We could move one step closer to working out the top five following this weekend’s Northern Football Netball League’s Division 1 action.
An incredibly in-form Montmorency outfit will look to defeat the only side they have fallen short against in 2023 when they host Greensborough at Montmorency Park North Oval.
The Magpies are chasing a ninth straight game without a loss, which would beat the eight-game streak they held between rounds 5 and 12 last year.
They again flexed their muscles in a huge 53 point win over Whittlesea at the Showgrounds with the core midfield group again shining. The match also featured a great performance from Montmorency debutant Ben Davis, while Patrick Fitzgerald slotted home five majors.
Meanwhile, more excellent games from Sam Binion and Marcus Lentini have seen them move to third and second in the Coaches MVP Award leaderboard respectively.
Greensborough on the other hand will look to recover from a shock defeat to Macleod in Round 10, after going down by 35 points at home.
The Boro had won their previous two games in the lead-up to that defeat but still hold a spot in the top five as it stands.
Harrison Andronaco has had a huge few weeks, having been named his side’s best in his last three games, culminating with being his side’s best in the Round 10 loss.
Saade Ghazi will look to find a way to get their scoring back to a competitive level as they have the third lowest total points tally in the competition behind West Preston-Lakeside and Whittlesea, plus have only scored 100 or more points in a game once in 2023.
In saying that, they only needed 67 points to defeat the Magpies back in Round 2, but with the form Montmorency are in, it could take more than that to produce an upset away from home.
Bundoora can keep the pressure on the top two if they can defeat North Heidelberg at Yulong Reserve.
After a three-game losing streak from Rounds 4-6, the Bulls have won four straight games and suddenly look to be in a comfortable position to claim a double chance spot by season’s end.
Those four victories have been by an average of 57.5 points, and while only one current top-five side has been in that four-game slate, Bundoora are continuing to get things going at the right time of the season.
Their most recent triumph over Banyule saw captain Luke Collins produce a masterclass in midfield. He also went up forward to kick a goal on his way to polling a perfect 10 Coaches MVP Award votes. His work in recent weeks along with Sam Lloyd has been a big catalyst towards their side’s recent form spike.
And Bundoora will be planning to repeat those recent efforts when they face a North Heidelberg side who have produced two honourable losses in the last fortnight.
In trying conditions, they couldn’t stop a last-quarter surge from Heidelberg in Round 10, going down by 20 points. That was despite an enormous effort from Liam Hunt all around the ground.
Jason Heatley’s men have only averaged 44 points in their last two games (although weather played a role in those results) yet are still the only side in the competition to score over 900 points in 2023, highlighting their dangerous tendencies up forward when things are going their way.
Bundoora were comfortable 54-point winners in Round 2 when they last tackled North Heidelberg, however, the Bulldogs have improved significantly since and will look to push the hosts right to the end.
Hurstbridge will aim for a third consecutive win to lock up a spot in the top five when they play Banyule at Ben Frilay Oval.
The Bridges produced a 22-point win over West Preston-Lakeside last week despite trying conditions making it a difficult task to find goals.
Still, we saw breakout performances from the likes of Caelan Anderson and Harry O’Brien to help get Hurstbridge over the line, highlighting the team-first mentality currently present in Joel Cordwell’s team.
Following this clash sees them face a brutal five-game run where three of their opponents are the current top four sides in the competition, which will provide a real test to their finals ambitions.
But they first need to get past a Banyule team they fell quite heavily to in Round 2, with the result giving the Bears their first win since joining the top flight.
However, the Bears are on a three-game losing streak, albeit they faced the current top three sides in the competition in that slate.
Their performances in those matches have been inconsistent, highlighted particularly in their defeat to Bundoora where they trailed 40-0 at quarter time before scoring more points than their opposition throughout the final three terms.
But a man who has been efficient in that time has been captain Devin McDonald, who has led from the front and been named in his side’s best in all three of those games.
With some favourable matches to come, Paul Harris and Ricky Dyson’s men will still fancy themselves a chance to feature in September despite being 10 points off the fifth-placed Bridges.
It will be hard to know what to expect ahead of Macleod and West Preston-Lakeside’s battle at De Winton Park.
They tend to produce close encounters and did so again in Round 2 when the Roosters hung on for a nine-point triumph.
West Preston-Lakeside went on to defeat Greensborough in a thriller the following week but since then have only beaten Whittlesea in their last seven games, all but proving that finals may be a bridge too far in 2023.
A fast start by Hurstbridge in their game last week saw Luke Giles’ side chasing from the opening kick and they couldn’t produce a brilliant last-quarter comeback to defeat the Bridges.
If they are to win this weekend, Max Dreher will be the key. He was arguably the best on the ground last week despite the loss, and his influence in the midfield will have a big say in whether the Roosters can produce a winning score.
Macleod meanwhile will aim for back-to-back wins for the first time in 2023, following an impressive 35-point victory over Greensborough away from home.
The Roos’ response to their recent defeat was brilliant, headlined by Patrick Martin who in the absence of Michael Hurley slotted five majors.
The work of Haydon and Kurt Manuel as well as James Condello and Zachary Hudson has been incredibly promising and something Craig Hayes will hope to build off throughout the second half of the season.
Whoever can claim the four points on Saturday afternoon will still give them a shot at finals while the loser would need to find a miracle run to feature in the top five, which sets this up to be a crucial clash.
Heidelberg will have another opportunity to remind the competition of their back-to-back premiership ambitions when they take on Whittlesea at Warringal Park.
The Tigers have won seven consecutive games and 27 of their last 29 matches and will look almost certain to continue that streak into Saturday.
Their ability to surge their way out of tight situations was on show again in Round 10, when in difficult conditions, they turned a seven-point three-quarter time lead into a 20-point win over North Heidelberg.
Matthew Smith was excellent in only his fifth game of the season and complimented the work of captain Sam Gilmore well. Gilmore remains the Coaches MVP Award leader after 10 weeks.
82 points was the margin they defeated Whittlesea by in their Round 2 clash, and a similar result would put Vin Dattoli’s men in even more terrific stead to tackle some massive games over the next month.
The Eagles’ aim will be to simply produce a competitive performance against one of the most dominant sides in the competition.
They finished with a total of 30 or less for a third straight week and you would expect them to still be focusing on creating a forward presence despite facing the best defensive side in the competition.
Their defeat to Montmorency last week wasn’t all negative, with great efforts from Deakin Tennant and Blake Watson suggesting the talent is there.
And while a win may not be likely on Saturday, any step towards progress is what Wayne van der Ross and his men will certainly aim to accomplish this week.
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