Avondale Heights will host Greenvale at Canning Reserve this Saturday to kick off Premier Division action.
A tough season for Avondale Heights just got tougher after losing to Airport West by 13 points, leaving them in last place by a game.
The Heights haven’t won since their Round 1 victory over their opponent this week in Greenvale, which will take at least give them some confidence in a clash that may prove crucial come the end of the season.
It has been a different story for Greenvale since that Round 1 loss as they have done a reasonably good job rebuilding their season and now sit in fifth position on the ladder.
Despite coming off a loss to Aberfeldie last week and losing their clash against Avondale earlier in the season, the Jets will feel they have the upper hand this time around due to better form over the last few weeks.
Airport West will take on Strathmore at Hansen Reserve this weekend.
It was a massively important win that Airport West recorded last week over Avondale Heights as it took them four points clear of the bottom of the ladder and relegation.
The Eagles may have had a rough start to the season but with consecutive wins, they will be hopeful of a stronger second half of the season to make sure they remain in the Premier Division next year.
On the other hand, Strathmore have enjoyed a another strong season so far with just the two losses after nine games.
They recorded a rather comfortable win over Deer Park last week but will face an Airport West side on a roll and looking to make a statement.
The unbeaten Keilor will play Deer Park at Joe Brown Oval.
Keilor are still the team to beat this season after recording another huge victory this time over Essendon Doutta Stars by 147 points.
They will be confident of another comfortable victory over Deer Park after defeating them easily earlier in the year, but will be aware of Deer Park’s rapid improvement over the last few weeks.
Deer Park will know they are going into Saturday afternoon's clash as massive underdogs but will also have confidence in the improvement they have shown since the start of the year as they begin to demonstrate they belong in the Premier Division.
Essendon Doutta Stars will battle it out against East Keilor at Nipper Jordan Oval.
It was a tough match for the Stars last weekend who were completely outplayed by the rampant Keilor who put them away easily by 147 points.
Despite that tough loss, the Stars have been competitive in most games so far this year and will be desperate to bounce back this week with a strong performance after the big loss.
East Keilor have struggled so far this season, they currently sit in second last place on the ladder with just the two wins after nine games.
The Cougars were no match for Pascoe Vale last week as they were easily beaten by 111 points.
There is still plenty of hope about this week's match for East Keilor though, as they only lost to Essendon Doutta Stars by 20 points the last time they played them and as such would have to feel they are a genuine chance this time around.
Pascoe Vale hosts Aberfeldie in what will be a massive game at Raeburn Reserve.
Pascoe Vale head into this contest as the second best team in the comp so far having lost just the one match to Keilor.
They are also coming off a demolition of East Keilor and will be full of confidence when they meet Aberfeldie on Saturday.
The last time these two sides met, Pascoe Vale came out victors by 15 points, although Aberfeldie were their own worst enemy that day kicking five goals and 22 behinds which ultimately cost them the game.
Karl Brown will be one less worry for Pacco although Brodie Newman proved a likely option last week, while Ahmed Saad enters for the Panthers having missed their first clash.
Craigieburn will look for their first win on DS Aitken Reserve when they host St Albans.
It’s been an interesting season so far for Craigieburn who have had mixed results.
They have had some big wins notably being the only team to beat St Albans this season but have also lost some surprising matches against Oak Park and Tullamarine.
The win over St Albans earlier in the year will be Craigieburn's big focus going into this game as despite their recent hiccups, they will know that on their best day they are more than capable of defeating them.
St Albans however, will feel they have the perfect opportunity to not only extend their winning streak but also avenge their only loss of the season so far and to show that they have bested everyone they have come up against so far.
In their last game, St Albans defeated Moonee Valley in a high-scoring match by 34 points and will know they can take this game deep.
Roxburgh Park will take on Moonee Valley at Lakeside Oval.
Roxburgh Park are coming off a nail-biting five-point loss to first place Hillside in a match that is sure to give them massive confidence moving forward.
Despite just the three wins so far this season, Roxy have shown themselves more than capable of competing with the best, a reduction in their best and worst is what's required.
The last time these sides met was back in Round 5 with Roxy winning by a comfortable margin of 31 points, and given the form of the two sides lately you would think Roxburgh Park are likely to come out on top again.
In Moonee Valley’s case, they had a decent showing last week against St Albans and even though they fell short by 34 points, it was their scoreboard pressure that was impressive as they eclipsed triple figures.
The Fog will also be well aware that last time they played Roxy, the margin was only 30 points because they kicked so poorly.
If Moonee Valley play at their best and kick accurately, they have a decent chance of taking home the four points.
Tullamarine will host Rupertswood at Leo Dineen Reserve this Saturday.
It's been a difficult season for both sides but it is Tullamarine who should go into the match as favourites coming off a 22-point win over Craigieburn last week.
Not only did the win get them outside the bottom four, it also demonstrates to the rest of the comp that they are not to be taken lightly.
Rupertswood on the other hand have not had an enjoyable last couple of weeks losing by 146 points to Marby Park last week conceding over 200 points in the process.
As a result, their team defence will be a big talking point leading into this match and will need to be a lot better if they are to secure the win.
Maribyrnong Park will face off against Oak Park at Monk Oval.
Marby Park will be brimming with confidence after their monster win over Rupertswood last week which saw them boot 31 majors and score a total of 201 points.
The last time these two sides met was the season opener in which Marby Park won quite easily by 79 points.
They were able to keep Oak Park to a total of just 23 points in that game which means their defence will once again be key to a victory.
The Oakers were on the other end of a thrashing last week, losing to West Coburg by 92 points following a run of good performances.
Forward Kane O’Halloran will be crucial to any chance the Oakers have of defeating Marby as he scored five of Oak Park’s six goals last weekend.
The winless Keilor Park will play West Coburg at Keilor Park Recreation Reserve this weekend.
It has been a disastrous season for Keilor Park thus far who have are yet to win a game but will be fresh from a couple of weeks off.
West Coburg have had an almost perfect season so far with their only misstep being a close loss to Hillside.
However, due to their superior percentage and Hillside having the bye this week, West Coburg will know a win on Saturday will see them take top spot.
The goal scoring ability of West Coburg has been their strength so far this year as they have smashed many teams by over 100 points.
Ibby Taha has been key to this, he booted seven goals last week and will be keen for more this weekend.
Northern Saints will take on Sunbury Kangaroos at Charles Mutton Reserve this weekend.
It has been a season full of mixed results for Northern Saints who started the season with many close losses but have since recovered and have now won three of their last four matches.
They were able to overcome Glenroy by seven points last weekend demonstrating to themselves they are capable of winning close games which will no doubt give them great confidence moving forward.
Sunbury Kangaroos have enjoyed a relatively good season so far as they currently sit in 4th place with four wins and four losses.
They have however, struggled to defeat the better sides and are coming off a 40 point loss to Taylors Lakes.
As such, they will see this match against the in-form Northern Saints as a great way to push for finals and show the rest of the competition what they can do at their best, but a win for the Saints will see them take their spot in the four.
East Sunbury will play Glenroy at John McMahon Reserve this Saturday.
Despite these two teams being the bottom two sides, there seems to be a big difference between them as the last time they played each other Glenroy defeated them by over 100 points.
Glenroy have only won the one game this year which was against East Sunbury but have been competitive in most matches and have definitely been unlucky not to win more games so far.
Their seven-point loss to Northern Saints will no doubt spur them on this week as they look for their second win and move eight points clear of the wooden spoon.
Taylors Lakes will battle it out against Coburg Districts at Lionheart Reserve.
Last time the two sides met was back in Round 5 where the Lakers won by six points in an absolute thriller.
With the reverse fixture at home, Taylors Lakes will definitely feel they can defeat the Districts again.
Coburg Districts however, would be well aware that they lost their earlier match to Taylors Lakes as they gave up a decent lead they had gained going into the final term.
Losing in those circumstances would no doubt have stung and as such they will be looking for revenge this time around.
The Districts are also coming off an easy victory over East Sunbury by 119 points which should give them lots of momentum heading into this huge clash.
Westmeadows host the undefeated Burnside Heights in what could be the match of the round at Willowbrook Reserve.
Despite a strong showing from Westmeadows so far this season having only lost the two games, it is those two games that will worry them most as they were against the two best teams in the comp.
The Tigers were no match for either Taylors Lakes or Burnside Heights the first time they faced them losing by a considerable margin in both.
Westy are coming off a win however, over Hadfield by 23 points and will hope they can bring some of that momentum into this week's clash.
When the sides last met, Burnside were 59-point victors and the Bears will expect no different from themselves this weekend.
Burnside have been the dominant team of the competition so far this year and will be rested up and ready to go after having the bye last weekend.
It will be a monumental task for Westmeadows to defeat them but they will be hopeful of finding their earlier season form for the clash.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
AVONDALE HEIGHTS v GREENVALE
Saturday 2:15pm at Canning Reserve
AIRPORT WEST v STRATHMORE
Saturday 2:15pm at Hansen Reserve
KEILOR v DEER PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Joe Brown Oval
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS v EAST KEILOR
Saturday 2:15pm at Nipper Jordan Oval
PASCOE VALE v ABERFELDIE
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Saturday 2:15pm at Raeburn Reserve
CRAIGIEBURN v ST ALBANS
Saturday 2:15pm at DS Aitken Reserve
ROXBURGH PARK v MOONEE VALLEY
Saturday 2:15pm at Lakeside Reserve
TULLAMARINE v RUPERTSWOOD
Saturday 2:15pm at Leo Dineen Reserve
MARIBYRNONG PARK v OAK PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Monk Oval
KEILOR PARK v WEST COBURG
Saturday 2:15pm at Keilor Park Recreation Reserve
NORTHERN SAINTS v SUNBURY KANGAROOS
Saturday 2:15pm at Charles Mutton Reserve
EAST SUNBURY v GLENROY
Saturday 2:15pm at John McMahon Recreation Reserve
TAYLORS LAKES v COBURG DISTRICTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Lionheart Reserve
WESTMEADOWS v BURNSIDE HEIGHTS
Saturday 2:15pm at Willowbrook Reserve
