IT’S that time of week again where Michael Thompson runs the rule over what’s going on in the Northern Football Netball League.
SURVIVAL SECURED?
Maybe it’s a bit ridiculous to put such a statement out at round six, but it seems unlikely that Diamond Creek will be a relegation candidate in division one.
Instead, they look more like a potential finals candidate if anything else, scoring a 98-point win over a West Preston-Lakeside outfit that looks more and more like the team that will be relegated, even at this early stage of the season.
After a reasonable start, the Roosters have sadly crashed in recent weeks, losing games by 109, 127 and 98 points respectively, and Darren Bewick’s men are up against it now.
However, the story is Diamond Creek, who finally released the shackles offensively to score 20 goals on the weekend after playing more of a defensive brand earlier this season. Carlton VFL-listed player Liam Farrar kicked 10 of them.
It’s a great result for Andrew Tranquilli’s charges. They’re in fifth – they have an opportunity to keep it or perhaps climb higher with a very winnable game at home against Banyule this weekend.
MAKE OR BREAK FOR BORO
The next month is telling for Greensborough’s finals chances in division one. Three of its four matches are your bona-fide eight-pointers, with North Heidelberg, West Preston, Bundoora and Eltham on the horizon.
Greensborough were outpointed by Montmorency on Saturday. They were simply overwhelmed in the second quarter, trailing by 41 points at the main break, before losing by 59.
The query for the Boro that’s probably going to stick with them for the season – where do they get their goals from? They have yet to kick over 83 points this season. Brody Glenn seems to be playing a lone hand up forward.
The Boro are too good for relegation, and should be gaining Tom Mitchell at the back end, but they’ll want to get a move on to avoid just being in the pack.
OFF TO YARRAMBAT
Not often do you see senior matches at Yarrambat, but North Heidelberg, with its ground renovations, hosted a game there.
Fittingly, it was against Hurstbridge, who hold a memorandum of understanding with the Yarrambat juniors.
The Bulldogs continue to be thereabouts, but can’t quite get that one big scalp they are very keen on, losing by 14 points.
Meantime, the Bridges are still one of the key contenders. You would think at the moment it is them and Montmorency fighting it out for second spot on form.
THE STARS ARE IN IT!
Mighty result for the Fitzroy Stars in division two, who negotiated the loss of a handful of key players through suspension and took a headline-grabbing result against South Morang.
The Stars are made of the right stuff. They are 4-2, and with a bit of luck, could have been 6-0, but we don’t play coulda, shoulda, woulda in this business. Looking at it from the outside, the first three quarters did the job for the Stars, who led by as much as 46, before the Lions charged home.
The Lions didn’t lie down and kicked six goals to make things very nervy for the Stars, but they simply left their run too late.
It would have been one of the great comebacks – not the greatest I’ve seen – that would be Whittlesea’s incredible 70-point comeback against North Heidelberg in 2013, while the Eagles also came from 54 points down to beat the Stars the week before in that wild season, and Mernda once came back from 51 down to beat Diamond Creek in 2009.
ARE THE COUGARS THE TEAM TO BEAT?
Been on record recently saying Northcote Park are the real deal in the second division. They are winning games away from home – Old Paradians the latest scalp – and it’s a big three weeks for the Cougars now as they look to cement top spot on the ladder.
St Mary’s and Whittlesea at home, Thomastown away. The Cougars will back themselves in to win each of those three.
I just really like the way they move the ball. They play an exciting brand, I like the way they’re coached by Anthony Palmer. My only ultimate question is their depth, but their top 10-12 – as one opposition captain puts it – is as good as anyone’s in the competition.
FIVE BY 100+
History for Ivanhoe on the weekend – that’s the first time a team has ever won five on the bounce this century all by 100 points or more.
I cannot stress enough they are by some distance the best team I have ever seen in division three. They structure up so well both with and without the footy.
The league eagerly awaits the first meeting between Ivanhoe and Laurimar to see who holds the balance of power.
In the meantime, Ivanhoe plays Lalor at home this week, and with fine conditions expected, there could be some scores to rival what you normally see with the bat on a fine January afternoon.
EXCEPT…?
Actually thought Lalor had a good run of it for a half on Saturday, and good on them. I really want Lalor to do well – back in my early days in the mid-to-late 90s they were certainly the powerhouse of the competition, and I’ll go on record as saying they have the best canteen in the comp.
The Bloods were 18 points in arrears of Mernda on the weekend at half time. Things have been a struggle for the Bloods as they haven’t won a game as of yet, but there’s small wins when they keep Mernda honest.
THE KYLE GREEN SHOW
It’s the entertainers that I have loved about the Mernda Football Netball Club over the years I’ve spent there, and Kyle Green certainly fits this bill.
Green is a tough footballer who has been playing more forward to provide an option instead of in his natural midfield role – the club will look to get a key forward next year to provide Green with that midfield time he’ll love – but he is also a guy that I enjoy the company of, and you can see he has taken to such an unselfish role with aplomb.
Green was probably unlucky in hitting the post five times the week before, kicking 2.7, but fixed up the kicking boots to kick eight goals on the weekend. Well deserved.
BLUES BURST
The most unbelievable quarter time score of the year might have been Kilmore’s on Saturday.
7.6 (48) to 0.1 (1).
The game was effectively over after that first term burst, where the Blues kicked four goals in 13 minutes to leave Epping wanting early on, before kicking another three goals to end what was a devastating start.
Somewhat weirdly after that, Kilmore only managed one goal across the next two terms. It didn’t matter, however, as the damage was done from there – Kilmore winning by 25 points.
