BUNDOORA, VIC. (NFNL HQ). — There are storylines all over the place in Division 2 this weekend with crunch games coming up for all teams.
Northcote Park vs Old Paradians
The premiership favourite Cougars welcome Old Paradians to Bill Lawry Oval in the match of the round.
Last week Northcote Park comfortably defeated the in-form St Mary’s and stamped their name as premiership favourites.
Michael Amad kicked 5 goals last week and moved into third on the goalkickers list in Division 2. Jordan Perry also had plenty of it on the inside, racking up 31 disposals and with 19 contested and a handy 15 clearances to go with it. Dan Tallariti also racked up 26 disposals and 11 marks to go with it.
Another one to watch out for this week is Dan Tallariti, who had 26 disposals and 11 marks last week. He is averaging 17.5 touches and 6.1 marks, having played every game.
For the Raiders, they fell very closely to South Morang by 10 points at Garvey Oval last week. They had a 10-point lead going into the major break, but the switch was flicked in the third quarter and the Raiders were behind by 10 points going into three-quarter time.
The Raiders are currently sitting in fourth on 32, two points ahead of fifth-placed Fitzroy Stars on 30, and four points ahead of sixth placed Lower Plenty on 28 points, so the finals are definitely not yet a guarantee for Old Paradians.
Skipper Kyle O’Sullivan (26 disposals, 15 contested possessions), Joshua Iacobaccio (25 disposals, 11 contested possessions) and Billy Bedford (25 disposals, 10 rebound 50’s) were the pick of the bunch for the Raiders last week.
The Cougars also need to watch out for Raiders’ ruckman Connor McDonald, who is averaging 149.2 ranking points, 35.6 hitouts and 13.3 clearances for the season.
This top four clash is very crucial for the makeup of the finals picture.
Panton Hill vs Macleod
Panton Hill host Macleod in a crucial match for the Redbacks’ survival hopes in Division 2.
The Redbacks had a huge win over Fitzroy Stars last week by ten points at home. They will want to put on another good showing in front of the home crowd again. Unfortunately for Panton Hill, ninth-placed Thomastown also got a win last week, so the Redbacks do still sit a game behind and are just over 20 percentage points behind as well.
Thomas Blake was very important for Panton Hill last week, slotting four majors. Captain Riley Livingstone was also solid in defence, grabbing 28 disposals, 14 rebound 50s, and had 137 ranking points.
Another one to look out for this week is Ryan Sizeland, who had 25 touches, 11 clearances and a goal last week, taking his tally to 18 majors for the season.
The Redbacks are up against the Kangaroos, who are trying to make a late push for finals. Macleod currently sit in seventh on 26 points, four points behind fifth-placed Fitzroy Stars, with Lower Plenty in between them.
The Kangaroos have had a topsy-turvy last three weeks, going loss, draw, then a 71-point win over fellow finals chasers Lower Plenty. The Roos do have the ability to turn it on, as they showed in their previous meeting with Panton Hill this season. It was Macleod who got the win to the tune of 127 points when these two met at De Winton Reserve in Round 6.
That day Darcy Barden kicked eight and had 24 disposals to go to his name as well. He might be looking for another bag this week. Last week, Kobe Brandt and Justin White both had 25 disposals against the Bears and will look to bring good form into this week as well.
Fitzroy Stars vs South Morang
South Morang is heading to Sir Doug Nicholls Reserve to meet Fitzroy Stars for another important finals shaping matchup in MC Labour Division 2.
The Stars fell to tenth-placed Panton Hill last week by ten points. They sit in fifth, with a chasing pack below, but are also only two points behind fourth-placed Old Paradians. It is an understatement to say that this one is huge for the Stars.
Matthew Williamson was a shining light for the Stars last week, slotting four majors. Thomas Clarke (25 disposals, 11 contested, 10 clearances), Patrick Farrant (23 disposals, nine marks, two goals) and Lachlan Edwards (23 disposals, seven marks and 11 rebound 50s) were the pick of the bunch for the Stars and will want to bring their best this week.
Unfortunately for the Stars, Farrant is an out for this week. But Kain Proctor is back this week, which is a big inclusion for the Stars as he is averaging 24.5 disposals, 10.6 contested possessions and 114.4 ranking points.
On the other side, the Lions are coming off a hard-fought victory against Old Paradians, winning by ten points.
Carter McCall slotted four last week, being crucial in their close victory. Nathan Stefanile was the pick of the bunch in the middle for the Lions with 28 disposals, 25 contested, and 13 clearances. Davin Cameron also had 33 disposals, 18 contested and 9 clearances. Cameron is having a solid season, averaging 24.5 disposals a game and 106.4 ranking points, so he will be one to look out for this week.
Thomastown vs St Mary’s
Thomastown host St Mary’s in important relegation and premiership battles for each side.
The Bears are coming off an important eight-point win over Whittlesea at the Showgrounds. They sit one win and good percentage over Panton Hill so a result here for Thomastown would be huge towards the survival battle.
Anthony Capeci (28 disposals, 14 marks and 133 ranking points), Zain Yamak (23 disposals and six rebound 50’s) and James Lucente (three goals) were all pivotal in the victory last week and will want to stand up once again to give the Bears a good chance.
For St Mary’s, it was their first loss for a while last week, falling to Northcote Park by 46 points. Prior to that they were on a seven-game win streak. It will be interesting to see how they bounce back this week.
It was star ruckman Huon Macgibbon once again for the Burra who was the pick of the bunch; he had 24 disposals, 16 contested, 30 hitouts and ten clearances. For the year, Ty Kitchell is averaging 24.4 disposals and 13.2 contested possessions. Both of those are key cogs in this St Mary’s system.
Last time these two met in Round 6, the Burra got the job done by 60 points, so the Bears will be looking to reverse that result.
Lower Plenty vs Whittlesea
The last matchup we have in Division 2 sees Whittlesea heading to Lower Plenty to take on the Bears.
The Bears are currently sitting in sixth, only two points behind fifth-placed Fitzroy Stars, so their finals hopes are still well and truly alive. But they find themselves on a five-game losing streak, so will need to turn that around quickly if they want to meet their finals aspirations.
They fell to Macleod by 71 points last week in a game the Bears would quickly like to move past. Jordan Smith (23 disposals, 14 contested possessions), Joel Leslie (22 disposals, 13 contested possessions) and Tyler Wallace (22 disposals, 12 contested possessions each found the footy frequently, and will want to do the same this week.
The Bears eagerly welcome Jack Chubb and Jack Madgen back this week. Chubb has kicked 37 goals for the season so will be very important for Lower Plenty’s finals hopes.
Whittlesea’s finals chances have most likely ended after their loss to Thomastown last week. If they get the win this week, and other results go their way, their chances may go up slightly. But sitting six points out of the top five with three games to go might seem a task too tall.
Caden Allen and Khaled El-Leissy both kicked three majors last week. On the ball, Thomas Falls had 31 disposals, 15 contested possessions and 132 ranking points. Co-captain Mitchell Andrews also had 25 disposals and four tackles.
The last time these two sides met it was Lower Plenty who got up by 22 points.
