The 2023 Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 campaign officially gets underway this Saturday with four intriguing match ups to kick off the season.
This week will see two sides in their first foray into Division 3 as well as a highly anticipated battle between two top four sides of 2022.
In their first NFNL match since 2007, Kinglake will take on Reservoir at Kinglake Memorial Oval.
The Lakers are the biggest unknown of the 2023 season but following a Grand Final appearance in the Outer East Division 2 competition last year, as well as some handy and familiar NFNL names leading the charge in Andrew Fairchild, Jake McNamara, Matthew Coen and Leigh Gilbert, they could surprise many in the division.
Their first test is a Reservoir side who ticked some important boxes last year as they continue to rebuild. Justin George has been able to add plenty of names to their squad but the next step for the club now is to become more competitive and build on their three-win season of 2022.
With an unfamiliar opponent first up on Saturday, the Mustangs will hope to produce a solid performance to kick off their 100-year celebrations.
Laurimar host Kilmore at Laurimar Reserve as last year’s Grand Finallist’s look to make a strong start again in 2023.
The Power were one of the quieter teams in the competition during the off-season with only a few team list changes. They gained Aiden Clark from Hurstbridge but will be without reigning club best and fairest Jake Richards after he moved to the Bridges.
Jimmy Atkins’ side were the highest scoring team in Division 3 last year but in their last meeting at home against the Blues, they only scraped home by two points and scored just 39 points.
Kilmore were also quiet on the transfer front but did lose some experience, headlined by the winner of the last two Division 3 best and fairest’s in Chris Ryall.
The Blues went down in all three contests against Laurimar, and haven’t defeated the Power since Round 8, 2017, but under new coach Paul Derrick, an early scalp will give Kilmore the perfect start in their hopes of claiming a maiden finals victory in the NFNL.
After a breakout 2022 campaign, Old Eltham Collegians will look to once again contend for the Division 3 premiership ahead of their clash with Mernda at Eltham College.
The Turtles went on an outstanding recruiting spree over the last few months, adding more experienced heads to the club including Matthew Williamson, Hugh Kavanagh and Jackson Freebairn.
Matthew Sleeman’s side were the kings of the close wins in 2022, playing in seven games where the margin was single digits, and winning six of them. One of those were a seven-point triumph over their Saturday opponents at Eltham College.
Mernda will be hoping for a similar performance this week as Robert Fletcher’s men look to build off their seven-win season last year.
The Demons lost some key players of recent years, but thanks to the recruitment of tall Billy Morrison and the re-signing of Team of the Year member Ryan Bongetti, the club will be expecting to be in the finals conversation throughout the entire campaign.
The Fitzroy Stars will begin their first ever NFNL season in Division 3 by hosting Lalor at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval.
Both clubs were winless in their respective divisions in 2022 but despite some key departures, the Stars look to be a prominent team in the top half of the ladder this year.
Over 20 names have joined Lionel Proctor’s squad since the transfer period opened with Bundoora forward Jai Burns and former Coburg and Sandringham VFL forward Hedley Smith headlining the inclusions.
The Bloods have also recruited a healthy amount of numbers over the off-season in the hopes of a more competitive showing in 2023.
Angelo Lamanna was confident that the strong chemistry within the group would put them in good stead this season, but with games against Old Eltham Collegians and Laurimar to follow, the Bloods will plan to at least show some positive signs against a team just as hungry for a win as they are.
Heidelberg West will have the first bye of the season.
