals of the final term, it looked like the Roosters were headed for a somewhat comfortable win with a 16-point lead after 20 minutes of play. But the home side was about to lift itself off the canvas after a tough week off the field following the passing of Eltham’s Josh Earnest.
Cooper Dahms started the comeback with a snap from the top of the goal square to give the Panthers a fighting chance, before a remarkable snap from Dave Evans in the right forward pocket had the vocal home crowd daring to believe.
Eltham’s Aviela Choka intercepted an errant kick as West Preston tried to clear their defensive 50 a couple of minutes later, launching the match winning goal from outside the arc to put the home side in front and send the crowd into hysterics. From there a final center clearance from Eltham made it a certainty, securing a win which was about far more than just the four points.
Kristian Lawson (36 disposals, seven clearances, one goal) and Arben Dani (29 disposals, one goal) were pivotal for West Preston Lakeside but the efforts of Dahms (26 disposals, five clearances, one goal), Daniel Annetta (19 disposals, 7 tackles) and Choka (16 disposals, two goals) were inspirational in dragging the Panthers over the line.
