Some more ladder-shaping contests are set to take place in this weekend’s slate of the Northern Football Netball League’s Division 2 matches.
Eltham will aim to secure a fifth consecutive victory when they host St Mary’s at Eltham Central Park.
The Panthers have been banking on the wins as they come and while it keeps them in the hunt for the minor premiership, their triumphs have arguably been less convincing than they were in the opening weeks of the season.
Tim Bongetti’s men won their first five games of the season by an average of almost 70 points a game while in the previous month, their average winning margin has been just 20.5 points.
It doesn’t take away from their ability to hold off opponents, as they did last week in a 14-point victory over Panton Hill. Jason McCormick’s return saw him kick another four majors while Daniel Horsfield put in a performance that earned him a perfect 10 Coaches MVP Award votes.
Their Saturday opponents in St Mary’s are their only opponents currently in the top five until Round 14, meaning a good few weeks will assure the Panthers of at least a top-three spot.
But the Burra has won three consecutive games and is in a prime position to cause a second straight upset after defeating South Morang by an impressive 43 points in Round 10.
St Mary’s saw outstanding contributions from multiple players including Jeremiah Antypas, Joshua Carelli and Jake Halewood, highlighting the side’s ability to rely on many different players to produce a victory.
A win on Saturday will put the club in as good a position as this time last year to play off in their first Division 2 final series, but regardless, they will hope to at least improve on the heavy 93-point defeat they suffered at the hands of the Panthers in Round 2 this year.
After suffering just their third defeat of the season last week, South Morang will be keen to return to the winner’s list when they do battle with Thomastown at Mill Park Lakes Reserve.
The Lions were playing catch up from the opening siren in last Saturday’s loss to St Mary’s after trailing by 27 points at the first change.
Efforts from Ben Muscat, Jake Potter and Demetrios Constantinou were solid but ultimately not enough to cover the losses of key players such as Tye Hall and Mathew Robinson.
While Gary Hall’s men are second in the competition for total points, they have failed to reach 60 points or more in all three of their losses so far in 2023, a target Thomastown will look to achieve on the back of a win over Epping last Saturday.
The Bears were always two steps ahead of the Blues, winning by 31 points to claim their first victory since Round 6, but will hope to produce a more convincing performance this weekend.
If they are to win back-to-back games for the first time in this year’s campaign, it will likely be courtesy of a midfield containing in-form players such as Tyrone Leonardis, Lawrence Lopiccolo and Masaki Miki; all three players received Coaches MVP Award votes in the triumph over Epping.
Thomastown only sit two points away from the top five, but with Eltham to come following this clash, it will be crucial for Peter Bugden’s men to create some consistency in order to stay in the finals hunt. A victory this weekend will also be their first win over a current top-five side in 2023.
Watsonia will be eager to build some momentum ahead of a crucial clash with Panton Hill at Binnak Park.
The Saints were on the verge of a fifth consecutive loss before their match with Lower Plenty, but they managed to take care of a slightly improved Bears outfit by 42 points.
While their form has been inconsistent in 2023, one player that hasn’t been is James Lucente, whose six-goal haul in Round 10 has taken him to 35 goals in this campaign. He also has a seven-goal lead in the competition goal-kicking charts.
Someone who was also promising in the victory was Corey Potter who did well competing with the inform Patrick Flynn in the ruck.
Saturday is the start of a huge three-week slate which sees the Saints play St Mary’s and Thomastown following Saturday’s match, meaning all three games could make or break their finals hopes.
It starts with Panton Hill who has now played in two consecutive losses following a 14-point defeat to Eltham.
The Redbacks dropped from fourth to seventh as a result of the last fortnight but are still right in the finals mix at this point of the campaign.
Daniel Freeman was superb and produced one of his best games of the season alongside Riley Livingstone who has now kicked goals in each of his last five games.
When these two sides met in Round 2, Watsonia was well on top in a huge 95-point triumph at A.E. Cracknell Reserve. But the trajectories of both teams have been vastly different, so we should expect a different contest this time around.
Northcote Park will hope for a similar result to when they played Lower Plenty earlier this year ahead of their battle at Bill Lawry Oval.
The Cougars will also be looking to bounce back after a disappointing 76-point loss to Diamond Creek in Round 10 which saw them kick just two goals from their 12 scoring shots.
It means Stephen Saddington’s men have failed to score 60 or more points for four straight weeks and only Epping and Lower Plenty have scored fewer total points in 2023.
Some positives from the heavy defeat came through great contributions from Samuel Amad and Dallyce Taylor, but they’ll need efforts from all 22 players if they’re to ensure they keep their spot in the top five by week’s end.
Lower Plenty meanwhile has produced an improved fortnight despite still searching for their first win of season 2023.
They fell short by 42 points to Watsonia in Round 10 but only trailed by three goals at halftime before conceding seven of the next 10 majors.
The match did see the return of Billy Barden who has returned to the club after transferring from Macleod, immediately having an impact by kicking an early goal.
Jordan Sacco also continued his outstanding form and it’s clear the co-captain is doing all he can in midfield to help get his side closer to that illustrious victory.
The Bears do have a tough run over the next month, facing sides in the top six between now and Round 14, but will hope to build on their development in the coming weeks to give themselves the best chance to avoid relegation.
Diamond Creek is in the box seat to score a sixth consecutive victory when they play Epping at Epping Recreation Reserve.
The Creekers have been playing some scintillating football over the last month and have thoroughly deserved their top spot at this point of the season.
Their massive triumph over Northcote Park last week was led by veteran Chris Moloney who was adjudged his side’s best player, and Ryan Pingree, who kicked three of his side’s 14 majors.
Andrew Tranquilli’s side’s last four weeks have seen them score an average of 92.25 points, conceded an average of 41.25 points and win by an average of 53.5 points, all positive signs towards their status as a serious premiership contender.
They only defeated Epping by 51 points in their earlier clash in Round 2, so they’ll hope to improve upon that despite the Blue’s improved form in 2023.
Epping did their best to keep in touch with Thomastown away from home last week but were no match the Bears. They did at least register 15 scoring shots for the first time since their win in Round 7.
Leigh Judd has been a shining light despite the recent defeats and has been named as his side’s best player in the last two games.
Jordan Hollow is also continuing to have an influence for his side and will be looked upon again to keep the Blues competitive in the lead-up to a difficult three weeks which sees them play the current top three sides in the competition.
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