Pascoe Vale are now a game clear in second place on the ladder following their 13-point victory over East Keilor.
The first half was mostly played between the arcs with neither team able to establish firm ascendency.
The Panthers went into the main break with a four-goal lead after keeping the Cougars goalless, but East Keilor were never out of it.
They kicked four goals in the third quarter and snatched the lead, where it was back and forth for the remainder of the game.
Pascoe Vale kicked two goals late, including one after the siren, to run away with the win.
Will Hoare, Matt Stillman, and Lachlan Stredwick were key pillars in defence for the Panthers while Matt Watson kicked three goals to go with some important minutes in the engine room.
Matt Dennis was instrumental for the Cougars all game in a tough ruck battle with Michael Sikora, while Frank Campisi and Chris Stewart kicked three goals each.
Airport West have come alive in the top flight winning three of their last four following a winless first month of footy.
Their latest victory was a 101-point thumping of Maribyrnong Park which boasted 10 individual goal scorers, six of which kicked two or more.
Tyson Young was a standout for the Eagles along with Ned Gentile (five goals) as they currently sit a game out of finals (Strathmore and Aberfeldie yet to play).
They’ve well and truly moved themselves out of the relegation mix with some strong performances against 2022 finalists and they could be an interesting watch as the season progresses.
Rookie Me Division One is no stranger to bags of snags and Luke Goater and Omar Saad have delivered again with nine goals each.
Goater has spent most of his 2023 in the VFL playing for Footscray where he’s kicked 13 goals from eight games, but has been pivotal for Deer Park in the three games he’s played.
He has kicked 13 goals in those three games as well and could be a key difference for the Lions come the end of the season.
Saad has again created some separation at the top of the Division One goal kicking tally with his second bag of nine for the year.
After kicking one goal in Round 1, he’s kicked three goals three times, six goals, and seven goals to bring his tally to 41 coming into the bye.
Back to back losses have seen Oak Park’s reign at the top of the Strathmore Community Bank Division Two ladder ended, with the 6-1 Northern Saints taking their place.
Burnside Heights knocked off the Kangaroos in comfortable fashion by 31 points at Tenterfield Drive with 12 individual goal scorers, a healthy spread.
Northern Saints meanwhile defeated Taylors Lakes with ease, a battle that was set to shape the top four with both sides flying.
Khoder Taleb kicked four for the Saints with Ahmed Elbaba and Peter Dispenzeri named their best.
Oak Park and Taylors Lakes will have a chance to rectify their losses after the bye when they face off at JP Fawkner Reserve.
Westmeadows have done the double and secured their second win against Maribyrnong Park in 2023, which now puts them in a three-team race for fourth position on the ladder.
They tied up the wins column with Marby on three for the season, while Keilor stopped the bleeding from their four losses in a row to record their third win.
Keilor sits above the two of them with a healthy percentage, while Westmadows would be relying on wins to work their way into the four, or a number of incredibly big wins to make up the percentage difference.
With six games left, it could be an interesting watch to see who can build some momentum.
Five goals from Nicolette Paschalis moved her to first place on the Airport Toyota Division One goal kicking tally with 31 for the season.
She has edged out her teammate in Alisa Magri whose two goals moves her to 30 for the season.
After some big bags to start the season, Burnside Heights’ Kayla Ravanello has reignited her sharpshooting abilities kicking seven goals against Tullamarine.
She now sits equal second with 30 goals, with the race for the top spot well and truly on. Especially when you throw Charlotte Noonan in the mix who has 28 goals despite missing the last two games.
Pascoe Vale has recorded their first win of the season following their 33-point triumph over Maribyrnong Park 2.
They led from start to finish, keeping Marby scoreless for the first half.
Scarlet Cusmano and Milla Murphy each kicked two goals, with Jesse Dupuy named their best.
In other results, Sunbury Kangaroos bagged their second win after defeating Westmeadows 2 by 43 points, Airport West beat Aberfeldie 2 by 84 points, and Coburg Districts beat Moonee Valley 2 by seven points.
