By Luke Mathews
Essendon Doutta Stars have the chance to make up some ground on rival Aberfeldie when the two face off at Buckley Park on Saturday.
The two sides go into the game in third and fourth spot but the home side are eight points below them despite having the better percentage of the two.
Aberfeldie grinded out their sixth win for the year when they beat Maribyrnong Park last week at Walsh Oval, while Douttas fought hard all day but it wasn’t enough to take down Oak Park who ran away with the victory by 15 points.
The two sides squared off for the first time this year in Round 5 when Abers overcame a quarter-time deficit to comfortably take down their rivals by 31 points at Aberfeldie Park West.
Sienna Rocci will be one to look out for on Saturday if they're to suit up in the seniors again.
The youngster was best on ground against Marby last week and another strong performance like that on Saturday would all but ensure her side comes away with their second victory against Essendon Doutta Stars for the year.
Hillside will take on Oak Park in a blockbuster top-of-the-table clash that could have huge ramifications come finals time.
Hillside have been faultless during 2024 winning nine games from their nine matches with a percentage of 528, however the reigning premiers aren’t too far off the pace.
Oak Park’s only loss this year is to Hillside when the two sides faced off with each other in Round 3 which saw the Sharks come away with a 42-point victory.
Oak Park were made to work for the eighth victory for the year against Essendon Doutta Stars only winning by 15 points, while Hillside will be well rested after their game against Keilor didn’t go ahead.
For an Oak Park victory, the side will need to take care of Caitlin Sargent.
The forward has been dominant for the Sharks with 31 goals from just the nine games which includes a bag of eight and two bags of five, one of which came against the reigning premiers back in Round 3.
If Sargent is able to hit the scoreboard once again, the Sharks will be well on their way to their tenth win for the year.
Moonee Valley and Maribyrnong Park will lock horns for the second time of the year, with the game looming as an eight-point clash.
Both sides currently sit in fifth and sixth spot respectively with 16 points, however Marby boast the superior percentage with 109 per cent.
A loss for Essendon Doutta Stars on the weekend will see one of these sides jump up into fourth spot and well and truly in the hunt for a finals berth.
When the two sides last came up against each other in Round 2, it was Marby that got the jump on the Fog and recorded their first victory of the year by 29 points thanks to a dominant display from Tegan Matthews who kicked five of Marby’s 10 goals.
Since the Round 2 clash, Matthews has carried that form on throughout the 2024 season.
The full forward has kicked 29 goals for the year with two bags of five and a bag of seven against Keilor back in Round 7.
Another dominant display from the superstar could see her side jump into the top four.
Both Westmeadows and Keilor will have their best opportunity to pick up some premiership points when they face off at Willowbrook Reserve on Saturday.
Both sides have struggled in 2024 with only one win between them and both occupying the bottom two spots on the ladder.
The only win came back in Round 5 when Keilor took down Westmeadows by 31 points at Joe Brown Oval.
Despite going down by 35 points, the Tigers did show some improvement last week against Moonee Valley which should excite supporters and show that their first win for the year is on the horizon.
Unfortunately for Keilor, they weren’t able to field a side last week against Hillside but should mean plenty of the players are well rested for the game this weekend against Westmeadows.
By Joseph Ibic
Airport West will take on Keilor Park at Hansen Reserve to kick off Division One action.
Airport West have had a mixed year so far as they have been thoroughly better than the teams below them on the ladder, but not able to match the teams above them as they come off a 61-point loss to top-of-the-table Burnside Heights.
The two sides have already met twice this year with Airport West coming out on top easily on both occasions and based on current form, would be favourites to win again.
Keilor Park were victorious by 10 points over Strathmore/Pascoe Vale last weekend giving them their third win of the season so far.
The key to their win was their accuracy as despite only having six scoring shots, they scored five goals.
Greenvale will battle it out against Burnside Heights at Greenvale Recreation Reserve in what should be the match of the round.
The two sides have met twice this year already, with Burnside coming out on top in Round 1 by 48 points and Greenvale winning their next matchup in Round 6 by 17 points.
It is all set to be another cracking contest this time around.
Greenvale are coming off a 20-point win over Tullamarine in which the Jets never really dominated but did enough to secure the win in the end.
They will be aware however, that a much better performance is required if they are to defeat Burnside.
Burnside defeated Airport West convincingly by 61 points demonstrating that they are levels above the majority of the competition with just Greenvale being able to match them so far.
They will be hoping a big win like that leading into a massive game will give them the momentum and therefore, the edge over Greenvale.
Tullamarine hosts Strathmore/Pascoe Vale at Leo Dineen Reserve.
Tulla are coming off a 20-point loss to Greenvale which was a good effort considering the gap between the sides on the ladder.
They will be hopeful of another great effort against the last place Strathmore/Pascoe Vale as they hope to avoid relegation.
The two sides have faced each other twice this season.
In the first match it was Tullamarine who were victorious by 37 points before Strathmore/Pascoe Vale bounced back in the second matchup to win by four points.
The third time these sides meet could potentially decide who finishes last this season entering the final month of the season.
By Eric Forman
Sunbury Kangaroos will meet Roxburgh Park for the first time this season in a top-four showdown at Eric Boardman Reserve.
A win for Roxburgh Park will see them leapfrog the Kangaroos, while a win for the Kangaroos could create some momentary separation inside the finals race.
Both sides have been prolific offensively with Nat Dunne (19 goals) a strong target for the Kangaroos, and Roxy's Jameson Best and Natalie Tull-Boyle (15 goals each) providing headaches for opposition defences.
The Kangaroos are coming off the bye while Roxy have won their last four matches.
Another important clash will see Lions battle as Taylors Lakes and Coburg Districts face off at Lionheart Reserve.
Just one game separates the two sides but the closeness of the competition results in Districts sitting second and the Lakes in fifth.
A win is vital for both sides with just three games left to play following this clash.
Coburg Districts won by 34 points the last time these sides met on the back of a strong second half, with Jacinta Brew and Liv Woods kicking two goals each.
THIS WEEKEND’S FIXTURES
HILLSIDE v OAK PARK
Saturday 1:50pm at Hillside Recreation Reserve
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS v ABERFELDIE
Saturday 1:50pm at Buckley Park
MOONEE VALLEY v MARIBYRNONG PARK
Saturday 1:50pm at Ormond Park
WESTMEADOWS v KEILOR
Saturday 1:50pm at Willowbrook Reserve
AIRPORT WEST v KEILOR PARK
Saturday 11:50am at Hansen Reserve
TULLAMARINE v STRATHMORE/PASCOE VALE
Saturday 11:50am at Leo Dineen Reserve
GREENVALE v BURNSIDE HEIGHTS
Saturday 11:50am at Greenvale Recreation Reserve
TAYLORS LAKES v COBURG DISTRICTS
Saturday 11:50am at Lionheart Reserve
SUNBURY KANGAROOS v ROXBURGH PARK
Saturday 11:50am at Eric Boardman Reserve
