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ROUND 5 PREVIEW
DIVISION 1
By Will Hunter
Round 5 kicks off on Friday night with the massive Grand Final rematch between Oakleigh District and Murrumbeena under lights at Princes Highway Reserve. The Oaks and the Beena are the only remaining undefeated teams in Division 1, and with their four-digit percentages, the two sides are beginning to put a bit of a gap on the rest of the competition. This looms as a tremendous battle between the competition heavyweights, and it could produce a fascinating shootout between the competition’s two leading goalkickers in Oakleigh’s Emily McIntyre (32 goals) and Murrumbeena’s Dani Wearne (21 goals).
In the round’s other Friday night game, East Brighton will be looking to consolidate its place in the top three when it hosts Division 1 newcomer Lyndale at Hurlingham Park. The Vampires would be keen to return to the winners’ list after its first loss for the season last week, but rest assure the Pumas will not be pushovers.
Mordialloc, fresh from their comprehensive victory over Endeavour Hills last week, takes on the winless Highett at Ben Kavanagh Reserve on Saturday morning. The Bulldogs have found the going tough so far in 2018, and will likely lack the firepower to match it with the Bloods.
The final game of the round sees Endeavour Hills clash with Bentleigh at Barry Simon Reserve on Sunday. Both the Falcons and the Demons remain locked on one win each, and this match will be vital in the context of the race for fifth spot.
DIVISION 2
By Jess Mackey
Clayton will come off the bye this week to come up against South Yarra, in what could be a pretty evenly matched game. South Yarra are yet to get a win on the board and would be looking at this game as a good opportunity to make that happen. Prior to the week off, Clayton lost their last two matches and will be keen to get back on the winners list. A win for Clayton could put them in a top-four position.
When Lyndhurst come up against Port Melbourne this week, they will need to come away with the win to ensure they maintain a top-four position. Port Melbourne are coming off of their first win and will be trying to keep that momentum going, but it will be a trying task against an in-form Lyndhurst side.
There could be a real blowout this week, when the first-placed Frankston take on the bottom of the ladder Chelsea Heights. While the Dolphins are yet to drop a game, Chelsea Heights are still chasing their first win. If Chelsea Heights do get up, it would be a thrilling upset.
Hallam will be desperately chasing their first win as they face Doveton this week. But it will not be an easy task, as the Eagles fight to maintain a three-match winning streak, to go four in a row.
