Impressive VFL form leads to Hawthorn debut for Hill

North Melbourne small forward Zac Banch produced a stunning snap from a ruck stoppage to pinch a heart-stopping three-point win over Essendon at Arden St on Sunday.

The Kangaroos trailed by 21 points when Jade Gresham kicked his third goal 12 minutes into the last quarter and were still 15 behind into time-on before mid-season draftee Ollie Griffin pounced on his third following a great tackle from James Tarrant and Lachy Dovaston nabbed his second from a free kick to bring the margin within a kick.

North earned a forward-50 stoppage and a brilliant backhand tap from Taylor Goad found Banch on the burst and he snapped truly from 30m to put his team in front.

But the drama wasn’t over – the Bombers broke from the next centre clearance and Solly McKay earned a free kick for holding the man against Brayden George as the siren sounded, only to hit the behind post from 40m out with the game on his boot.

Matt Keast’s breakout season hit new heights for the Kangaroos with 34 disposals, eight clearances and two goals, while Bailey Scott (31, one goal), Zac Fisher (26, 10 marks) and Tyler Sellers (18, 11 marks) also impressed. Elijah Tsatas (36, 11 clearances, seven marks) resumed his ball magnet antics for Essendon with support from Jaxon Binns (30, 11 marks), Jackson Hately (28, eight marks) and youngster Max Kondogiannis (27, eight marks).

The Brisbane Lions entered the round anchored to the bottom of the ladder while League newcomers Tasmania arrived at Brighton Homes Arena soaring in fourth spot.

Curtis McCarthy (five), Cody Curtin (four) and Fergus McFadyen (four) ran roughshod over the Tasmanian defence with 13 goals between them, while Sam Tilley dominated his home state with 24 disposals and two goals and Sam Marshall easily led all comers again with 32 touches, 10 marks and a goal.

Former Bomber Jye Menzie (five goals) was a lone hand up forward for the Devils, with Harry Elmer (26, one goal), Brandon Leary (22, 13 contested) and Lachlan Hay (24) able to hold their heads high in the middle.

Southport has 10 players out for the season, including six or seven of their best dozen after luckless forward Sam Lowson suffered a second ACL rupture last week.

But the team that has played three Grand Finals in the past four seasons showed that it can’t be underestimated even after three losses in a row when it humbled Williamstown by 49 points at Fankhauser Reserve on Saturday.

Liston medallist Jacob Dawson (31, 17 contested, two goals) has found another level to cover the absences, adding goalkicking to his repertoire – he had kicked 19 in 89 matches before this season but has 11.4 in 11 outings this year – Brayden Crossley (18, 21 hitouts) lost the taps but easily outpointed Braydon Preuss and Alex Mirkov around the ground, Max Pescud rediscovered his best with 20 touches and two goals and mid-season recruit Cooper Hamilton booted two from 15 touches.

Veteran star Jake Greiser (29, 13 marks) is in a rich vein of form for Williamstown, with support coming from Jack McHale (20, two goals), Toby Triffett (25) and Jack Toner (23).

GWS twice built handy leads over the Box Hill Hawks at Box Hill City Oval and twice got run down, but the Giants wouldn’t be denied as Louie Montgomery put on a hero’s turn to secure a 12-point win and hold third spot on the ladder on Saturday.

Box Hill gradually pegged them back and classy small forward Matt Hill put the Hawks in front with his third goal in the shadows of three quarter-time, but the Giants responded with 4.1 to a wasteful 1.5 in the last term.

Montgomery, the son of former Port Adelaide and Western Bulldogs player and now Giants assistant coach Brent, booted a career-best five goals including two of the last three to anchor the win, with Jack Ough (29 disposals, 20 contested) continuing to bang down the door for an AFL debut and Harry Rowston (26) and Joey Delana (three goals) crying out for a recall.

Noah Mraz (18, 10 marks) and Sam Butler (26, two goals) were the Hawks’ best.

Port Melbourne held off a spirited Gold Coast by six points in an error-riddled battle at ETU Stadium to move into the top 10 and make it six Standalone clubs sitting in the finals positions at the two-thirds mark of the season. Tom Highmore (18, seven marks), Dom Bedendo (19, two goals), Ben Hobbs (22) and Josh Green (21) were strong for the Borough, but Caleb Graham was clearly the best afield in the last line of defence for the Suns, pulling in 14 marks for 21 disposals – if he can’t break back into the AFL team for the first time in four years on that effort, he probably never will. Dylan Patterson (18, 12 tackles, one goal) is on the cusp of a debut and Miles Enders (20), Caleb Lewis (17, six marks) and Alex Sexton (19) also stood up.

Werribee moved back into the top two with a gritty seven-point win over Carlton at Ikon Park to be undefeated in six games, a victory led by four goals from Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal favourite Brady Wright, superstar Dom Brew (23, 15 tackles) and the defensive efforts of Ryan Eyers and Jaelen Pavlidis and despite Cooper Lord (31, one goal), Ollie Hollands (30, nine marks), Darcy Tucker (29) and Lewis Young (22, 10 marks) starring.

Hayden McLean and the rest of Sydney’s depth was unstoppable, all putting their hands up for AFL recalls in a record 133-point spanking of Sandringham at Blacktown. McLean kicked six goals and first-year forward Jevan Phillipou (five) made it 11 goals in three weeks to basically demand a debut, while Billy Cootee (38, two goals), Matt Roberts (37, 11 marks, one goal), Tom Hanily (35, two goals) and Corey Warner (32, three goals) all did as they pleased.

Angus Anderson put on a show for Collingwood, racking up 32 disposals, 11 clearances, nine tackles and two goals as the Magpies thrashed Richmond by 70 points in the first VFL game played at La Trobe University, with Lachie Sullivan (29, two goals) and Wil Parker (22, 11 marks) also brilliant, while Kaleb Smith (37) had a day out for the Tigers and Luke Trainor (23) pulled in 10 grabs.