TULLAMARINE v WESTMEADOWS
Saturday 2:15pm at Leo Dineen Reserve
WE are back to where we started, with all the teams having played each other once.
A clear top four has established itself with Tullamarine and Westmeadows right in the middle of it.
This shapes up as the match of the round across all the grades.
The Demons sit atop the ladder having not lost since Round 2, even though they haven’t hit full form as of yet.
They come into this match-up on the back of a strong win against Roxburgh Park.
In a result that was to be expected, the Demons won every quarter in the 87-point win.
There were plenty of targets up forward for the Demons, with Brad Allen kicking five goals and Ryan Pretty and Blair Cronin with four goals each
The Bartrops, Adam and Dean, both had good games, along with Adam Scott.
But the win came at a cost, though, with Anthony Prestia and Tim Barresi both suffering injuries that will rule them out for a number of weeks.
It couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Demons, with matches against the Tigers and Craigieburn in the next two weeks.
The Demons have shown they’ve got plenty of depth and will certainly need it.
The Tigers will be fresh after two weeks off with the bye and the Queen’s Birthday break.
There wasn’t much between the Demons and Tigers in Round 1, with a poor third quarter proving costly for Westmeadows.
They will be hoping that they can put four quarters together and get one back over the rival Demons here.
WEST COBURG v ROXBURGH PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Shore Reserve
After a tough period, West Coburg has started to find some form and been able to move up the ladder.
They beat Oak Park and Taylors Lakes in successive rounds and weren’t far off adding the scalp of East Keilor last week.
Had they beaten East Keilor, it would have put West Coburg back into finals contention.
It was a match that could have gone either way, with no more than 10 points separating the sides at any of the breaks.
The Cougars, though, were able to get over the line in the end.
Liam Bowkett continued his good form with five goals, while Dane Lucas was named the Burgers’ best in the loss.
If recent form is anything to go by, the Magpies will be in for a tough day.
Roxburgh Park has continued to show positives signs in all of its matches, despite not necessarily getting the wins.
Against top side Tullamarine, the Magpies were competitive at stages, but in the end unable to match them.
Luke Capuano kicked four goals for the Magpies to be their standout.
If the Magpies are able to put together a strong four-quarter performance, they may be able to push the Burgers.
HILLSIDE v OAK PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Hillside Reserve
This is a must win match for Hillside and its finals hopes.
On paper, the Sharks will go into the match as clear favourites and they can’t afford to drop it with the side sitting two games outside the top four.
They need to step up their form after a poor performance against Craigieburn.
The Sharks were slow out of the blocks against the Eagles and trailed by 41 points at the main break.
They kept that margin in the second quarter, before the Eagles blew out the margin in the second half.
Four players kicked two goals each for the Sharks, with ruckmen Lachlan Rayner and Liam Johnstone, midfielder Victor Micallef and third-gamer Bailey Ryan their best contributors.
Hillside does have a couple of injury concerns, finishing last week’s game with no fit players on the bench, including Kye Rishworth with a suspected ACL injury.
If it’s a must win for the Sharks, it’s even more important for Oak Park.
Halfway through the season the Kangaroos are winless and sit two games behind Roxburgh Park and Taylors Lakes, making them clear favourites for relegation.
Against Taylors Lakes last week, the Kangaroos were in the game in the first quarter before the Lions kicked away.
The Lions were able to build the lead through the second half, handing the Kangaroos another loss.
Jack Pascu and Liam Molloy kicked two goals each for the Kangaroos, while Harrison Wilson was named their best.
A good start for the Kangaroos this week will be the key to put the pressure back on the Sharks.
TAYLORS LAKES v EAST KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Lionheart Reserve
Can Taylors Lakes prevent a repeat of Round 1?
The last time these two teams met it got ugly and the Cougars sent an early message to the competition they would be a side to watch.
Not much has changed since then, as the Cougars are in the top four and the Lions are down towards the bottom of the ladder.
The Lions will take some confidence coming into the match on the back of their second win of the year last week.
They proved too strong for Oak Park in the bottom-of-the-table clash and put together a good four-quarter performance.
Jake Hobbs kicked five goals in a best-on-ground display with Brett Thorson and Trent Forbes also having good games.
With a new side it was always going to take some time for the Lions to click and they will be hoping this is the start of a good run home.
It will be a tough ask against East Keilor though, which is coming off a run of four tough matches.
Having played the other three top teams in recent weeks, it didn’t get easier for the Cougars against West Coburg.
The Burgers pushed the Cougars all the way at Overland Reserve last week, but the hosts did enough to come away with the win.
Ethan Langwell kicked four goals for the Cougars, while Jordan Madden was their best.
