IT was moving day for a lot of clubs in the Northern Football Netball League, with the relegation battles wide open again and plenty of movement in the respective finals races. Michael Thompson covers it all in Around the Grounds.
WEST PRESTON REIGNITE CHANCES
Three games behind and looking like dropping to division two for the first time since 1996, West Preston has given itself a chance. It is a small chance, but a chance, nonetheless.
In a game which saw a significant delay due to a young West Preston player getting concussed (I wish him well), the Roosters rose above the challenges for the first time this season to get a win in after coming from behind in the second half – a challenge made even harder by the fact that quarters lasted just 10 minutes with time-on.
What it means is that West Preston are now two games behind the eight-ball. And with North Heidelberg at home next week (more on them below), suddenly, there is some hope at JE Moore Park.
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WHERE TO FOR THE BULLDOGS?
Plenty of injuries on their list at the moment, yes. But North Heidelberg will be disappointed to have gone down by over 100 points again this week against Bundoora.
Aside from a competitive performance against Montmorency two weeks ago, the last four weeks reads like this for the Bulldogs: 91-point loss to Banyule, 26-point loss to Montmorency, 157-point loss to Heidelberg, 101-point loss to Bundoora.
Suddenly, this week’s game looms large for the Bulldogs, who have West Preston with its tails up. Lose that, and suddenly, the relegation battle is on in earnest, with the Dogs one game ahead if West Preston are successful on Saturday.
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BORO STAY ALIVE
Greensborough were bolstered by the return of Tom Mitchell for its game against Banyule, and duly delivered a 47-point victory, doubling the Bears’ score.
The result, coupled with Eltham’s loss to West Preston and Hurstbridge’s loss to Diamond Creek, means the Boro are one game outside the top five, and have percentage over the Panthers and Bridges.
This week’s clash with Hurstbridge is a significant one for the outlook of the final five.
On Hurstbridge, its loss to Diamond Creek leaves it teetering in sixth position – not where the reigning grand finalists want to be. Another loss here will see it drop to seventh, and with a significant injury list, it might be hard to get back inside the five, although a reasonably favourable draw does help.
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THE BEARS ARE BACK IN IT
Last week, one might have been forgiven for thinking Thomastown were down and out.
Not so this week.
The Bears secured a much-needed win over Old Paradians, their first since round one, and suddenly, the relegation race is alive again, with Panton Hill going down to Northcote Park.
Jeff Garlett fired up for the Bears, kicking three goals in a low-scoring encounter to give them plenty of ammunition, and this time around, the Bears reversed their last-quarter trends of fading out, winning the last term with four goals to three.
For Paradians, this loss leaves them outside the top five, and with an inferior percentage, that basically adds another game to the mix.
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ST MARY’S IN THE MIX
You’ll read all about South Morang’s loss to St Mary’s on today’s back page, but from a St Mary’s perspective, this is a win which has the Burra well and truly in the race for a top two spot.
Yes, South Morang may have been injury afflicted (my understanding is there’s as many as 24 players on their injury list – that’s a lot) but they still had to get it done, and it was a holding-the-ball decision with merely a minute or two left on the clock that allowed the Burra to kick the winning point.
Just 0.6 per cent separates South Morang and St Mary’s between second and third. Appropriately, only one point separated the two teams on Saturday.
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STARS BACK IN THE FIVE
Big win for Fitzroy Stars against a Lower Plenty team that’s been motoring in recent weeks.
The Stars got off to a genuinely hot start on Saturday, kicking six goals in the opening term – it could conceivably had been more if they kicked straight – and then held off a Lower Plenty second-half charge to win by 10 points.
The Stars are now in the five at Old Paradians’ expense, and will back themselves to stay there, with games against Thomastown, Whittlesea and Macleod coming up – all eminently winnable games.
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THE TIMES, THEY ARE A-CHANGIN’
Hot favourites to win the flag two years ago until going out in straight sets, Whittlesea appear as though it is not going to make the finals in 2026.
A 31-point loss to Macleod did not help its cause, and with games against Old Paradians and Fitzroy Stars over the next two weeks, a loss to either of these two teams leaves the Eagles likely three or perhaps even four games behind the top five.
The mantra from Whittlesea was that it would have a younger team in 2026 – certainly, it does look like a club in transition at the moment, but with some solid juniors coming through, it will also be patient.
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RESERVOIR LOOKING LIKELY
I can break some news to you about Reservoir.
It will get Michael Hurley for the rest of the season and will look to qualify him for finals, on top of having Bachar Houli and Trent Cotchin running around qualified.
That was the word from the Mustangs on Saturday as they did the job over Kilmore, winning by 33 points. Cotchin and Houli did plenty in the end and are right in the frame to take the double-chance away from Mernda.
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WATSONIA ALSO THERE FOR THIRD
A big win for Watsonia away from home against Epping, completing the season sweep against the Blues with a two-point win.
The Saints will have to do plenty to beat Laurimar this weekend at home, but if successful, the Saints would take away third ahead of a big run home for the club.
Finals would certainly be a great story for the season – with Anthony Macgregor signed on as coach again for 2027, there is a lot of stability at the club suddenly – a different story to last year when multiple top 10 finishers in the best and fairest all departed.