Sport
7 August, 2026
MCDFNL Round 17 Football Preview — Avoca vs Harcourt
Harcourt will be looking to continue its march towards the finals when it travels to Avoca Recreation Reserve to take on a Bulldogs outfit whose finals hopes have long since disappeared.
While Avoca has shown plenty of determination throughout the season, it would take one of the biggest upsets of the year for the Bulldogs to knock over a Harcourt side that has established itself as one of the competition’s premiership contenders.
The Bulldogs will nevertheless be determined to finish the season strongly and continue to build for 2027. Byron Wynd has been one of Avoca’s most consistent performers all season and again led the way in last week’s loss to Maldon.
He received good support from Alexander Riches, Jordan Thomas, Tyson Gray, Daniel Howell and Brett Monk, and that group will need to produce its best football if the Bulldogs are to remain competitive.
Harcourt, meanwhile, arrives in outstanding form following its crushing 163-point victory over Dunolly. Jed Rodda starred with a best-on-ground performance, while Josh Taig, Braydon Vaz, Mark Noonan, Mitch Rees and Mitchell McKnight were all outstanding contributors in a dominant display.
The Lions possess one of the competition’s most potent attacks, with Rodda kicking six goals in their last outing, McKnight adding five and Taig and Thomas Walters each finishing with three. Their ability to score through multiple avenues makes them an extremely difficult side to contain.