Another big weekend of Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 football awaits as the top four sides meet on a weekend that could re-shape the ladder significantly.
Greensborough returns home looking to string two wins together after a patchy stretch to host North Heidelberg.
The Borough will again rely heavily on Jackson Davies in defence as their main interceptor and their front half revolves around Jack Johnston and Brody Glenn, who’s kicked 15 goals so far this season. They’ll no doubt be looking for greater efficiency from inside 50 entries, with territory gain from stoppages expected to be a major focus.
North Heidelberg comes into the clash in improving form, with its ball movement and run off half-back becoming a clear strength in recent weeks.
A big name among the outs for the Bulldogs this week is Curtis Brown, who’s been winning plenty of the footy off half-back and initiating attacking chains.
The Dogs’ ability to break lines and generate speed through the corridor will be crucial this weekend. If North Heidelberg can match Greensborough around the contest, they are more than capable of challenging away from home.
The NFNL Match of the Day sees Hurstbridge host Montmorency in a clash featuring strong midfield depth and significant forward weapons for both sides.
The Bridges continues to build an impressive season, driven by strong contested work and consistent pressure across all lines. Blake Fitzgerald and Cameron Wild have been central to their midfield, providing work rate, leadership through action, and strong stoppage impact.
Joel Naylor remains the key focal point up forward and continues to sit equal top of the goal kicking table. His ability to convert under pressure and consistently hit the scoreboard has been a major factor in Hurstbridge’s rise.
Montmorency, meanwhile, is building momentum after a slower start to the season and a win here would make it four victories on the bounce.
Nash Holmes and Marcus Lentini have been dominant through the middle, winning contests and plenty of the ball, while Matthew Clark shares the lead in the Division 1 goal kicking with Naylor with 21 goals from six games. It could well be a battle of the spearheads at Hurstbridge on Saturday.
This shapes as a high-quality contest, particularly through the midfield, where both sides are stacked with quality and strong in the contest. Coverage of the match starts at 2pm on Sportscast Australia and Plenty Valley FM.
Diamond Creek continues its strong season with another important home test against Banyule. A win here would almost certainly ensure the Demons stay in Division 1 beyond this season.
The Creekers have been built on structure and discipline, with Joel Randall providing strong rebound off half-back and consistently setting up attacking play. His decision-making and intercept ability have been key to their defensive stability.
In the midfield, Jacob Booth, Dale Marshall and Taj Logan have also been influential, providing contested strength and driving clearance work that sets up forward momentum. Liam Farrar’s bag of ten goals last week was a huge highlight, but his name among the outs this week will mean the goal kicking load will need to be spread to others.
Banyule will be aiming for a more consistent four-quarter performance after falling short against Eltham last week.
Jean-Luc Velissaris continues to be a key figure in the Bears’ midfield, providing toughness and ball-winning ability, while Max Jones and Oliver Poole offer important outside run and link-up play on the wings.
If Banyule can match Diamond Creek’s midfield pressure, they have the tools to potentially record its second win of the season.
Reigning premier Heidelberg again looms as the benchmark side in the competition, with all of their six wins coming by 47 points or better so far and will head into their clash against Eltham as favourites.
The Tigers are led through the middle by Dylan Clarke and Luke Bunker, who continue to set the tone with their contested work, clean ball use, and ability to control tempo. Their influence around stoppages remains a defining feature of Heidelberg’s dominance.
Eltham faces a tough challenge but continues to show signs of improvement throughout the season.
Jason McCormick has been a standout, producing a strong year with his consistency, clearance ability, and work rate around the contest. He will again be central to Eltham’s chances of staying competitive in this fixture.
Heidelberg’s system, depth, and ability to capitalise on turnovers make them a difficult side to contain for four quarters. The quality of Matthew Signorello and Solomon McKay going out has been immediately replaced by the incoming Kai Kearns and Anton Dodaj.
West Preston-Lakeside returns home looking to regain momentum against Bundoora after a challenging stretch, with its defence set to play a key role in setting up play.
Arden Dani and Kristian Lawson have been superb, leading the Roosters in several key metrics such as total disposals, contested possessions and hard ball gets.
For Bundoora, midfield consistency has been a major strength in 2026.
Isaac McMillan continues to be one of the Bulls’ most influential players, controlling stoppages with his contested work and ability to break away from congestion, while O’Neill Moncrieff has also been important with his ball-winning ability and drive forward. Those two will need to cover the absence of Tom Fry this weekend.
With both sides looking to build momentum heading deeper into the season, this clash shapes as an important test of structure, endurance, and execution.
