By Luke Mathews
Keilor will be hoping to avoid a 0-2 start in a blockbuster clash against Aberfeldie at Joe Brown Oval.
After going undefeated for large parts of the last three home and away seasons, the Blues went down to Strathmore on Good Friday by 37 points.
Aberfeldie had the perfect start to season 2026 defeating Deer Park by five points in Leigh Tudor’s first game as head coach.
The two sides last met back in Round 13 with Keilor once again proving to be too good, defeating Abers by 52 points.
Keilor has won its past six encounters with Aberfeldie with the Rillas' last win against Mick McGuane’s side coming in Round 13 of 2022.
One to keep an eye on at Joe Brown is Tom McGuane if VFL availability allows it.
The youngster slotted back into Keilor’s side seamlessly finishing with 29 disposals and 123 ranking points in the loss against Strathmore.
Both sides have plenty of young talent on display and it will be an intriguing watch to see who can make a name for themselves on Saturday.
Deer Park will be looking for its first win of 2026 when it takes on Hillside at John McLeod Reserve.
Jamie Madigan’s side were gallant in defeat last weekend against Aberfeldie going down in a nailbiter against Aberfeldie.
Hillside was competitive in the first half against Pascoe Vale on Good Friday, but was disappointing in the second half and went down by 58 points.
The two teams last squared off when they were both in Division One back in 2023, with Deer Park winning by 127 points.
One for Deer Park to stop on Saturday will be Nick Fluke.
The defender had no issues stepping up to Premier Division footy collecting 42 disposals with 14 intercepts on Good Friday.
Conversely, the Lions roared to life in the second half last week, and will take some stopping from Hillside.
Strathmore will be looking to continue its good start to the year when it meets with Essendon Doutta Stars at Nipper Jordan Oval.
The Mores haven’t lost a game since Round 18 last year and continued their winning ways with a 37-point victory over Keilor on Good Friday.
After a strong end to 2025, Douttas had a rough start to 2026, going down to Airport West by 13 points.
The two sides famously played out a draw in Round 17 which ultimately denied the Stars a top-five finish in the end.
For Douttas to win they’ll need to stop Liam Cavanagh.
Last year’s runner up in the Reynolds Medal hasn’t missed a beat to start 2026, collecting 33 disposals and 15 marks in his first outing for the season.
The Stars will have plenty of big men in their lineup and will need to hatch a plan if they are to nullify one of the competition’s best defenders.
Pascoe Vale will be trying to go 2-0 to start 2026 when it hosts Greenvale at Raeburn Reserve.
The Panthers started 2026 with a bang, defeating Hillside by 58 points on Good Friday in Daniel Harris’ first game as full-time coach.
Greenvale was brave in its Round 1 clash against Maribyrnong Park, however the Jets couldn’t get the four points and went down by three points.
The teams played out two thrillers in 2025, with Greenvale winning the first clash by five points and the second by eight points.
In the Round 3 clash it was Ryan Townsend that stepped up to kick the match winning goal, while in Round 12 the Jets hung on in a tense last quarter that only saw one goal kicked.
A big watch on Saturday will be the performance of Matt Stillman.
The defender crossed back to Greenvale after six seasons in red and black which included captaining the club in 2024 and 2025.
Despite going down last week the defender dominated, finishing with 21 disposals and 12 tackles.
Pascoe Vale has plenty of crafty forwards that will be looking to test out their former skipper this Saturday.
Airport West and Maribyrnong Park’s good starts will go on the line when they square off at Monk Oval for the Airport Toyota Cup.
The Eagles were very impressive in their Round 1 clash taking down Essendon Doutta Stars by 13 points.
Despite going in as favourites, Marby ground their way to three-point win over Greenvale, with some last quarter magic getting them over the line.
In their two clashes for 2025, Brent Taylor’s side came away with two wins, winning by 18 points in Round 5 and 25 points in Round 14.
Both encounters were close at three quarter time, however the Eagles overran the Lions kicking 11 last quarter goals in the two games combined.
For Marby to win they’ll need to stop Matt Hanson.
The superstar midfielder stepped up last weekend in Tyson Young’s absence, amassing 33 disposals and 11 clearances.
The Marby midfield was solid last week winning contested possessions by five and clearances by three, and will need more of the same this week if they hope to claim the four points.
By Ben Parker
Football will remain at Canning Reserve for another week with Avondale Heights set to host Tullamarine in what looms as an important bout for both sides.
The hosts will be looking to make it two from two after their emphatic win over East Keilor last week, which saw them pile on eight unanswered goals in a dominant third quarter of football.
They get another chance here for an early season win, with Tullamarine unable to enter the winner’s circle last week.
Yet the Dees cannot be overlooked, and they showed a lot of fight in their season opener against Craigieburn.
The Dees only fell by seven points, indicative signs of a potentially more prosperous 2026 campaign.
Keegan Radecki will again be one to watch over the course of the game, as will livewire recruit Lucas Scerri.
Meanwhile for the Heights, Blake Cochrane is the starting point after a brilliant performance last week.
Cochrane set Canning Reserve alight with 45 disposals, 13 clearances, and a goal which will no doubt see that he polls very well in the votes.
If he’s on again, look out.
Oak Park will host West Coburg in a mouth-watering clash between two Division One heavyweights at JP Fawkner Reserve.
With both sides featuring prominently in September last year, this match is certainly the highlight of the round.
An even split between these two last year almost guarantees that this bout will be no different; tight, contested, and hot early.
For the Roos, they return home for the first time this season, a ground in which they only tasted defeat at once last year.
They took care of the up-and-coming Ruperstwood in Round 1 and will be looking to make an early statement with a win here.
It won’t come easy though with the guests fresh off a convincing win over the fancied Taylors Lakes on Good Friday.
Brandon Ellis and Ruairi Cleary are the two to watch throughout the game. Highly influential players, these two could slice this game open in crunch time.
While for the Roos, Michael Dalrymple comes into this bout after a superb Round 1 effort. Elite at stoppages, his clearance work will be particularly valuable in this one.
Football returns to Kings Park this week when St Albans takes on East Keilor in what’s shaping to be an intriguing contest between the two.
The Saints were taught a lesson last week against a raging hot Moonee Valley outfit and will be looking to make a statement this week against East Keilor.
With Moonee Valley jumping them by six goals in the first quarter, they’ll be eager to start this contest off well.
Electric forward Mason Dipetta turned Kings Park into his own personal backyard last season having a sensational year with 36 goals and finishing the season in sixth position for goals kicked.
While for East Keilor, they need to answer some questions this week after another disappointing result.
After a competitive first half, the Cougars were put to the sword by Avondale Heights in a second half demolition job.
In what is a massive opportunity for them, expect East Keilor to improve here.
A great test awaits Moonee Valley when it travels to Lionheart Reserve to take on Taylors Lakes.
The Valley, who last week recorded one of their more memorable wins in recent years, will be looking to continue their scintillating start to the season.
While they made a mess of St Albans in their season opener last week, a greater challenge awaits them here in the Lion’s Den.
Taylors lakes failed to fire in its Good Friday loss to West Coburg, but will no doubt be encouraged by their strong second half performance.
After being smashed in the contest early and conceding eight goals to only two of their own, the Lions continued on bravely to win the second half by four points.
They’ll be looking to bounce back strongly here with a win over Moonee Valley.
Lion’s big man Lachlan Rayner was back to his usual best with an impressive 36 hit outs, 28 disposals, and two goals against West Coburg on Good Friday.
He’s the one Moonee Valley may need to put some time into, while they’ll be hoping that Mitch Clarke and Luca Papsis can both produce excellent performances again.
Craigieburn will return to its home deck when it looks to make it two out two in a clash with Rupertswood at DS Aitken Reserve.
The Eagles survived on the road in a tough, low-scoring affair against Tullamarine last week, and will seek another early scalp here against quality opposition.
For Rupertswood, its first appearance back in Division One football was full of merit.
A 25-point loss to one of the premiership favourites in Oak Park is certainly a positive sign of the season to come.
The Sharks were jumped early on after proving wasteful in front of goal, and in the end, the result reflected this.
Brodie White and Riley Pappin are the two Eagles’ to keep a look out for, while for Rupertswood, Fraser Phelan-Smith will be dangerous in front of goal again.
By Leroy de Villiers
Northern Saints will be looking for an improved outing when it hosts Sunbury Kangaroos at Charles Mutton Reserve.
It was a fourth-quarter fadeout that saw the Saints go down in a big defeat at the hands of Glenroy.
The Kangaroos on the other hand were able to win a scrappy affair against Roxburgh Park by 15 points.
The Saints will need to find some scoring avenues after kicking 7.4 against the Roys.
Nick Bruno kicked two alongside Hassan Bakkar, but spearhead Khoder Taleb was held goalless.
Team selection will be an interesting watch with Anthony Petrocco and Mark Merlino missing Round 1, as well as some recruits they'll look to unveil.
Dean Young and Shanon Carroll will be hoping for a tidier display in front of goal for the Kangaroos, with 22 scores netting just seven goals.
Mitch Streiff picked up where he left off with four goals, but the Kangaroos will need more than three goalkickers on a regular basis.
Rhys Magin missed last week and will be another name to look out for in team selection.
John McMahon Recreation Reserve will again host action with East Sunbury taking on Glenroy.
The Roys were clinical last week and affirmed their status as one of the premiership favourites with a 94-point win over Northern Saints.
East Sunbury was competitive in its season opener, but ultimately went down to Hadfield by 23 points.
Daniel Micevski starred on debut for Glenroy with 38 disposals and two goals, while Jake Young and Aaron Kite each kicked five goals.
They had plenty of avenues to goal, with the likes of Micevski and Ryan Townsend adding top-flight experience.
Nick Maric was one that didn't run out to look out for at team selection, but whether he plays or not, there are weapons all over the ground.
The Thunder last week struggled to get their hands on the footy against Hadfield, but were much more efficient with it in terms of getting inside 50.
Robbie Gray boosted the Thunder outfit with 23 disposals and a goal, with Brendan Fevola kicking two goals.
James Strauss will be hoping for more bang for buck inside 50 this week to put some scoreboard pressure on the Roys.
Roxburgh Park and Burnside Heights will look to open their accounts at Lakeside Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
It was a 15-point loss for Roxburgh Park against the Sunbury Kangaroos, while the Bears went down to Westmeadows by 16 points.
Roxy enjoyed a spread of six individual goalkickers, but no multiples.
The Magpies also conceded seven scores in the final term which was no doubt affected by conditions, but Ross Terranova will be hoping for a more even spread across the team and across the game.
Travis Cooke is coming off a dominant defensive performance and will be one Bears forwards need to keep note of going the other way.
The Bears will be pleased with their Round 1 performance despite not getting the win, leading one of the premiership favourites for the first half.
They conceded six scores from seven opposition inside 50 entries in the third quarter that proved costly come the final siren.
Lachlan Evans will look to stretch Ryan Micallef in the ruck, while Anthony Petrarca will provide grunt out of the middle.
It'll be an interesting watch as both sides look to find their spot in this division.
A fascinating contest at Martin Reserve beckons with Hadfield taking on Coburg Districts.
Both teams enter with wins following their first outings with the Hawks downing the Thunder, and Districts dominating Keilor Park on Good Friday.
Hadfield controlled most of its last contest with Sam Godden, Josh Trembearth, and Jake Polizzi all finding plenty of the footy, and Mohammed Moustafa kicking four goals.
The Hawks controlled the footy and dominated clearance, and area they'll need to be on point with this weekend with Luke Viska and Angus O'Meara two bulls for Coburg Districts.
These sides last met in Round 11 last year with Districts winning by 37 points.
Jack McNamara was dominant in that game with six goals and, like every week, will require close attention.
Two sides that will be wanting to push for finals have an opportunity to get an early leg up.
Keilor Park will be hoping to bounce back when it plays Westmeadows at Willowbrook Reserve.
The Devils went down in a 76-point loss to Coburg Districts on Good Friday after conceding 16 of the last 19 goals.
They'll need to turn things around against a premiership fancy in Westmeadows which opened its account with a win over Burnside Heights.
The Tigers were made to work for it with Shaun O'Grady leading the scoring with four goals, and recruits Jack Bullock (21 disposals, two goals) and Adrian Alfonsi (two goals) shining in the win.
Keilor Park was dominated on the inside with Shylo Smith (21 disposals, eight clearances, two goals) needing some support in contest and clearance work.
The sides last met in the 2025 preliminary final where Westmeadows enjoyed a 29-point win.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
KEILOR v ABERFELDIE
Saturday 2:15pm at Joe Brown Oval
DEER PARK v HILLSIDE
Saturday 2:15pm at John McLeod Reserve
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS v STRATHMORE
Saturday 2:15pm at Nipper Jordan Oval
PASCOE VALE v GREENVALE
Saturday 2:15pm at Raeburn Reserve
MARIBYRNONG PARK v AIRPORT WEST
🎥 Streamer
Saturday 7:00pm at Monk Oval
OAK PARK v WEST COBURG
🎥 Streamer
📻 98.9 North West FM
Saturday 2:15pm at JP Fawkner Reserve
CRAIGIEBURN v RUPERTSWOOD
Saturday 2:15pm at DS Aitken Reserve
AVONDALE HEIGHTS v TULLAMARINE
Saturday 2:15pm at Canning Reserve
ST ALBANS v EAST KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Kings Park Reserve
TAYLORS LAKES v MOONEE VALLEY
Saturday 2:15pm at Lionheart Reserve
NORTHERN SAINTS v SUNBURY KANGAROOS
Saturday 2:15pm at Charles Mutton Reserve
ROXBURGH PARK v BURNSIDE HEIGHTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Lakeside Reserve
HADFIELD v COBURG DISTRICTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Martin Reserve
WESTMEADOWS v KEILOR PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Willowbrook Reserve
EAST SUNBURY v GLENROY
Saturday 2:15pm at John McMahon Recreation Reserve
