IT was a big weekend of sport for Whittlesea’s teams, with plenty of key results and announcements dominating the airwaves.
In division two, Whittlesea celebrated Lucas Hobbs’ 250th game with an 11-point win over Macleod, which has vaulted them to equal billing on top of the ladder with Diamond Creek and the Kangaroos.
It was a tight affair all afternoon. Both teams kicked four goals in the first term, with the Eagles leading by two points at the first change, before Whittlesea made a move in the second term, extending its lead thanks to four goals to three, and holding a nine-point lead at the main break.
Macleod hit back in the third quarter, kicking three goals to two to reduce the margin to four points at the final change, and would hit the front with the first two goals of the final term.
However, Whittlesea has shown dogged determination throughout the season and kicked the final three goals of the contest thanks to Mitchell Andrews, Lachlan Shinn-Mahony and Paul Higgins to take an 11-point win, 13.11 (89) to 12.6 (78).
Khaled El-Leissy put on a clinic in the ruck to earn best on ground honours, setting up the likes of Andrews and Taidhg Bland through the midfield, while Zane Anderson, Shinn-Mahony and Harley Fraumano were also named in the best.
In division three, Laurimar’s seven-goal to nil third term provided much of the impetus for a dominant 46-point win over Epping which cements the Power as Fitzroy Stars’ main challengers on top of the ladder.
It was a slow start for the Power, who trailed by one point at the first change, despite having seven scoring opportunities.
However, when they got into gear, they were truly devastating, kicking four goals to nil to lead by 24 points at the main break, before their seven-goal third term meant the game was over, leading by 65 points at the final change.
Epping saved some face with a seven-goal final term, but it was not enough as the Power won 16.12 (108) to 9.8 (62).
Bailey Macleod continued his terrific season, with Noah Mooney, Patrick Fitzgerald, Joel Lawson, Cameron Maloney and Campbell Walker providing great support.
Mernda almost performed a miracle comeback to keep its finals hopes alive but were dashed through a late Andy Otten goal as they fell one goal short to Ivanhoe.
The Demons, who officially announced Brent Marshall as their 2026 coach during the weekend, were 44 points down early in the second term, but slowly but surely clawed their way back into the contest, trailing by 26 points at half time, before reducing that to 16 by the final change.
Scores were level at the 27-minute mark, before Otten’s goal broke Demon hearts, leading to a 14.15 (99) to 15.3 (93) victory.
Lincoln Coffey had a dynamic performance in the ruck, while Jayden Bell, Brayden Plant, Lachlan Taylor, Aidan Black and Jarrah Younger were also named in the best.
South Morang had a bye as part of the split round in division one.
In the Friday night netball competition, Whittlesea had a successful weekend in division one, scoring an 18-goal victory over Heat to shore up their spot in the top four, 55-37.
Whittlesea was also successful in division three, scoring a 50-31 win over Bundoora, while South Morang had a bye.
In the other divisions, Whittlesea were unsuccessful in its two games, while Laurimar scored two wins from five games. South Morang had a win and a draw in their five meetings.
