DEER Park is the team to beat nearing the mid-point of the Western Region Football League division 1 season.
The Lions (first, 8-0) have shaken up the top tier and smashed the Altona-Spotswood duopoly.
With player-coach Marc Bullen at the helm, the Lions recruited strongly in the off-season. Some labelled it a ‘dream team’ and the Lions have lived up to the hype with eight consecutive wins, including victories over last year’s grand finalists.
Kwame McHarg has been outstanding since joining from Williamstown, while Cameron Trewin, Sam Hunt, Chris Stewart and Shaun Harrison regularly figure in the best.
The evenness of the Lions is what makes them so dangerous.
Taking into account how sparingly big-name recruits Andrew Lovett and Heath Ayres have been used, the Lions roar is only going to get stronger between now and September.
Spotswood (6-2) climbed to second ahead of the break without ever moving into first gear, although the Woodsmen will concede their performance against the big guns has been patchy.
They lost by just three points to Altona in round one but did so by coming back from a 42-point quarter-time deficit.
They led Deer Park at three-quarter time, only to be blown away in the last quarter and came back to win against Sunshine Kangaroos in their last start after overcoming a goal-less first quarter.
Inconsistency is plaguing the Woodsmen and that has to be fixed if they want to reach a seventh grand final in a row.
Michael Fogarty has been in rich form for the Woodsmen, while Jason Cloke and Dylan Callard have been dangerous in attack.
Altona (6-2, third) has what it takes to make it back-to-back flags with an improved team structure from last season.
The Vikings identified their one area of need, a high-marking centre half forward, and found a solution in Jayden Post.
He has already booted 31 goals and shown his aerial dominance.
You hear all the time that it takes time for an AFL player to get used to the pace of local football.
But Post has made a seamless transition, so imagine what his impact will be come finals time.
Steven Kennedy, an exciting utility who can be found mopping up across half back, swooping in the midfield or offering a target across half forward, is having a stellar year and is likely to figure highly in the Priest Medal calculations if his form continues.
The Vikings losses have come against improved sides Deer Park and St Albans. That’s not a concern, just an indication of a lift in standards across the league.
Sunshine (6-2, fourth) has been the surprise packet so far.
The Kangaroos merely made up the numbers in the finals last season, but you get a sense this team is ready to become a major player.
Until the Roos claim a big scalp, 0-2 against top-three sides, they will remain in the former category.
They have a big chance against Altona on Saturday to send a message to the top sides to start looking over their shoulders.
The Kangaroos are strong across all lines and have star power in the Wiggins brothers, Simon and Patrick, and Mitch Hahn.
An injury-free run has seen Patrick Wiggins realise his full potential and he leads division 1 goalkicking with 32 goals, while Russell Douglas, Hayden Moloney and Scott Smith are having productive seasons.
Hoppers Crossing (5-3, fifth) have been up and down like a roller coaster.
The Warriors’ inconsistency is largely to do with an unsettled team, beset by injuries. Take a selection of the best players out of any team and you’ll get mixed results.
If the bad luck with injury is confined to the first eight rounds, there’s no reason why they can’t give the double chance a shake.
Key recruits Brodie Moles and James Mulligan are starting to produce their best football, while Mathew Ryan, Matthew Smith and Terry Knight have been strong all year.
Kade Carey’s health is the concern right now, with the Warriors needing their focal point back on the ground to be a serious contender.
St Albans (4-4, sixth) has been a breath of fresh air and has thrown down the challenge to all the top sides and even shocked Altona.
A five-point defeat to Sunshine in round six is their only blemish in the past month and they are the most credible threat to the sides occupying the top five berths.
Tim Jenkins, a dual Priest medallist, is having another brilliant year for the Saints, along with Lachlan Baddeley, Marc Dawson and Damien Fitzpatrick.
Port Melbourne Colts (3-5, seventh) is a finals chance in the mathematicians’ eyes only. The Colts have been in ordinary form with their three wins coming against sides below them on the ladder.
They have found avenues to goal in Cameron D’Altera and Jase Perkins, but need to tighten up a leaky defence that regularly concedes more than 100 points a game.
Albion (1-7, eighth) is world’s apart from the side that reached consecutive grand finals in 2010-11, its only joy coming against whipping boys North Footscray.
Yarraville-Seddon (1-7, ninth) has taken time to adapt to its new surroundings as a top-flight club.
North Footscray (0-8, last) has endured a hellish run, punctuated by a 325-point loss to Spotswood and the departure of coach John Barnes.
