Keilor will look to keep it rolling when they face Airport West at Joe Brown Oval.
The Blues have started as well as expected with two commanding wins over Strathmore and Deer Park to start the season.
Airport West meanwhile, put forward a gallant showing in their Round 1 clash with an Aberfeldie side tipped to get back to their winning ways.
Matt Hanson brought the brilliance that he is revered for in his first game in green and white and will join Ned Gentile and Tyson Young in going head-to-head with a stacked Keilor midfield boasting the likes of Nick O’Kearney, Corey Ellis, and Josh Honey.
Keilor’s lack of a genuine ruck has yet to hurt them, utilising Jermarl Daly and Blair Wyllie yet again, but it’ll be an area Airport West will want to exploit with their tall stocks highlighted by the mobile Isaac Cullen and Jed Brereton.
Cody Brand has provided a forward target for the Blues since the departure of Matt Clark and kicked a bag of five last week.
With Karl Brown kicking eight goals against the Eagles in Round 1, Brent Taylor will be keen to nullify the impact of Brand.
Greenvale and Deer Park will both be looking to bounce back from Round 1 losses when they meet at Section Road.
Deer Park faced a tough initiation against Keilor and will be hoping they can welcome back some best 22 players unavailable last week, while the Jets succumbed to Avondale Heights in one of the more surprising results of the opening weekend.
Time will tell how that loss will sit for Greenvale who lost some experience in the offseason and weren’t all that active in replacing them.
They’ll still be optimistic about their finals prospects having finished fifth in 2023, but Deer Park will be hungry to bank some wins and prove they belong in the top flight.
Aberfeldie enjoyed a strong first outing last week and will host an East Keilor outfit hungry to bounce back at Clifton Park.
The two blues controlled Airport West from start to finish and kept them at a comfortable distance, whereas the Cougars were blown out of the water early and were the ones being controlled.
New faces were prominent for both sides in their first feature but it was Karl Brown, who had an interrupted 2023 season, booting eight goals who provided headaches for the Airport West defence.
East Keilor leaked 20 goals and can’t allow the likes of Brown, Josh Kemp, and Ben Ronke to let loose.
They’ll need an improved effort in each third of the ground if they’re to collect the win.
A buoyed Avondale Heights will be looking to build on a strong win in Round 1 when they play Essendon Doutta Stars at Canning Reserve.
The Heights took the four points against finals fancy Greenvale with their new recruits showing out as they comprised half of their named best players and seven of their nine goals.
Essendon Doutta Stars suffered a heavy defeat to Pascoe Vale and will be wanting to work their young group into the season with a win.
These sides took a win apiece against each other in 2023 with Declan Tully starring on both occasions for Douttas.
Raeburn Reserve will play host to a preliminary final rematch when Pascoe Vale looks to make amends against Strathmore after both sides enjoyed dominant Round 1 wins.
Sunny Brazier kicked five for the Panthers in a best-on-ground performance with new recruit Jake Moorhead also among the best performers.
Pascoe Vale will be hoping to get some continuity out of Paul Ahern who featured against Douttas and almost acts as a new recruit having played just nine games across the previous two seasons.
For Strathmore, their forward line was much more efficient with Athan Tsialtas, Amin Naim, and Mitch Purcell each kicking four goals in an incredibly accurate 20.8 performance in front of goal.
The two 2023 home and away games between these two sides were decided by eight points or less with each side taking a win.
Keilor Park and Rupertswood will both search for their first win when they take each other on at Keilor Park Recreation Reserve.
Keilor Park improved significantly from their Good Friday opener to come within a goal against Roxburgh Park in a well-fought-out contest.
Rupo meanwhile, had a tough first outing against St Albans and will be wanting to dampen the impact of a tough offseason with an early win.
The Devils won the first meeting between these two sides in 2023 before Rupo won the second, but there’ll be some significant changes to the personnel of both sides come Saturday.
Oak Park are searching for their first win back in Division One in what will be their third fixture as Tullamarine make their first appearance after a Round 1 bye.
The Kangaroos have lost both of their games with Marby getting the better of them, before Moonee Valley stormed home against them in Round 1.
It was an improved showing having led at the final change, but they’ll face a Tullamarine side hungry to get back to their consistent best after a lean 2023.
Dave Connell has enjoyed a full preseason with the group after taking over midway through last season, and will be rejuvenated with improved fitness to some existing key players and the inclusions of Michael Sikora and Jake Long.
It’ll be the first time since July 2019 when Oak Park last played Tullamarine.
St Albans and Roxburgh Park are each looking for their second win of the season when they play at Kings Park Reserve.
The Saints got off to a strong start against Rupertswood with Josh Carter at his best with four goals, while they were also able to unveil Atu Bosenavulagi in what was a strong performance.
Roxy found more avenues to goal in Round 1 after struggling to impact the scoreboard on Good Friday despite controlling periods of the contest.
These sides met just once last season with St Albans winning by 11 points, with this Saturday being the first time the Magpies will head to Kings Park.
West Coburg will remain at the Shoretress and take on another contender in Hillside.
The Burgers managed a 16-point win against Maribyrnong Park in Round 1, while Hillside are coming off two good wins.
They were dominant against Keilor Park and enjoyed a comfortable enough win against finals fancy Craigieburn, but will be wanting to put it together for four quarters to take it up against one of the premiership favourites.
Josh Covelli remains the key target coming off a bag of seven and has enjoyed the company of Nat Caruso in that forward half, but it’ll be interesting to see how they operate considering the propensity for congestion at Shore Reserve.
West Coburg will be relishing the early challenges, as the Sharks will get a good idea of where their new-look outfit stacks up.
Maribyrnong Park will be looking to get back on the winner’s list when they take on Moonee Valley in their first game at Monk Oval in season 2024.
It’s a footy festival by the river with this game taking place under lights.
Marby enjoyed a strong win against Oak Park and were then inaccurate against West Coburg which prevented them from drawing closer than the 16-point margin that stood at the final siren.
Moonee Valley on the other hand stormed home to take a comfortable win against Oak Park in the end.
The Fog will fancy their chances at pushing up the ladder and will get a good idea of where they sit against a big-bodied, experienced Marby outfit.
A local rivalry is reignited with Hadfield set to take on Glenroy for the first time in Division Two.
Hadfield were beaten comprehensively in Round 1 and will be hoping for an improved showing, while it’ll be our first look at Glenroy who’ve had an optimistic offseason.
The Hawks were competitive in the first quarter against Burnside Heights but with a range of new faces in the senior group, it may take some time before they start to gel.
Glenroy have been able to bring some people back to the club like the Kite brothers along with a number of big-bodied recruits.
The Roys will be eager to regain some on-field success and they’ll have their first opportunity on Saturday.
Northern Saints will host Burnside Heights at Charles Mutton Reserve in what should be an exciting contest.
The Bears unveiled their new recruits in a dominant victory under lights against Hadfield, while Northern Saints went down to Coburg Districts in a close contest.
The talls of Burnside Heights may pose a challenge for Tamer Abdallah’s men, but they play an unpredictable, exciting brand which also makes it tough for opposition sides.
Northern Saints will be hungry to get in the winner’s column and will want to replicate their two home and away wins against Burnside Heights in 2023, while Cole Harvey will want to show what his side is made of against a finals fancy.
Westmeadows will face Coburg Districts for the first time when they meet at Willowbrook Reserve.
Both sides are coming off good wins but for different reasons – Westy were dominant against East Sunbury in a landslide victory, while Coburg Districts held off Northern Saints in a close contest.
The Tigers maintain an air of mystery but will be better placed following their clash with the Lions who have solidified themselves as a strong competitor in this division for a number of years.
It’ll be a local derby to round out the weekend’s action when Sunbury Kangaroos and East Sunbury face each other under lights at Eric Boardman Reserve.
Neither side picked up the win in Round 1 with varying margins but will look to get on the winner’s list in a footy frenzy in Sunbury.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
AVONDALE HEIGHTS v ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS
Saturday 2:15pm at Canning Reserve
ABERFELDIE v EAST KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Clifton Park
GREENVALE v DEER PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Greenvale Recreation Reserve
KEILOR v AIRPORT WEST
Saturday 2:15pm at Joe Brown Oval
PASCOE VALE v STRATHMORE
Saturday 2:15pm at Raeburn Reserve
OAK PARK v TULLAMARINE
Saturday 2:15pm at JP Fawkner Reserve
KEILOR PARK v RUPERTSWOOD
Saturday 2:15pm at Keilor Park Recreation Reserve
ST ALBANS v ROXBURGH PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Kings Park Reserve
WEST COBURG v HILLSIDE
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Saturday 2:15pm at Shore Reserve
MARIBYRNONG PARK v MOONEE VALLEY
Saturday 7:00pm at Monk Oval
NORTHERN SAINTS v BURNSIDE HEIGHTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Charles Mutton Reserve
HADFIELD v GLENROY
Saturday 2:15pm at Martin Reserve
WESTMEADOWS v COBURG DISTRICTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Willowbrook Reserve
SUNBURY KANGAROOS v EAST SUNBURY
Saturday 6:30pm at Eric Boardman Reserve
