Oak Park v Glenroy
OAK Park defeated the Northern Saints by a massive 104 points in their quest for finals last week. They shot out of the blocks early and they were up by 44 points at halftime. Ben Shiels kicked six goals for the Kangaroos.
Glenroy surprised ladder-leader Craigieburn by 20 points on Saturday. They led at every change, even after just one behind in the last quarter. They did well to deny the big Craigieburn forwards the ease that they are used to. Adam Winter and Matthew Willox both kicked four each in the win.
This week, Glenroy will travel to Oak Park in what will be an interesting game. Oak Park need to keep winning to hold off Hillside for the last spot in the finals, while the surprise win for Glenroy should give them the confidence to beat another top four side.
Oak Park has the bye and Taylors Lakes to end the home-and-away season. The four points from the bye will go a long way into stopping Hillside taking the fourth spot, though they’ll need to win against Taylors Lake just to make sure Hillside don’t sneak in.
Glenroy has Hillside and Hadfield coming up. Hillside will be a challenge, but not impossible. And the game against the Hawks should be an easy win.
Taylors Lakes v Westmeadows
Taylors Lakes had the luxury of the bye last week as they came off a two-point win over Glenroy the week before. Hopefully they can be competitive this week against the Tigers.
Westmeadows held off a spirited Hadfield last week. After getting off to a five-goal first quarter, they could not capitalize on the lead and push it further out. They ended up winning by 33 points, with Luke Wilson kicking three goals.
This week, Taylors Lakes hosts Westmeadows in a game the Tigers should win. The Tigers need to keep winning as they continue to chase Tullamarine, who are one game above them while holding off Oak Park and Hillside one game below. As for the Lions, although unlikely, they are one game outside a top four berth. The only concern is percentage, so they will most likely need to win well against Oak Park and Hillside to make the finals.
Westmeadows has Tullamarine and Craigieburn coming up. The Tulla game is a must-win, and hopefully the home field advantage will play a part in the result. As for the Eagles game, a win there will be the best thing for them going into finals. However, if they were to lose both games, they could fall as far as fifth depending on the results of this week’s games.
Hillside v Northern Saints
Hillside travelled to Tullamarine last week in a test to see if they had what it took to be in the top four. Unfortunately, the Sharks did not prove to be competitive and they struggled to find their way into the game. They ended up going down by 48 points.
The Northern Saints weren’t competitive against Oak Park, either. They only managed four goals in the game and went scoreless in the final quarter. The Kangaroos piled on seven goals in that time.
This week, hopefully Hillside will have a better day. The Sharks will need to improve on their percentage as they are currently falling short to Oak Park on the table. As for the Northern Saints, their season is all but over as they will be looking towards playing in Strathmore Community Bank Division 2.
Hillside has Glenroy and the bye to round out the season. They’ll need to boost their percentage in the Glenroy game, as this could be the deciding factor at season’s end.
The Northern Saints have Hadfield and Tullamarine coming up. They could win the Hadfield game if the Hawks aren’t careful about how they go about the game. And the Tullamarine game won’t be the best way to end the season.
Hadfield v Tullamarine
Last week Hadfield showed some fight against the Tigers. They weren’t competitive in the first quarter, which cost them, but for the rest of the game they stayed with Westmeadows.
Tullamarine where able to dispose of Hillside with the midfield playing a big part. Tullamarine got off to a five-goal first quarter and kept building the lead from there, piling on goal after goal to win by 48 points. William Becker kicked eight, including six in the first half.
This week Hadfield hosts Tullamarine in what should be another one-sided game. This should be a good chance for Tullamarine to boost their percentage if they end up level on points with Westmeadows by season’s end.
Hadfield has the Northern Saints and Glenroy to finish the season. Both games are winnable, but if they are not on their game, could lose both of them. However, they should be safe from relegation this season.
Tullamarine has Westmeadows and the Northern Saints in the final two weeks. The game against Westmeadows is a must-win, as it will most likely determine who will have the second chance in the finals.
