STRATHMORE 11.12-78 def. AVONDALE HEIGHTS 6.4-40
STRATHMORE have been unstoppable, winning four out of their last five matches and sitting comfortably in third spot with nine wins and four losses on the Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division ladder.
It’s been a big turnaround from their poor start to the season.
With Avondale Heights coming out strong, they grabbed the lead by eight points going into the first break, as they have against many teams this season.
However, the experience of Strathmore’s midfield was too strong for the Heights, with Andrew Horne leading the charge to get Strathmore on top by half time.
Strathmore then ran away with the game.
With two big outs in Matt Knight and Samuel O’Loughlin, Strathmore aimed to bring up the young stars of the club.
The injection of Under 19.5s player Kyle Weightman proved to be very beneficial as he snagged two goals and featured in the bests on his senior debut.
Matthew Darby impressed for the Heights, kicking two goals and putting his name in the bests.
MARIBYRNONG PARK 3.11-29 def. by GREENVALE 9.16-70
A very low-scoring game for two strong sides of the competition, but the windy and miserable conditions proved to wreck the rhythm for most teams on the weekend.
Greenvale scored its second-lowest score of the 2017 season against Maribyrnong Park.
The visitors were able to control the game for four quarters at Monk Oval.
Coming out firing in the first, the Jets were already three goals up before the second quarter and put themselves in a good position for the rest of the day.
The conditions weren’t made for a miracle comeback but with plenty of inaccuracy for the Lions in front of goal, it wasn’t really their day to begin with.
There were only a handful of goals kickers for the Lions, with no player scoring multiple goals.
However, Jake Byrush and John McKenzie impressed as they both featured in the bests.
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS 4.11-35 def. by PASCOE VALE 11.9-75
Pascoe Vale look like they are on a mission after knocking off another strong competitor on the weekend.
It is just a shame they have left their impressive streak a little too late.
Winning four out of their last five games, Pascoe Vale have dumbfounded the rest of the competition and probably even themselves.
Jumping up two spots on the Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division ladder, they may still be able to cause some upsets in the final five games of the season.
On the other hand, following five ins for Essendon Doutta Stars on the weekend with the likes of Shylo Smith coming back into the side, the Stars still didn’t manage to perform to the best of their ability.
Brad Langtry and Nathan Kazuro were standouts for Essendon Doutta Stars.
ABERFELDIE 14.20-104 def. CRAIGIEBURN 3.1-19
Another strong win by Aberfeldie puts them two games clear of third spot.
Aberfeldie seem to have all areas covered as they have always been a well-structured side in Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division.
Joel Madden led the side to a win.
With seven goals and a best-on performance, he couldn’t do much wrong on the weekend and was very hard to stop while pushing forward.
Dean Blackwell and Ryan Allan both featured in the bests yet again for the home side.
With five games left for the 2017 season, it will be interesting to see whether Craigieburn can show a little bit of grit and steal a win.
WEST COBURG 4.2-26 def. by KEILOR 16.8-104
Keilor’s ability to be accurate in front of goal helped them grab the points at Coburg City Oval.
Although the conditions weren’t ideal, Keilor managed to kick straight, which helped them get on top of West Coburg and stay in control.
If there is any side that is going to do it though, Keilor is the one.
Dean Galea rarely misses, kicking five goals and featuring in the bests in what was a day out.
Andrew Browne was also impressive with a best-on-ground performance for Keilor.
Harrison Tanner tried to keep the home side in it but it just wasn’t enough, as he earned a best-on honours for West Coburg, while Angelos Sidhom scored nearly all of the team's goals with three for the day.
Keilor are a game outside the four as they bite on the heels of Maribyrnong Park, whose form hasn’t been up to scratch of late.
The race for finals is going to come down to the wire.
