HILLSIDE v EAST KEILOR
🎥 Broadcast Game 📻
Saturday 2:15pm at Hillside Reserve
WILL East Keilor continue with its hot start to the season, or will the Sharks slow them down?
The Cougars, who had the bye last week, have looked to be the most impressive team in Division 1 so far this season.
The new-look side has gelled together well and looked dangerous going forward and has put some massive scores on the board.
The one question mark that remains is whether they can do it against one of the top sides.
The Sharks should present a good test.
Hillside could quite easily be 3-0 but let one slip against Taylors Lakes back on Good Friday.
The problem for the Sharks has been slow starts, which they can’t afford to have here.
They had a fight on their hands at halftime against Roxburgh Park last week before running away with the game.
Raafat Rachrache kicked five goals to make it 11 goals in two weeks, while the Sharks are hopeful young star Brandon Coletta will return this week, which will add some extra firepower up forward.
With both sides pushing for finals spots, these are the matches they need to win.
WESTMEADOWS v CRAIGIEBURN
Saturday 2:15pm at Willowbrook Reserve
On paper, this looks the match of the round.
The Eagles are 2-0, while the Tigers are 2-1 after a close loss to Tullamarine in Round 1.
Craigieburn has shown it will be one of the sides to beat, boasting plenty of depth on its list and having already beaten two quality sides in Tullamarine and Taylors Lakes.
The Eagles were quick out of the blocks against the Lions last week with seven first quarter goals.
That good first quarter turned out be the difference, with only eight points separating the two sides throughout the rest of the day.
Dean Limbach returned after missing the Eagles’ first match, kicking three goals, while ruckman Billy Morrison also continued his good form and was named Craigieburn’s best.
Westmeadows has shown early on that they will be one of the big improvers this season.
On ANZAC Day the Tigers produced a strong four-quarter performance against Oak Park, extending their lead at every break.
Omar Saad kicked seven goals and is currently the division’s leading goal kicker after three rounds.
That performance in front of goal earned Saad The Meadows Greyhounds best-on-ground honours on EDFL Match of the Day.
ROXBURGH PARK v OAK PARK
Saturday 2:15pm at Lakeside Oval
One team will end this game having claimed their first win of the season, while the other will be the only side left sitting on the bottom of the table.
Both of these teams have shown some good signs in the opening three rounds but haven’t been able to maintain it for four quarters.
The Magpies enter the match on the back of their best performance of the season to date, having been in the game for three quarters against Hillside.
However, they weren’t able to stick with the Sharks late, with Hillside running away with the win, kicking 10 goals to one after halftime.
Luke Capuano kicked three goals for the Magpies, with Travis Cooke and Kajanithen Gnanapragasam named their best.
The Kangaroos will come into this well-rested, having played on ANZAC Day against Westmeadows for a second straight year.
Like the Magpies, the Kangaroos were competitive in the first half, before being blown away.
Adam Meiorin and Harry Hurley kicked two goals apiece for the Kangaroos, while Michael Dalrymple and Daniel Brzezicki were named their best.
The Kangaroos will enter this game as favourites but expect the Magpies to give them a push.
TULLAMARINE v TAYLORS LAKES
Saturday 2:15pm at Leo Dineen Reserve
After a little bit of a slow start to the season, the Demons finally put together their first full four-quarter performance in their win over West Coburg in Round 3.
The Demons looked dangerous and had 12 different goal kickers for the night, showing they have plenty of options in attack.
Ryan Pretty led the way with three goals, but the Demons didn’t have to rely on him to kick the winning score.
It was a big win for the Demons, but they now have a few injury concerns after finishing the night with only 17 fit players on the ground.
Having recruited well over the off-season, depth looked to be one of Tullamarine’s strong points and it has shone through early.
The Lions have been a bit of a hard team to read early in the season.
They were poor in a Round 1 loss to East Keilor before having a good win against Hillside and then last weekend, they were competitive against Craigieburn.
Against the Eagles, a poor first quarter proved costly as not much separated the two sides after that.
Rhys Deacon kicked four goals for the Lions, while Jackson Wright and Mark Polycarpou were the two standouts around the ground.
A win for the Lions here would be big and would keep them in touch with the top teams.
