By Eric Forman
KEILOR 19.8 (122) def. ABERFELDIE 11.4 (70)
MATCH CENTRE
Keilor has withheld a determined Aberfeldie to run away 52-point victors at Joe Brown Oval.
It was an even start to the contest with two late goals in the first quarter giving the Blues a 17-point lead at the first change.
Three goals inside the opening 10 minutes of the second quarter saw Keilor stretch out to a 36-point lead, remaining in control of the contest with a 27-point half-time lead.
Aberfeldie needed a response and that's exactly what they got kicking the first five goals of the third quarter to lead for the first time since halfway through the first quarter.
As they so often do, the Blues put together consecutive goals of their own albeit hard fought, to lead by 17 points heading into the last.
With the game still in the balance, Keilor pushed away kicking eight goals to two to close out the game.
The Blues' pressure was a key feature in the contest recording 33 more tackles than Aberfeldie.
Josh Honey led the scoring with four goals and was supported by young small forward Christian Olivieri's three majors.
Corey Ellis picked up a season-high 38 disposals to go with 14 clearances, while Jamie Papalia was a force with 21 disposals, 10 tackles, and two goals.
Callum Moore was prominent up forward again with three goals, while Brodie Newman did his best in defence with 11 intercepts.
Both teams will have the week off with the split round, before Keilor plays East Keilor and Aberfeldie plays Pascoe Vale.
AIRPORT WEST 19.9 (123) def. GREENVALE 15.7 (97)
MATCH CENTRE
A strong second half earned Airport West a 26-point win over Greenvale at Hansen Reserve.
The Eagles trailed by 15 and 17 points respectively at the first two breaks, before storming home with 11 goals to four in the second half.
Greenvale dominated clearance in the first half registering 17 more than Airport West.
The Eagles turned that around in the second half being plus three in clearances and got on top in the contested ball.
Thai Macumber, Luca Muratore, Ben Nelson, and Max Rider each kicked three goals, while Tyson Young returned for his first game since Round 5 with two goals.
Hamish Morrison continued his impressive run of form named as Airport West's best, his fourth feature in the best from their past five games.
Ben Speight led the scoring for the Jets with five goals, with Jarryd Bonello's three goals his highest in a game since returning to Section Road.
Will Martyn was named Greenvale's best alongside Jason Kenneth, Speight, and Bonello.
The win moved Airport West a game ahead of Greenvale on the ladder, but with a game in hand on those around them on the ladder, where they sit after the split round ends will be interesting.
After the week off, Airport West will play Maribyrnong Park, while Greenvale will play Essendon Doutta Stars.
By Ben Parker
TAYLORS LAKES 8.11 (59) def. by CRAIGIEBURN 13.12 (90)
MATCH CENTRE
Craigieburn has claimed a massive scalp with their 31-point win over Taylors Lakes.
They looked out of the finals race after Round 10, with a record of three wins and seven losses, but have found their best in recent weeks and have put together three consecutive wins.
With this win, they’ve climbed back up into sixth position and sit just one game and percentage outside of the top five.
In what was a terrific four-quarter performance, the Eagles led from start to finish and never looked like losing as they controlled the flow of the game for most of the match.
After a low-scoring first half from both sides, the visitors blew the game open with seven goals to one in the third quarter.
Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the performance was that there were a spread of contributors for the Eagles.
Tadhg Boyle and Sam Laffan were instrumental in collecting the four points, with Boyle saluting with a bag of five goals and Laffan winning crucial contests all day.
It’s a crucial loss for Taylors Lakes with a chance to create a good buffer inside the top three.
With back-to-back losses, the Lions sit fifth on the ladder and will need to bounce back if they are to remain in the finals picture.
After what was perhaps just a flat performance, they’ll need to get to work this week to ensure a hat-trick of losses does not eventuate next weekend.
In a difficult afternoon, Lachlan Rayner was dominant again in the ruck and Jake Hobbs did what he could, chipping in with three goals.
Craigieburn will look to make it a perfect record against Oak Park in 2025 when they host the Kangaroos next week. Meanwhile, Taylors Lakes will travel to Kings Park Reserve to take on St Albans in a must-win game.
TULLAMARINE 12.7 (79) def. by HILLSIDE 13.12 (90)
MATCH CENTRE
Hillside has held off a fourth-quarter ambush from Tullamarine to steal victory on the road by 11 points at Leo Dineen Reserve.
The Sharks looked to have the game comfortably won at three-quarter time, leading by 44 points, before the Dees almost stole it with an amazing eight goals to two in the final quarter.
Tullamarine kicked seven unanswered goals and cut the deficit all the way down to eleven points before Sharks vice-captain and star forward Josh Covelli came up big with a critical crunch-time goal.
It was one of Covelli’s seven goals for the afternoon, as he produced another mountain of goals to continue his sizzling 2025 campaign of 62 goals.
For Tullamarine, it’s another ‘what if’ added to the record.
They looked down and out after three quarters of football, before a resurgence that will no doubt leave them lamenting over their first three terms.
While still mathematically possible, finals is highly unlikely, and so a strong, winning finish to the season should be the desired outcome for 2025.
Adam Figliola slotted two goals as he continues his return from injury, and he’ll look to finish off the season strongly after a largely interrupted season.
Hillside will host Avondale Heights next week in a blockbuster top five clash, while Tullamarine hosts Roxburgh Park.
ROXBURGH PARK 4.7 (31) def. by OAK PARK 19.20 (134)
MATCH CENTRE
Oak Park has demolished Roxburgh Park to the tune of 103 points in a one-sided affair at Lakeside Reserve.
The ladder-leaders were simply too good as they cruised to their eleventh win of the season.
An opening quarter masterclass was produced with the Kangaroos jumping out to a 48-point lead at the first break in play.
With the bruising only getting worse for Roxburgh Park, Oak Park continued to pile on the scoreboard pressure to take a 65-point stranglehold over Roxy into the second half.
Despite the game essentially being over, the Kangaroos never took their foot off the gas, and ran out the game with a dominant second half.
The win leaves Oak Park all alone at the top of competition, with a handy two-game lead over West Coburg and Avondale Heights.
With 11 individual goal kickers for the day, Adam Del Busso and Bradley Cox helped themselves to four goals each, while midfield beast Paul Pascu was at his powerful best around the ground.
Meanwhile, it’s another overwhelming loss for Roxburgh Park as their season continues to fall away.
While they have produced a handful of gallant performances, their past few weeks suggest that the wheels may be falling over for season 2025.
Cooper McPharlane was impactful up forward from limited opportunities with two goals.
Oak Park will travel to DS Aitken Reserve to take on Craigieburn next week, while Roxburgh Park will travel to Leo Dineen Reserve for their clash against Tullamarine.
WEST COBURG 29.14 (188) def. ST ALBANS 6.6 (42)
MATCH CENTRE
West Coburg has obliterated St Albans by 146 points in a dominant showing at Shore Reserve.
With a monstrous percentage boost here, the win sees them move up into second position on the ladder to take over Avondale Heights on percentage.
The Burgers never looked like losing as they fired out of the blocks with a seven-goal-to-one opening quarter.
The second quarter followed in similar fashion, and the Burgers took a commanding 58-point lead into the main break.
With a comfortable lead under their belts, they punished the Saints in brutal fashion in what was of the more one-sided halves of footy you will see.
West Coburg kicked 18 second-half goals with St Albans mustering just the four.
Jesse Martini had a day to remember with a sack of nine goals, while in a real positive, the scoreboard was stuffed with eleven other individual goal kickers for the Burgers.
On the other side of the scale, defeats don’t come any worse than this, and it will be interesting to see how St Albans bounce back next week with personnel.
The Saints have now fallen to seventh position on the ladder; a remarkable drop-off when considering that they were ladder leaders earlier in the season.
In what was a gloomy and forgetful day, Brandon Coletta kicked half of the Saints goals with three majors to his name, and Andre Srour was among the best as well.
Next week, West Coburg will host Moonee Valley in what presents as another winnable game. Meanwhile, St Albans will be fighting to keep their season alive when they host what will be a hungry Taylors Lakes.
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MOONEE VALLEY 8.7 (55) def. by AVONDALE HEIGHTS 13.19 (97)
MATCH CENTRE
A wayward Avondale Heights have proved too classy for a brave Moonee Valley outfit with a 42-point road win at Ormond Park.
In a season-defining game for Moonee Valley, they threw the first punch and started early to lead the Heights by a mere eight points at the first break in play.
With the Heights wasting scoreboard opportunities, the Fog stuck around in the second quarter and were taking it up to Avondale, who desperately needed to correct their goal-kicking yips.
The Heights kept the door open with a scoreline of 3.10 at half-time but would go on to flex their muscles in the second half.
Avondale created enough scoring opportunities to account for their woes and produced 10 goals to five in the second half.
Nathan Foster hit the scoreboard again with a bag of five goals for the day.
Despite collecting the four points, Avondale has dropped down to third position due to the thunderous performance of West Coburg. The two remain on equal points with the Heights trailing the Burgers only on percentage.
For Moonee Valley, their season has begun to slip away with another loss here.
It’s their third consecutive defeat, and while still mathematically in the finals hunt, they’ll need to produce an almost flawless final five weeks of football to be a chance.
Veteran Josh Toy and Callum Clinnick were strong contributors in what turned out to be a disappointing day.
Avondale Heights will travel to Shark Park next week to take on Hillside in what’s a mouth-watering top five clash. Meanwhile, it gets no easier for Moonee Valley when they travel to face West Coburg, fresh off a 146-point win.
By Evan Tudor
COBURG DISTRICTS 23.18 (156) def. BURNSIDE HEIGHTS 6.8 (44)
MATCH CENTRE
Following an end to its four-game winning streak, Coburg Districts is back on the winner's list after a healthy 112-point victory over Burnside Heights at Cole Reserve.
In its biggest win for the 2025 season so far, Districts piled on six goals from 13 scores in the first term to lead 43-0 at the change and comfortably won from there.
The Lions piled on a mammoth 11 goals in the last quarter when Jack McNamara booted four to finish his game tally at five.
He was joined by Damien Cavka and Romy Noureddine who snagged four each.
The Bears have seen better days, the result keeping them in ninth spot.
Dylan Payne was the side’s only multiple goal scorer with two, with Nick Morda and Jordan Hughes being named some of the best for Burnside.
Attention turns to a home clash with Rupertswood for the Bears, with Coburg Districts to remain home to face Keilor Park.
HADFIELD 10.14 (74) def. KEILOR PARK 7.6 (48)
MATCH CENTRE
Hadfield has upset the third-placed Keilor Park with a 26-point victory at Martin Reserve.
The Devils went into this one fired up to win, but Hadfield had other plans.
After a tight first quarter, it was smooth sailing for the Hawks who kept the Devils on the back foot for the rest of the match.
Steven Angus, who was also included in the list of those best-on-ground, celebrated his 300th game in style as Hadfield picked up its fourth win for the season.
Michael Graham, Bilal Moustafa, and Jack Slavich were the Hawks’ multiple goal scorers who helped their team over the line.
Keilor Park found its goals through five men with Luke Kilty and Aaron Scerri scoring multiples.
Next up is the Sunbury Kangaroos for Hadfield and Coburg Districts for Keilor Park.
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GLENROY 17.14 (116) def. NORTHERN SAINTS 5.10 (40)
MATCH CENTRE
Glenroy won in serious style, downing the Northern Saints by 76 at Sewell Reserve.
The Roys boasted nine goal scorers and led from the first bounce to final siren.
Aaron Kite had a day out with his season-equalling best of five goals and picked up 18 touches along the way.
Daniel Ferraro and Daniel Riley led the match with 32 disposals each.
Two consecutive goals for the Saints in the second term may have given players something to smile about, as Khoder Taleb raised his season tally to 24 after bagging two.
Daniel Trikilis was the leading ball getter for the Saints with 27 posessions earning him a spot in the Saints’ best-on list alongside Taleb.
On Saturday, the seventh-placed Saints will look for an improved performance against East Sunbury, while Glenroy has a mouthwatering top-of-the-table clash with Westmeadows on the road.
RUPERTSWOOD 15.16 (106) def. SUNBURY KANGAROOS 9.10 (64)
MATCH CENTRE
The 42-point win for Rupertswood over Sunbury Kangaroos at Salesian College sees them return to the winning that we know.
The result positions Rupo fourth with a 7-5-1 record, propping them up over Coburg Districts on the table.
In the Kangas’ return to the footy field after two weeks, the side was truly in the hunt until the second half in which they conceded eight goals to just three.
Co-captain Mitch Streiff picked up another best-on naming for Sunbury Kangaroos with his two-goal performance, while Tie Cuffe and Stephen Treweek were also on that list.
Fraser Phelan-Smith and Clayton Bonello were some of Rupo’s best, the pair scoring five and four respective goals in their win.
They’ve kicked 64 goals between them in 2025, and it will be interesting to see just how far they can go.
Up next is Rupertswood’s away clash with Burnside Heights and Sunbury Kangaroos’ hosting of Hadfield.
EAST SUNBURY 8.8 (56) def. by WESTMEADOWS 16.15 (111)
MATCH CENTRE
Despite a positive display, East Sunbury were unable to hold off Westmeadows who won by 55 points at John McMahon Recreation Reserve.
Brendan Fevola was the name full of highlights for the club, booting five on his EDFL return.
Todd Elton and Jordan Pollard joined Fev in the Thunder’s best-on list.
But it wasn’t enough to hold off second-placed Westmeadows.
Eager for the double chance, the Tigers need every win possible and picked up their eighth on the trot.
Shaun O’Grady and Jake Hatton were Westy’s best-on-ground, combining for 10 goals at six and four respectively, setting new individual records for the year.
The Thunder will travel to play the Northern Saints on Saturday while a home top-of-the-table clash with Glenroy meets Westmeadows.
