A tight Round One proved not much will separate the teams in Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division this season.
Both Pascoe Vale and East Keilor came away with victories in the season's opening round and the contest at Raeburn Reserve is set to be a tantalising one.
The devastating news to come out of the Panthers 20-point victory over Glenroy on the weekend was the serious knee injury to Paul Ahern.
With a history of troublesome knees, it's hard to see if Ahern will be back for Digby Morrell's side this year.
While it was a major blow for Pascoe Vale, the Panthers still possess plenty of talent at their disposal.
Matthew Watson kick started this season with a three-goal haul against Glenroy and is sure to be handful for the Cougars.
Brandon Coletta's move forward was able to spur a second-half come back for East Keilor against Douttas on the weekend but if Watson is firing, the crucial defender may be required full time in the defensive arc.
Be sure to tune in from 2pm thanks to Cluch TV and 98.9 North West FM as the Panthers and Cougars go head-to-head on the Nena and Pasadena Match of the Day.
Greenvale will host Glenroy at Section Road come Saturday with both teams seeking their first win of the season.
Both teams put together valiant efforts last week but the score lines suggest both sides are a step off the pace of the division's top teams.
The Jets will appreciate being back at home on the wide open spaces of Section Road but will need to find some more avenues to goal with just one multiple goal scorer in their opening game against Keilor.
For the Roys, some of their fresh faces were able to make an immediate impact with Hayden Clarke, Matt Shannon and Tom Bracher all named amongst Ross Terranova's bests last week.
If we are to see Glenroy finally make that jump up the premier division ladder, a win on the weekend is certainly a step in the right direction.
Aberfeldie were able to secure a strong Round One victory over Maribyrnong Park last week and will travel to Nipper Jordan Oval this week hoping to go 2-0.
Douttas were able to produce a solid first half against East Keilor but were blown away in the second half conceding seven goals to three.
Karl Brown was the standout in the Douttas' forward line, snagging four goals, but will have his work cut out for him on the weekend with the likes of Luke Davis, Tye Browning and Daniel Thompson floating around the Abers' defensive 50.
Look out for the combination of Meese and Marcon on the weekend as the ruck and coach combined beautifully in Round One.
And under lights at Monk Oval, Maribyrnong Park will play host to local rivals Avondale Heights.
Both teams came away from Round One winless and victory on the weekend would be a major boost to either side.
When these sides met last season in the penultimate round of 2021, it resulted in a draw at Canning Reserve with Avondale Heights kicking 9.13-67 to 10.7-67.
We know conditions can be tough down at Monk Oval if the breeze picks up and in a 7pm fixture, there's always a chance it'll be a slippery footy on Saturday night.
With both sides evenly matched, whoever can make the most of their opportunities will go a long way to winning this game.
There were no major shocks to come out of Round One but a number of close results suggests Strathmore Community Bank Division One could be wide open this season.
There will be an Eagle-off when Craigieburn welcomes Airport West to DS Aitken Reserve.
It will be the first time these two sides have met since 2018 after the two teams traded places in premier and division one at the conclusion of the 2019 season.
This weekend's clash will look much different to Airport West's win back in Round 14, 2018, with just a handful of players still lining up for their teams last weekend.
For Craigieburn, Jamie Georgievski, Jordan Lobosco and Brett Gordan still all remain, while at Airport West, no surprises to see stalwart Clayton Rogers named on both team sheets four years apart, alongside Daniel Sinnott, Ronald Hackney, Lachie Di Sebastiano and Ben Nelson.
With Craigieburn on the build and Airport West pushing for premiership glory, the away Eagles will go in favourites here.
Roxburgh Park will travel to Salesian College for its first time to take on Rupertswood.
With last season cut short, the Magpies never made it up Sunbury Road in 2021.
It was the Sharks who took home the four points from Lakeside Oval last year so expect the Magpies to be hungry for some payback as the away team this time around.
Rupo are looking more potent up forward this season with new recruits Zak Saad and Ben Said hitting the scoreboard in Round One and they'll look to stretch the Magpies at home.
But if Jack Elliot and Harley Short can get on top with the rest of their midfield brigade, the service from the midfield might not be there.
The game of the weekend may well be at Willowbrook Reserve with Westmeadows hosting West Coburg.
The Burgers spent most of Round One in control against Craigieburn with Lynden Dunn snagging four goals and Liam Bowkett named best-on-ground.
But you would expect the Tigers to provide a much greater test this week.
Westmeadows were able to flex their muscle in the second half against Moonee Valley in Round One with Omar Saad and Mitch Church combining for nine goals.
The ruck combination of Ferras Mehri and Jason Kenneth will keep plenty of teams on their toes.
Speaking of Moonee Valley, it doesn't get any easier for the Fog with a trip to Leo Dineen Reserve set for Saturday.
The Fog battled manfully in Round One with the likes of Bevan Newell, Ned Wilson and new recruits John O'Brien and Will Agius leading the way, but the task of Tullamarine is not a light one.
Under lights against the Sunbury Kangaroos in Round One, Shaun McKernan failed to hit the scoreboard but his presence up the ground was felt.
The former AFL big man was clunking marks everywhere and bringing his teammates into the play.
With Saturday set to be a perfect Autumn day, some clean delivery from the Tulla midfield could see the Demons' forwards dine out.
Hadfield provided the big upset of Round One, knocking off the highly fancied Keilor Park by two points on the road.
The Hawks will return home on the weekend with Burnside Heights making the trip to Martin Reserve.
In this fixture last season, we saw Hadfield assert some dominance over the Bears with Keegan Shrimpton best-on-ground that day.
While Shrimpton won't take the field on Saturday as he recovers from a knee injury, the Hawks may have the perfect replacement in Rhys Gleisner.
The big ruck was in fine form in Round One and will relish the chance to put up a similar performance in front of his home fans.
The big question for the Bears heading into Round One was how they would fill the hole of Josh Covelli up front.
While they were able to find a nice spread of goals with seven individual goal kickers, the question remains as to who will take the mantle of the Bears' big forward threat.
The Northern Saints were the big winners to come out of Round One putting Jacana to the sword to the tune of 192 points.
The Saints will want to back that performance up with another strong showing, this time at home against Taylors Lakes.
With the inaccurate Lions going down to Coburg Districts last week, Charles Cuzzupi will be looking for a rise from his side to kick start their season.
Expect the result from this game to give a greater indication of where these two sides will sit in the bigger 2022 picture.
And finally, Oak Park will welcome Jacana to JP Fawkner Reserve to round out the fixture.
The Kangaroos were one of many sides who had trouble in front of the sticks in Round One but did what good teams do and just got the job done against Burnside Heights.
They'll be looking for a more clinical performance this week against the Jags.
For the team in purple and gold, last weeks 5.4-34 score line was its highest total since its comeback at the beginning of 2021, suggesting the improvement is coming for Jacana.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
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PASCOE VALE v EAST KEILOR
🎥 Cluch TV
📻 98.9 North West FM
Saturday 2:15pm at Raeburn Reserve
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS v ABERFELDIE
Saturday 2:15pm at Nipper Jordan Oval
GREENVALE v GLENROY
Saturday 2:15pm at Greenvale Recreation Reserve
MARIBYRNONG PARK v AVONDALE HEIGHTS
Saturday 7pm at Monk Oval
RUPERTSWOOD v ROXBURGH PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Salesian College - Oval 1
CRAIGIEBURN v AIRPORT WEST
Saturday 2:15pm at DS Aitken Reserve
TULLAMARINE v MOONEE VALLEY
Saturday 2:15pm at Leo Dineen Reserve
WESTMEADOWS v WEST COBURG
Saturday 2:15pm at Willowbrook Reserve
OAK PARK v JACANA
Saturday 2:15pm at JP Fawkner Reserve
NORTHERN SAINTS v TAYLORS LAKES
Saturday 2:15pm at Charles Mutton Reserve
HADFIELD v BURNSIDE HEIGHTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Martin Reserve
