Bayswater – Last Year: 8th, 4 Wins 11 Losses & 1 Draw
2015 will be a huge year for the men in Green and Gold.
Bayswater kick of their season with a home fixture against East Burwood, the clubs 1000th senior game. It will also be the first time in three years the waters will start their season on the Saturday.
Bayswater will know where they stand early on in season 2015. Mulgrave in Round 2 followed by Scoresby and the Waverley Blues gives them an indication of just where they are at against sides at both ends of the ladder. The Waters will have to overcome a tough middle stretch between rounds 8 and 10 where they take on the top three sides from 2014.
Verdict: Need to make the most of the first five weeks, if they can hit Round 8 with 4-5 wins in the bag they will consider themselves a chance
Round 1: v East Burwood (Home)
ANZAC Day: v Scoresby (Home)
Round 18: v Doncaster East (Away)
Croydon – Last Year: Runners Up, 13 Wins 3 Losses
So close yet so far in 2014.
Croydon will have their work cut out for them early in 2015 as they look to bounce back after being comprehensively beaten in last year’s Grand Final by North Ringwood. They open the season with Doncaster at home, followed by the grudge match with Mooroolbark and they an ANZAC day showdown with Mulgrave.
Plenty of teams will be improving in Division 2 this season and Croydon will need to be on their game and make Home a fortress if they are going to see September once again.
Verdict: Early wins have never been so crucial. Not just to get the points on the board but to show the rest of Division 2 they are the next in line.
Round 1: v Doncaster (Home)
ANZAC Day: v Mulgrave (Home)
Round 18: v Mooroolbark (Home)
East Burwood – Last Year: 9th, 1 Wins 15 Losses
A win in round 1 would have been all East Burwood were thinking about in preseason last year. They ticked that box, getting over Doncaster by a point.
To Round 1 this year they will be looking to break a 15 game losing streak since that Round 1 win. Bayswater will be the target, a chance to put themselves ahead of the ledger and build confidence right from Round 1.
Verdict: East Burwood were granted the “get out of jail free card” when they avoided relegation last season and will be looking to make an early play to stay off the bottom of the Division 2 ladder.
Round 1: v Bayswater (Away)
ANZAC Day: v Mooroolbark (Away) Twilight
Round 18: v Wantirna South (Away)
Doncaster – Last Year: 3rd, 10 Wins 6 Losses
The Sharks won’t be happy with the way in which they exited 2014, soundly beaten by Mulgrave in the 1st Semi Final.
Coming into the final weeks of the season it looked like Doncaster could be the smoky after piling on the wins in the back half of the year. In 2015 they will need to ensure a solid start to the season, facing Croydon in Round 1, local rival Doncaster East in Round 2 and a huge ANZAC day clash with Wantirna South in Round 3.
For the Sharks there are no bigger games, they will be looking to kick start the season after falling behind the pack early last year, Doncaster were 3-5 after starting the season with a loss to East Burwood, but turned that around winning seven of the last eight games – losing one game to Doncaster by a point.
Verdict: The Sharks have proven themselves and on top of that added to the talent with some big signings; expect them to feature (heavily) when we start talking finals in 2015!
Round 1: v Croydon (Away)
ANZAC Day: v Wantirna South (Home)
Round 18: v Waverley Blues (Home)
Doncaster East – Last Year: 6th, 7 Wins 9 Losses
New look Lions in 2015? Perhaps..
Doncaster East will change their strip in 2015, moulding some of the old and some of the new, on top of that they have said goodbye to some of the old and bought in some new.
Somewhat of a changing of the guard down at Zerbes Reserve, speaking of Zerbes, it will play host to the Lions first match of 2015, an all-important clash with Mooroolbark a game in which both sides will be desperate for four points.
Round 2 will be the game that the Lions will be looking at after last year being beaten in both the Doncaster derbies.
Verdict: The First month will prove crucial, a lot of big games in the scheme of the season, playing sides around the mark of finals.
Round 1: v Mooroolbark (Home)
ANZAC Day: v Waverley Blues (Home)
Round 18: v Bayswater (Home)
Mooroolbark – Last Year: 5th, 8 Wins 8 Losses
Much like Doncaster East, Mooroolbark will not be happy with where they were placed last season and will be looking to get off to the perfect start from the first bounce in Round 1. The Mustangs found themselves dropping crucial games in season 2014, putting themselves in a position to play finals after beating Mulgrave in Round 12 they could only manage two wins from there last five games.
Being a middle of the range side, The Mustangs find themselves with no easy games from week to week. They will have to be on their guard to ensure no repeat of last season.
Verdict: dependent on where Scoresby and Wantirna South fit into the status quo may have a bearing on Mooroolbark. They are still a shade behind the top sides but if they can sneak some extra wins they may see finals once again in 2015.
Round 1: v Doncaster East (Away)
ANZAC Day: v East Burwood (Home)
Round 18: v Croydon (Away)
Mulgrave – Last Year: 4th, 9 Wins 7 Losses
At one stage during the preliminary final Mulgrave had scored 28 goals to their opponents nine in their last six quarters of football. It would be an understatement to say they steamed home in 2014.
With North Ringwood now gone, Mulgrave along with Doncaster and Croydon look like being up at the pointy end once again, that bodes well for the Lions but they need to ensure they are competitive with both the Sharks and the Blues (1-3 record in 2014).
Verdict: Clearly the third best side for most of 2014 had a lot go their way early and were super in the back half of the season. Just need to pick up points off top four sides.
Round 1: v Waverley Blues (Away)
ANZAC Day: v Croydon (Away)
Round 18: v Scoresby (Home)
Scoresby – Last Year: Last (Relegated – Division 1), 1 Win 17 Losses
In some respects Scoresby expected to be in Division 2 in season 2015, now is the chance for the Magpies to rebuild. A number of former stars have returned to the club to ensure that Scoresby gets back on its feet once again.
They open the season up against the other new boys in Division 2, Wantirna South, an interesting matchup given both are somewhat unknown quantities.
Verdict: It is hard to gauge exactly where Scoresby slot into Division 2, they should be somewhere around the chasing pack of side 5-8 come seasons end.
Round 1: v Wantirna South (Away)
ANZAC Day: v Bayswater (Away)
Round 18: v Mulgrave (Away)
Wantirna South – Last Year: Premiers (Division 3), 16 Wins 2 Losses
If not for one scintillating quarter of football we could be talking about Templestowe in this position.
Wantirna South were as ready as they have been to climb back into Division 2, although almost let it slip, trailing at 3/4 time of last year’s Grand Final.
Having made the move up to Division 2 for the first time since 2011 the Devils will be hoping to make an immediate impact, Scoresby in Round 1, and a chance to unfurl the flag with a win then East Burwood in Round 2. The season heats up on ANZAC day with Doncaster then a host of sides who will likely be finals contenders over the next month.
Verdict: We won’t know where the Devils slot in for the first month of the season, if they can get over Scoresby, East Burwood and potentially Doncaster or Mooroolbark and they give themselves a chance early.
Round 1: v Scoresby (Home)
ANZAC Day: v Doncaster (Away)
Round 18: v East Burwood (Home)
Waverley Blues – Last Year: 7th, 5 Wins 10 Losses & 1 Draw
It’s amazing how a side can be so close to playing finals yet so far away. Of the 10 losses that Waverley suffered in 2014 five were under 12 points plus the draw with Bayswater in which they led late in the game.
The Blues were ultra-competitive but a rough patch caused by injuries in the middle of the season took its toll. Waverley faces Mulgrave in Round 1 and was able to beat the finalists in Round 9 last year, if they can win that they will be greeted with a relatively comfortable fixture until they meet rival Croydon in Round 5.
Verdict: Out of the sides that missed finals in Division 2 last season The Blues are on par with Doncaster East in terms of potential improvement. A bit of luck, and some talent added to their line up and the Blues may just see September action for the first time in Division 2.
Round 1: v Mulgrave (Home)
ANZAC Day: v Doncaster East (Away)
Round 18: v Doncaster (Away)
