The second half of the 2017 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 season shapes to be an enthralling race to the finals, with the stage set for an interesting final nine rounds.
Macleod and Northcote Park have established breathing space at the top of the ladder, with their 8-1 and 7-2 respective records holding them in great shape to secure a top-three finish at the conclusion of the home and away season.
Should the Kangaroos and Cougars continue their strong form, the chasing pack will be fighting for the final three places in the top-five – with a dog-fight well and truly on the cards between a host of sides.
Round 9 defeats have left West Preston-Lakeside and Bundoora slightly vulnerable inside the top-five, particularly with Greensborough and Heidelberg beginning to hit their straps at the halfway point of the season.
Despite missing a host of key players, Montmorency is hanging in the finals race, while Hurstbridge continues to impress and must in the picture to pull off the impossible – a finals berth in its first season back in the top flight.
Eltham and Whittlesea have proven themselves capable on their given day, but both would currently be focusing their energy on avoiding relegation. However, such is the evenness of competition, a string of wins will have both knocking on the door of the top-five if they can reverse recent form.
Yulong Reserve will host one of the round’s most highly-anticipated matches when Bundoora hosts Heidelberg. The Bulls are out to arrest a three-game losing streak, while the Tigers are aiming to jump inside the top-five for the first time in 2017.
Bundoora looked well on track to claim its sixth win of the season when it led Greensborough by 20 points in a hard-fought battle at War Memorial Park. However, the Bulls couldn’t contain the Boro thereafter – conceding 10 of the final 15 goals to go down by 13 points.
Danny Younan was superb once again and was his side’s only player to receive votes from both coaches in the Coaches Player of the Year voting. Gary Moorcroft slotted three goals, while Matty Dennis and Josh Grabowski again produced strong games.
Just three matches after playing off against Northcote Park for top spot, the Bulls’ place inside the top-five is suddenly looking at risk following an unfortunate run with injuries, ahead of a showdown with a Heidelberg outfit on the rise.
Back-to-back thrilling wins have dragged the Tigers’ season back on track and percentage alone keeps the reigning premiers outside the top-five, following last week’s last-gasp win over West Preston-Lakeside.
Will Knight proved to be match-winner in the three-point result, intercepting a defensive kick by the Roosters in the final minute and coolly slotting the goal from just inside the 50m arc. The Tigers had earlier kicked 0.8 in the final term after leading by 16 at the last change.
It capped off a strong game for the young Tiger, who was among his side’s most influential players, along with Sam Gilmore, Marcus Marigliani and skipper Michael Brunelli, who made a strong impact in his return from injury.
The Tigers will be looking to reverse the result of their last match against Bundoora – a 10-point defeat at Warringal Park in Round 1. The Bulls also took points in the last clash at Yulong Reserve, ending the Tigers’ 10-game winning streak to start the 2016 season in a 75-point demolition.
A place inside the top-five is also at stake when Greensborough makes the short trip to Montmorency, where the winner will square the ledger at 5-5. The Magpies were 17 points to the good when the sides met in Round 3.
Tristan Stead marked his 150th senior game with a best on ground performance to steer the Boro to their fourth-straight win in Round 9. The skipper was deployed forward and kicked a career-best six goals in his milestone match as Greensborough entered the top-five for the first time.
Jacob Ireland, Ricky Mullins and Josh Callaway were also important in the come-from-behind win, while Nick Riddle appeared in his side’s best players for the seventh time this season.
While the form-line might suggest the Boro will enter this game as favourites, Montmorency’s performance at De Winton Park indicated it is far from an out of form side, with the 34-point losing margin not doing the Magpies any justice.
With key players out and coach Ben Haynes overseas, the Magpies took it right up to the ladder-leader to lead at half time and trail by just nine points at the final break. They had the better of the opening stages of the last quarter without converting it on the scoreboard.
Jesse Donaldson and Matt Hunt won plenty of the football, Patty Fitzgerald kicked a team-high four goals, while Xavier Cahill and Bobby Lamanna both produced season-best performances.
Having already displayed its capability to contend in the top flight, Hurstbridge faces arguably its sternest test when it travels to De Winton Park to take on Macleod. The Bridges took it right up to the Roos in their Round 1 clash, before falling away late in the piece.
The Bridges remain just one win outside the top-five after last week scoring a comfortable 43-point win over Eltham at Ben Frilay Oval, with the home side recording 40 scoring shots in the shootout.
Jack Grimes and Tom Grimes (four goals) excelled in the win, while Rhyce Shaw made his maiden appearance after committing for a handful of games, in between coaching commitments for Sydney’s reserves.
All three of Hurstbridge’s wins have come at home this season. With three of the next four games to be played on the road, the next month will prove vital in determining whether the Bridges spend the final weeks of the year striving for finals or fighting to avoid relegation.
Macleod did enough last week to secure its third win on the trot and Garry Ramsay’s side now looks perfectly placed to secure a double-chance in the finals for the third consecutive year.
Matthew Clark’s bag of five goals was his best haul with the season, with the strong-marking forward now sitting sixth on the goal kicking table with 22 majors – which includes 15 in his past four matches.
Ned McKeown and Hamish Paynter were once again prolific, while Jack Langford and James Condello each capped off strong performances with three goals.
Northcote Park will be looking to keep the pressure on Macleod at the top of the table when it hosts Eltham at Bill Lawry Oval.
The Cougars were slow out of the blocks for second-consecutive week in last Saturday’s clash against Whittlesea. After trailing by nine points at the first change, they were able to take control of the match – kicking 15 goals to five after quarter time to win by 55 points.
Bronik Davies and Jordan Perry got the job done in the middle of the ground, winning plenty of ball at the coal face to ensure the Cougars’ forwards had plenty of opportunities to kick a winning score.
Dylan Campbell and Gerard Sutton backed-up recent strong form to again be named among the best, while Bryn Barnes-Webb, Ricky Fandrich and Jackson Starcevich combined for ten goals.
Eltham couldn’t contain Hurstbridge on the smaller confines of Ben Frilay Oval and slipped to ninth place on the ladder. The last time the Panthers sat in this position they produced a massive upset to down Macleod.
The damage was done in the second term last week, with a nine-point quarter time deficit blown out to five goals by the main break. Despite fighting out the game, the Panthers couldn’t make any inroads on the scoreboard as they fell by a margin of greater than seven goals for the fourth time.
Anton Woods’ sparkling touch continued, with the star midfielder again putting in a dominant display despite his side losing. Brandon Freeman was opportunistic with five goals, while Sean Currie was good.
Whittlesea and West Preston-Lakeside are on the rebound when they clash at the Whittlesea Showgrounds. The Roosters will be looking to avenge a shock four-point loss in the pair’s Round 4 outing.
In an even campaign, the Eagles look to be the first side to have fallen from finals contention, following last week’s fifth-consecutive defeat. The 55-point final margin was the club’s second heavy defeat to Northcote Park this year.
Janan Daniel and Brenton Briffa were their side’s best players in the loss, while Jai Robinson and Riley Dyson continue to display strong leadership in what is proving to be a difficult period for the Eagles.
After paying the ultimate price for a late turnover at Warringal Park, West Preston-Lakeside will be desperate to bounce back quickly as it looks to keep its grip on third spot.
Trailing by 26 points at quarter time and 16 points at the last change, the Roosters twice fought back against the Tigers. They looked set to record a come-from behind win, before losing the lead with nine seconds remaining on the clock.
Mathew Stokes and Jacob Ramaekers were among their side’s best, while Ahmed Saad booted five goals to stretch his lead atop the goal kicking table.
