The Northern Football Netball League’s Division Two’s round 10 will see three games played between the top six sides in what’s set to be a massive Saturday.
Panton Hill will aim to bounce back and regain a spot in the top five when they host Eltham at A.E. Cracknell Reserve.
The Redbacks slipped out of the top five following a 14-point defeat to South Morang last week, but they only sit two points away from fifth-placed Northcote Park.
A defeat to the in-form Lions doesn’t take away from the improvement they’ve shown since losing their opening three games.
We’ve seen recruits Tom Keys and Riley Livingstone settle into their new side and play influential games, particularly Keys who has since risen to second spot in the competition Coaches MVP Award leaderboard.
The Parks brothers have also been big contributors to their recent form spike, with Oliver Parks especially having a great run, being at his side’s best in six straight games while also kicking 11 majors in that same period.
They’re yet to defeat Eltham since winning the 2019 Division 3 premiership, but this might be their best chance to do so, not only because of the performances they’ve produced of late, but because the Panthers showed a bit of vulnerability last week.
Incredibly, Tim Bongetti’s men trailed by four goals to the winless Lower Plenty at quarter time and even with a slight lead at the final break, an upset looked on the cards before they broke the game open to prevail by 11 points.
Eltham was without a bunch of senior players and had to rely on the performances of Benjamin Smith, Liam Frazer and Jameson Wood to get over the line.
And while the Panthers will be content with an 8-1 record at the halfway mark of the season, they’ll hope to get back to the dominant form that saw them win their first five matches of the season by an average winning margin of almost 70 points.
South Morang is on the verge of producing a fifth consecutive victory when they travel to Whatmough Park to take on St Mary’s.
A win this Saturday would make it the Lions’ best-winning streak since their 11 straight triumphs at the backend of last year’s Division 3 home and away campaign.
It’s shown that their jump into Division 2 has been incredibly seamless, and it was highlighted again with their win over Panton Hill in Round 9.
Nathan Stefanile has been incredibly dominant in the ruck since his return to the side in Round 2, he was a clear standout in the victory and has now been named in his side’s best players in five of eight games.
While the club might face some unavailability over the next few weeks, the mass contribution from all players in recent weeks suggests they will manage fine, no matter who is selected.
However, they face a St Mary’s side who have won two consecutive games, including a triumph over Epping last week, as they overcame a slow start to win by 67 points.
The star of the show last Saturday was Tane Cotter who produced a scintillating performance, kicking six majors. His efforts alongside Rory Hanlon in 2023 have been brilliant.
This week’s clash is the start of a big few weeks for Fabian Carelli’s side, as they face the Lions, followed by Eltham. What it will mean is that we might see the Burra’s true colours as they look to book a first-ever Division 2 finals berth in 2023.
When these sides met in the opening round of the season, South Morang broke away after quarter time to kickstart life back in the competition, and while St Mary’s have had an improved fortnight, the Lions would be fancied to repeat their efforts.
Hoping to build off their improved performance last week, Lower Plenty’s search for a first win in 2023 continues into their clash with Watsonia at Montmorency Park South Oval.
The Bears almost pulled off a stunning upset in Round 9 when they took Eltham right to the end, before eventually falling short by 11 points.
It was their most promising performance of the season and certainly one that the club can build on as they look to battle for survival in the second half of the campaign.
If they are to get close again to a victory, it will be largely thanks to Patrick Flynn who is playing at the same level that saw him win the 2018 Division 2 league best and fairest.
With no Tom Goodwin to contend with on Saturday, Flynn had it all his own way, receiving a perfect 10 Coaches MVP Award votes as a result.
Lower Plenty will take that confidence into a game against an opponent that is looking to avoid a fifth straight loss.
Despite almost securing an important victory away from home last week, the Saints have struggled to re-capture the form that saw them sit comfortably in the top five after two weeks and they don’t look anywhere near the side that defeated the Bears by 60 points in Round 1.
James Lucente continues to make valuable contributions to the scoreboard and still leads the competition goalkicking charts with 29 majors, while strong games from the likes of Austin Sinclair, as well as Kobe and Teague Van Zwienen will give them confidence heading into the back half of the regular season.
After this game, Watsonia faces Panton Hill, St Mary’s and Thomastown, all sides that are within two games from them on the ladder, meaning the four points here is a must if they are to approach those battles with any momentum.
Like South Morang, Diamond Creek is also looking of making it five consecutive wins as they do battle with Northcote Park at Coventry Oval.
The Creekers have won their last four games by an average of approximately 36 points, solidifying the top spot in the process as they look to mount a serious premiership charge.
They were on the ball in a 26-point triumph over Thomastown last week with multiple contributors again involved in the victory.
Jacob Booth has been hard to ignore since joining the side in Round 3. He’s kicked 12 goals in the five games he’s played in 2023, being named the best in four of those matches.
His run of form has coincided with Tarwan Rennie’s, who has been super impressive since his side’s win over Eltham in Round 6, whether it’s playing a role in the midfield or up forward.
They’ll look to topple Northcote Park for the second time this year, with the Cougars coming into this game after a return to the winner’s list.
They defeated Watsonia in a tight four-point triumph at home to move into the top five.
Damon Marcon’s move to the wing was pivotal in the triumph, as he played his best game of the season and also still managed to contribute to the scoreboard. Benjamin Augustus also impressed, with two final-quarter goals sealing the win.
While they’ve claimed five wins in 2023, Stephen Saddington’s side is still struggling to score big totals, with only Epping and Lower Plenty scoring less in this year’s campaign.
Coming up against a side that has only conceded 39 points a game, Northcote Park will look to buck the trend and prove they can contend with the best in the competition.
Another side desperate to return to winning ways is Thomastown, but they will be favoured to do so when they host Epping at Main Street Recreation Reserve.
The Bears have won just six of a possible 20 points in their last five games and are currently six points adrift from the top five.
They were no match for Diamond Creek last Saturday, unable to make the most of the wind when in its favour, leaving them without a win in three consecutive games.
Again, Tyrone Leonardis continues to impose his will on every contest, with his performances highlighted by a clear lead in the Coaches MVP Award leaderboard.
Daniel Caruso is also continuing to produce an underrated season and is undoubtedly in the conversation for a Team of the Year spot by the season’s end.
Epping meanwhile continues to get blown away in second halves despite promising open quarters, which was evident again in their heavy defeat to St Mary’s last week.
In fact, despite having just one win to their name, they have won five of nine first quarters in 2023, all five coming against sides not currently in the top five. The Blues have also won more first quarters than Thomastown and led by 16 points in the first break in their Round 1 clash this year before suffering a big loss.
Leigh Judd stood tall in the backline despite the loss and while the efforts of Jordan Hollow have been great, they’ll hope for some more contributors this weekend.
The Bears are in a vulnerable position, but Epping would still need to produce an outstanding four-quarter performance to cause an upset away from home.
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