With just two weeks of the home and away season remaining, the make-up of the ladder is still far from certain, making for some crucial contests in Round 17 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 action.
Despite tough conditions for the ten sides who featured in Round 16 last week, all results went according to ladder position.
Epping came off the bye to play Heidelberg West at Heidelberg Park and drew away in the second half to prevail by 49 points, with Corey Middleton a key player in the win.
“We had quite a few positives, although some lapses cost us,” Heidelberg West coach Dale Mayne said, adding that his rucks in Jacob Smith and Patrick Molony continue to improve.
Kilmore made the trip to Waterview Recreation Reserve to play Mernda, with the Demons powering to a 25-point lead at half time. The Blues bridged the gap in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as Robert Fletcher’s men snapped a two-game losing streak to record an 18-point win.
Kilmore is still mathematically in finals contention but will need to win their last two matches as a minimum while also hoping other results go their way.
Reservoir hosted the Fitzroy Stars at Crispe Park. The Stars only needed to win to remain on top but came away with a 95-point triumph, as Patrick Farrant booted six for the visitors.
Despite being outclassed, the Mustangs did manage to win the second quarter, with Nicholas Miliaresis once again impressing.
Old Paradians travelled to Lalor Reserve to take on Lalor, and the Raiders got the job done against the Bloods to the tune of 71 points, with Hayden Chapman being the best for Lalor.
“Lalor came to play today but we stood up and kicked away after quarter time, which was pleasing,” Old Paradians coach Ben Turner said.
Raiders Captain Marcus Nolan is in terrific form as finals approach, with his side’s victory assuring the Old Paradians cannot finish lower than second by season’s end.
Kinglake ventured to Ivanhoe Park for the first time to take on Ivanhoe.
A casual glance at the ladder may have led Hoers fans to expect an easy win, but the Lakers have been playing good football recently, and it was proven on Saturday as they pushed Ivanhoe for most of the day. However, a strong start to the final term helped the Hoers get over the line by 15 points.
“It was a real arm wrestle all day and unfortunately for us, we gave Ivanhoe some easy chances at crucial times of the game,” Kinglake coach Dave Florance said, who gave a tick to Mason McAllister, Shane Harvey and Rye Johnson.
The race for ladder positions from third to fifth will be hotly contested in the final fortnight of the home and away campaign.
Mernda heads a group of four teams battling it out for spots, as they sit in third on ten wins, with Ivanhoe and Epping on nine wins. A game further back and in sixth spot on the table is Old Eltham Collegians.
Here is a snapshot of their remaining games:
Mernda:
Round 17 – Bye
Round 18 – Ivanhoe (Home)
A win over Ivanhoe should clinch the double chance for the Demons.
Ivanhoe:
Round 17 – Lalor (Away)
Round 18 – Mernda (Away)
Two wins will give them a shot at third spot, depending on percentage, while one victory may be enough to secure finals, once again depending on percentages.
Epping:
Round 17 – Fitzroy Stars (Away)
Round 18 – Lalor (Home)
Two wins will seal a finals spot, but if they lose to the Stars, a big victory in the last round will likely be required to sneak into the top half of the ladder.
Old Eltham Collegians:
Round 17 – Heidelberg West (Away)
Round 18 – Old Paradians (Home)
They will need to win both games and hope that at least one side above them go 1-1 in the final fortnight, as their percentage will likely be enough to move up.
With no place on the ladder from top to bottom locked away, a fascinating Round 17 awaits. Mernda, Old Paradians and Reservoir all have their final byes for the season this weekend.
Kinglake takes on Kilmore at Kinglake Memorial Oval, making for an intriguing clash with both teams in good form across recent weeks.
Every opponent the Lakers have faced since the bye has been a finals contender, with victories coming against the Turtles and Demons.
Kinglake would love to defeat another team above them on the ladder when they play their final home game in the Country Cup, and with the home ground advantage playing a part, the local fans would approach the game with a level of confidence.
The Blues had arguably their best effort of the season back in Round 11 with a 69-point win over Kinglake at J.J. Clancy Reserve, and based on that result, Paul Derrick’s men would expect to win.
But they do have to bounce back from the disappointment of going down to Mernda the previous week which all but ended their finals aspirations. With multiple factors at play, this is a tough game to tip with any certainty.
Lalor hosts Ivanhoe at Lalor Reserve. The Bloods have won the past two wooden spoons, and while they are likely to avoid this fate in 2024, a win in their last home match of the year would make a sure thing of it, providing some extra motivation for Lance Whitnall’s men this weekend.
Ivanhoe must not only claim the four points to keep their finals plans on track, but a percentage booster for the Hoers would be an extra layer of security.
Knowing that Kilmore lost at this venue earlier in the season should be enough to keep Wayne Schultz’s men focussed on the task at hand. They are favoured to win, but the margin will be of interest to teams around them on the table.
In one of the more interesting battles for the season, Heidelberg West meets Old Eltham Collegians at Heidelberg Park.
The ladder positions suggest that the Turtles should be clear favourites, but they have to overcome a five-game losing streak against the Hawks, with their last triumph being back in Round 3 of the 2022 campaign, which was a narrow one-point victory.
With this being a must-win game for Matt Sleeman’s men, the focus will be high on grabbing the four points to keep their season alive. In their favour is that fact that they hit the Round 16 bye in good form with back-to-back victories over other finals hopefuls in Epping and Ivanhoe.
This will be the Hawks’ last game of season 2024, so with this being their swansong for the year, the home crowd would be hopeful of finishing on a high note and keeping their winning streak against Old Eltham Collegians going.
Match of the Day status arguably belongs to the clash between the Fitzroy Stars and Epping at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval.
The Stars will earn the week’s rest to begin the finals if they can win this game and then defeat Kilmore away in the final round. It’s hard to tip against Lionel Proctor’s men as they have won six straight matches since the mid-season break, and apart from a seven-point win over the Turtles in Round 11, each victory has been by five goals or more.
With talented midfielders galore and firepower up forward headlined by Patrick Farrant, local fans will head to the game expecting a win.
Epping has looked promising in the second half of the 2024 campaign, and have won four of their last five matches, the most impressive triumph being a 48-point win over Mernda in Round 12 at Epping Recreational Reserve.
If the Blues can reproduce that form, they will give themselves a chance to cause a huge upset and close in on a finals appearance in their return to the Division 3 competition.
With forwards of the ilk of Adrian Alfonsi, Daniel Rakhlin and Sebastian Latina to kick to, the Epping midfielders can potentially propel their team to victory if they can win the midfield battle or at least break even.