Round 6 represents the first proper check point of the season as teams continue to find their level in Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1.
Montmorency will look to continue its hot streak when Greensborough comes to Montmorency Park on Saturday.
The Magpies have been simply scintillating over the past fortnight, winning their last two games by a combined margin of 219 points and putting some massive scores on the board in the process.
Kamdyn McIntosh’s unavailability is a blow, but midfield guns Marcus Lentini and Nash Holmes have been in stellar form and Matthew Clark has been a focal point up forward with 18 goals in the last four games. Their form is hard to go by when lining up both sides.
Greensborough snapped its three-game losing slide with a 21-point win over Diamond Creek last week and will need to continue winning if they’re to pursue a top five spot over the coming months. Jackson Davies, Harrison Andronaco, Jack Johnston and Brody Glenn will need to do some of the heavy lifting this week if the Borough are to get the four points on the road.
West Preston Lakeside has a chance to get its first win of the 2026 season when the Roosters host Diamond Creek.
After a tough loss to Heidelberg last week, the Roosters will feel as though they have an opportunity to get on the board here with the Demons dropping their last two games after a hot start.
The home side will be relying on Arben Dani and Kristian Lawson to hold the fort in the midfield where Diamond Creek has so much of its top end talent, with the likes of Jacob Booth, Taj Logan and Dale Marshall. Gun forward Liam Farrar will also need close checking.
Bundoora and Heidelberg meet at Yulong Reserve where the Bulls will be hoping to make an impression on the competition frontrunners.
The Tigers couldn’t have been more clinical last week as they chalked up a dominant 127-point win over West Preston Lakeside and their game looks to be in great shape again in 2026. Solomon McKay’s return from VFL duties adds even more quality to a side already boasting a trio of players in Luke Bunker, Dylan Clarke and Lachlan Wilson who have been racking up Coaches MVP votes at will.
In saying that, Bundoora will feel as though they run into this fixture in reasonable form with three wins and two losses which came by slender margins. Their tall timber in Liam Kolar and Peter McEvoy were excellent last week against Hurstbridge and with Sam Gilmore still unavailable for Heidelberg, they may be able to get some ascendancy at stoppage for and provide first use to the likes of Isaac McMillan, O’Neill Moncrieff and Tom Fry.
Bundoora will certainly need to make the most of their chances if they’re to hand Heidelberg its first loss in 651 days.
Second-placed Hurstbridge heads to Yarrambat War Memorial Park as the Bridges look to consolidate second spot against North Heidelberg. Although they started slow last week, Hurstbridge was able to turn the tide impressively after quarter time and come away with a win despite probably not playing their best football across the day.
Cooper Perrin misses this week which will put more focus on Joel Naylor who was well held last week and Caelan Anderson as the key focal points for the visitors, who got back into the contest last week through the midfield grunt of Ethan Taylor, Cameron Wild and the ever-reliable Blake Fitzgerald.
Although the Dogs didn’t get the chocolates against Eltham last week, they’ll know that if they can put some scoreboard pressure into the game early there are opportunities to be had. With a whopping 100 tackles last week, North Heidelberg certainly don’t mind getting their hands dirty to win back the footy.
Curtis Brown has been a key playmaker in recent weeks, along with leaders Brody Bell and Brock Chircop. Parker Heatley will also no doubt come under scrutiny from the Bridges’ defence after five goals last week against the Panthers.
Banyule and Eltham close out the Round 6 fixtures with the Bears desperate to snap a three-game losing streak. After an even start to their game against Montmorency last week the game got away from Banyule in the space of a quarter and staying in the contest for longer will no doubt be a focus as the Panthers come to Beverley Road.
Jean-Luc Vellisaris has been doing a power of work in the midfield and Banyule will also need big games out of Max Jones, Tim Martin and Jack Langford if they’re to get back on the winners’ list.
Eltham bounces into this game with a win over North Heidelberg the week prior and the knowledge that their best football has them well in the top five conversation. In saying that, offence has been a slight issue so far with the Panthers having not kicked 100 points in a game so far this season. Their percentage of 88.51% looks a little skinny compared to the teams around them and they’ll be keen to build that up over the coming weeks.
Colm Culligan will be key to that attacking efficiency with eight goals in the last fortnight, with Jason McCormick and Kai Turner winning plenty of the footy through the middle last week against North Heidelberg. A win here could jump them into third spot, depending on other results.
