Improving Northcote Park not out of Northern Football League Division 1 finals race

Northcote Park football manager John Matthew says the Cougars will worry Northern Football League’s finals aspirants in the run home.

NFL Football: Bundoora V Northcote Park. Northcote coach Jason Heatley

NORTHCOTE Park football manager John Matthew says finals aspirants will fear the improving Cougars over the final months of the Northern Football League season.

The Cougars have won their past two matches, claiming their most comprehensive victory of the Division 1 season against Macleod on Saturday.

Jason Heatley’s side outplayed the Roos from start to finish at Bill Lawry Oval, banking their third win of the year by 47 points.

Matthew said Northcote Park was playing with the confidence it sorely lacked in the early rounds of the season.

“We don’t have any real excuse, we haven’t had a lot of injuries,” Matthew said.

“We’ve had pretty much our full team, or as full as you’re going to get, we just haven’t played good footy.

“I know (Heatley) has been scratching his head about it for a few weeks. We’ve tried all sorts of different things. Finally in the last few weeks we’re back to moving the ball well, our tackling has been first class and our ball use has been a lot better.”

Matthew praised the performance of Ben McNeice, who kept dangerous forward Nick Lynch goal-less just a week after he destroyed West ­Preston-­Lakeside.

He said the Cougars would need to win seven of their last eight games to figure in finals, starting with this weekend’s clash against  high-flying Greensborough.

“Three weeks ago we were a win and a half and looking like facing relegation,” he said.

“The good thing is that at least the last two weeks puts a bit of space between us and the bottom.

“On a glass half full type of scenario, you look at our form currently and you’d hope we could win more than we lose coming home.

“That won’t be enough (to play finals), we’d have to get on a pretty good run to make it, but we’ve done it before.”

Northcote Park’s go-to players fired in the win against Macleod, with Bronik Davies, Nick Carter and McNeice were named in the best.

“The reputation we’ve built over the last couple of years . . . means that anyone is worried about playing us wherever we are on the ladder,” Matthew said.