Two rounds remain in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 and while the makeup of the top four is yet to be decided, some vital games this weekend could all but lock in this season’s finals participants.
Some big clashes in Round 16 action saw the ladder tighten up at the top end.
A top two spot was on the line when Kinglake made its first journey to Laurimar Reserve to battle with Laurimar. The Power won by 48 points in a display worthy of a premiership contender and moved up to second spot on the table in the process.
The Lakers dropped to third position as a result and will now need a lot to go right to grab a double chance.
The Fitzroy Stars travelled to Crispe Park to take on Reservoir and flew out of the blocks with four early goals. They repeated the dose in the second quarter which set up a 59-point half time lead.
Despite fighting hard throughout the second half, the Mustangs went down by 91-points. The positive from the result is that it was a 28-point improvement on their Round 7 encounter at the same venue.
Lalor hosted Kilmore at Lalor Reserve, with the visitors running away after half time to record a 150-point victory. Ethan Derrick booted seven for the victors, while Aaron Speak slotted six.
“We’re aiming to finish the season strongly,” Kilmore coach Paul Derrick said.
Derrick appreciated the effort of Lachlan Chesser who booted three majors.
The Bloods actually improved from their previous meeting against the Blues in Round 7, when they lost by 185-points. Scott Dickson and Hayden Chapman were prominent for Lalor.
In the closest game of the round, Mernda had to fight tooth and nail to overcome a tenacious Heidelberg West side at Waterview Recreation Reserve.
The Demons trailed at the last break but did enough to get over the line by 12 points. It was enough to send them to the top of the ladder for the first time since 2016, with 1997 being the last time they finished as minor premiers.
“We played a good footy side today and I was happy that we were able to respond well in the final quarter,” Mernda coach Robert Fletcher said.
Fletcher liked the work of Lachlan Taylor in his first game for the season, while Kyle Yankos did well in defence and Michael Evans helped swing the game in the final term.
The Hawks were 14 points up late in the third quarter and had chance to extend that lead, but failed to capitalise.
“We’re developing into a good footy team, but we cannot afford to give good sides an inch,” Heidelberg West coach Michael Missen said.
“When we correct that, we’ll be a good footy team ourselves.”
Missen had praise for Nicholas Paton and Bradley Moore who have both been prominent for his side in recent weeks.
Mernda sit atop the ladder courtesy of having a game in hand and finish the season with Lalor at home this week and the Fitzroy Stars away next week.
They will be the hottest of favourites to defeat the Bloods and if they can also prevail against the Stars, they will finish a game clear on top of the ladder.
Lalor lost to the Demons by 162 points at Lalor Reserve in Round 8 and would like to better that score line. While a percentage boost will be welcomed by the Mernda faithful, although it won’t be necessary if they keep winning.
A win for the Demons will also tick off a clean sweep of victories on their home ground for the season.
Laurimar sits in second place and has the bye. If they defeat Reservoir as expected the following week, the double chance is safe.
Kinglake trails the Power on percentage and are third on the ladder. They have a very slim chance to climb to a top two spot but will first need to defeat Heidelberg West at Heidelberg Park.
This stands out as the most significant game for finals hopefuls this coming weekend.
If the Lakers can win, it will be their best win away from home for the season, but the task won’t come easy against a side that pushed Mernda to the limit last weekend.
A triumph gives them a slim chance to finish top two, but they will also need one of Mernda and Laurimar to drop a game. A loss will see them finish their home and away campaign in third spot.
The Hawks need to win this game and the following match against Lalor to stay in the hunt for fourth spot on the table. Even so, they need the Turtles to lose one of their final two matches to make the jump.
Old Eltham Collegians now have their fate in the own hands. They play Reservoir at Crispe Park and follow that up with a home game against Kilmore.
Winning both games will guarantee the Turtles finals, they could even afford to drop one of those two matches provided Heidelberg West do the same, but they won’t be expected to take the remaining fortnight with ease.
An improvement on their 145-point loss to Old Eltham Collegians in Round 8 would be a tick for Justin George’s men.
The final game for the round won’t have an impact on the finals race but is full of interest nonetheless as Kilmore hosts the Fitzroy Stars at J.J. Clancy Reserve.
Both teams are last start winners and currently sit on five victories apiece.
Most tipsters would probably go for the home team, who are the only one of these two sides to defeat a side currently above them in 2023.
But the Stars did push both Kinglake and Old Eltham Collegians this season and also prevailed against the Blues earlier in the season at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval.
With Tyson Pickett coming off an eight-goal haul for the Stars and teammate Jai Burns one of the favourites to win the league’s best and fairest award, there are plenty of reasons to watch this contest.
