A depleted Aberfeldie outfit will be tasked with another big challenge when they take on East Keilor at Clifton Park.
Adam Marcon has been running with a much younger group than what we’ve come to expect from Aberfeldie due to injuries and unavailability, but if they’re any chance at playing finals, they need to produce a competitive outing at the very least.
The Cougars are sitting third on the ladder with two games clear of the fifth-placed Greenvale and will meet Abers for the first time this season.
With a win against Strathmore and a narrow loss to Pascoe Vale in their last month, they should be well placed in this one.
The matchup between Greenvale and Airport West is shaping up to be one of the most pivotal contests of the round.
Greenvale sit a game behind fourth-placed Strathmore with Airport West two behind, so if either team is going to make a push for finals, now’s the time to start.
Both teams are pretty evenly poised in scoring and defence and have started to kick on following a poor first month. We’ll see these two teams in the final round which could set us up for an even more important contest!
Maribyrnong Park will host Strathmore at Monk Oval with both sides facing different tasks.
Marby find themselves in the relegation mix at the moment, while the Mores will be wanting to maintain the separation they have on the Jets who are eyeing off their place in the four.
With a number of injuries to finish the game on Sunday, Strathmore’s depth may be tested.
In other games, Pascoe Vale will host Avondale Heights and Keilor will host Essendon Doutta Stars.
St Albans will travel to DS Aitken Reserve to take on Craigieburn as they look to work their way back into the top five.
They’re four points out at the moment but have shown their best footy can stack up, with fighting efforts against West Coburg and Deer Park.
Craigieburn on the other hand currently sit 3-5 and have been rather inconsistent in patches.
Their forward line will provide a challenge for St Albans, so if they’re able to get first use, they’re more than capable of pushing the Saints.
Deer Park will head to the wide expanses of Keilor Park Reserve for the first time to take on the Devils.
Keilor Park have lost their last four games after starting 3-1 and will face a tough task to stop the drought.
Deer Park have lost two games this year by less than a kick and are expected to go deep into September.
Rupertswood will host Tullamarine at Salesian College with both sides facing different rewards.
Rupo are sitting in the five while Tulla will be looking to get their name out of the relegation mix, being just one game clear of the bottom two at the moment.
Despite a victory over Deer Park, Rupo have been known to drop games to sides near or below them on the ladder.
This season, they enjoyed a narrow victory over Moonee Valley, but have lost to Roxy, Keilor Park, and St Albans.
Roxburgh Park will face Westmeadows at Lakeside Oval as they look to maintain their spot in the finals conversation.
Hillside will host Glenroy at Shark Park, and West Coburg will travel to Ormond Park to take on Moonee Valley to try and keep their undefeated streak going.
Coburg Districts will have an opportunity to rectify their Round 1 loss against Hadfield when they travel to Martin Reserve.
It was a low-scoring affair with Hadfield winning 38-32, but their seasons have followed different trajectories since that point.
The Hawks have picked up just one more win since then while the Lions have gone 4-2.
With solid wins against Burnside Heights and Northern Saints, Coburg Districts will be aiming to keep in touch with the four.
Burnside Heights will meet Sunbury Kangaroos at Tenterfield Drive for the first time since May 2019.
Their Round 1 meeting was separated by just three points, with the Bears sneaking a victory in the end.
The Kangaroos have played in some narrow losses since then but have won their last two games by comfortable margins as they seemed to have found their feet in the season.
They’ll have a chance to see if that stacks up against a side that’s well and truly in the finals hunt.
Following two successive losses, Oak Park will host Taylors Lakes as they look to get back on the winner’s list.
It won’t come easy for the Kangaroos who despite taking care of business in Round 1, will be facing a much improved Taylors Lakes outfit that currently boasts the same amount of wins for the season.
In the final game, first-placed Northern Saints will be heading to John McMahon Reserve to take on East Sunbury who are still searching for their first win of the season.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
ABERFELDIE v EAST KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Clifton Park
GREENVALE v AIRPORT WEST
Saturday 2:15pm at Greenvale Recreation Reserve
KEILOR v ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS
Saturday 2:15pm at Joe Brown Oval
MARIBYRNONG PARK v STRATHMORE
Saturday 2:15pm at Monk Oval
PASCOE VALE v AVONDALE HEIGHTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Raeburn Reserve
CRAIGIEBURN v ST ALBANS
Saturday 2:15pm at DS Aitken Reserve
KEILOR PARK v DEER PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Keilor Park Reserve
ROXBURGH PARK v WESTMEADOWS
Saturday 2:15pm at Lakeside Oval
MOONEE VALLEY v WEST COBURG
Saturday 2:15pm at Ormond Park
HILLSIDE v GLENROY
Saturday 2:15pm at Hillside Reserve
RUPERTSWOOD v TULLAMARINE
Saturday 2:15pm at Salesian College
BURNSIDE HEIGHTS v SUNBURY KANGAROOS
Saturday 2:15pm at Burnside Heights Recreation Reserve
OAK PARK v TAYLORS LAKES
Saturday 2:15pm at JP Fawkner Reserve
EAST SUNBURY v NORTHERN SAINTS
Saturday 2:15pm at John McMahon Reserve
HADFIELD v COBURG DISTRICTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Martin Reserve
