Round 11 of the Under-17 Red competition saw now ladder leader West Lalor experience a close call against the fourth-placed Whittlesea. The Dragons managed to hold on, winning by just a singular goal.
Shane Ritchie booted four goals for West Lalor in the victory, while Joshua Walker put up a strong performance for the side which finished second best.
Around the grounds, Northcote has moved to fifth after comprehensively defeating Keon Park by 78 points. Wallan also had a comfortable win over current bottom-placed side South Morang, the final margin 44 points. Diamond Creek was also among the winners, holding off former ladder leader Greensborough, to win by 16 points.
It was Greensborough’s loss which allowed West Lalor to pinch first place on the ladder at the conclusion of the round.
At the completion of Round 9 of the Under-16 Youth Girls competition, South Morang Gold has placed itself as a genuine premiership contender, defeating ladder leader Montmorency by 10 points.
Montmorency has still retained first ladder position, with the Magpies still one clear win ahead of the second-placed Gold.
South Morang Maroon sits at third place, after defeating the winless Epping by three goals.
The Under-16 Red competition saw a one-sided result at the hands of ladder leader Hurstbridge. Hurstbridge had 58 more scoring shots than opponent Mill Park, with the final margin standing at triple figures.
Epping has moved into second place, after defeating Eltham by 75 points, while West Preston Red had the bye.
In the Under-15 Red competition, Greensborough and Research both added another win to their season’s tally, and further established themselves as premiership contenders. Wallan also recorded a win, and is currently sitting in third place with a month of the home and away season remaining.
Research remains the ladder leader in the Under-14 Red competition, after recording a huge win. Mill Park and Keon Park were also among the winners, and these teams make up the ladder’s top three.
West Preston defeated an inaccurate Yarrambat by 71 points, while Diamond Creek defeated Bundoora Park by a little over two goals.
The Under-13 Red competition kicked off with a strong South Morang Gold squad keeping Epping to a single point on its way to a 63-point win.
Greensborough and Montmorency were also within the winners list, the final margins 18 and eight points, against their respective opponents.
Mill Park enjoyed a win in the Under-12 Red competition and the ladder leader is now three wins clear of its closest opposition.
Yarrambat had an upset win over second-placed Greensborough, while Bundoora Park now sits third on the table by percentage after a good win against Eltham.
In the Under-11 Red competition, Northcote pulled off a surprise win against the third-placed West Preston – the final margin standing at 36 points.
An inaccurate Greensborough kicked four goals and sixteen behinds on its way to another win, although the current ladder leader might need to work on some goal kicking practice when it trains next. Wallan also recorded a victory and is now sitting in second place.
The league’s youngest players, in the Under-10 Red competition, also produced fantastic games. The round commenced with Montmorency White defeating Northcote by 64 points.
Yarrambat, currently at the top of the ladder, and Epping, currently at second place, both recorded wins, by 43 and 15 points against Laurimar Black and Diamond Creek respectively.
With school holidays upon us, the entire junior competition will sit out this week and take a well-earned break.
Play will resume in a week’s time where the race for finals will step up with just four rounds remaining in the home and away season.
Enjoy the time off!
