A look ahead to this weekend’s Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 matches.
It’s going down to the wire!
Positions 2, 3 and 4 on the ladder are all up for grabs heading into the final round of the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 home and away season.
Laurimar has been zeroing in on a finals berth and travelled to Lalor Reserve to take on Lalor in Round 17.
The Bloods led at half time and looked a chance to cause an upset, but the Power pulled away with an eight-goal to two second half to record a 26-point win. Jacson Cecil kicked six for the victors.
Lalor coach Dean Grainger was pleased with the work of both Langbornes – Jarrod and Jake – while Michael Jacobson acquitted himself well in the ruck.
“For all the work that the club has done this year, it would be good to reward everyone with a win next week,” Grainger said.
St Mary’s journeyed to Waterview Recreation Reserve to play Mernda. The Burra started well into the wind and were never headed to record a 39-point win.
The loss leaves the Demons vulnerable to dropping out of the finals in the last round after being in the top-four all year. If so, it would be history repeating itself. They suffered the same fate in 2016.
Reservoir coach Aaron Collins announced during the week that he had decided to finish his stint with the Mustangs at season’s end. They played their final home game for the season against Heidelberg West at Crispe Park.
The game had positives for both teams. The Hawks came away with a 20-point win – as they aim for an 8-8 finish at season’s end, which would be an improvement on 2017.
The Mustangs were highly competitive and registered their highest score for the year at 74. This eclipsed their previous best score of 68 in Round 8 – oddly enough against league-leader St Mary’s. Zack Lovell booted three majors for Reservoir.
Panton Hill embarked on its first ever trip to J.J. Clancy Reserve to take on Kilmore. Despite being underdogs, the Blues bounced back from a disappointing loss to Laurimar and pulled off their best victory of the season.
With less than a kick in it at each change, Kilmore staved off a challenge from the Redbacks to win by four points. Jeremy Topham was outstanding in the win, while Grant Paxton did well in the ruck.
“Proud of the effort this week,” Kilmore coach Nathan Phillips said. “The players showed pride in performance and were able to respond when challenged late in the game.”
The Blues season has now ended as they have the round 18 bye. They finish the year with seven wins and currently sit in sixth place – the same position as last year.
Huge matches await in Round 18 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 – with three games having an impact on the make-up of the finals.
The odd game out sees Heidelberg West host Lalor at Heidelberg Park. The Bloods have been highly competitive in their past two games and would love to beat a side above them to finish the season.
The Hawks would be favoured by the tipsters and will climb above Kilmore to sixth spot if they can win.
St Mary’s will prepare for finals when hosting South Morang at Whatmough Park. The Lions are safe in the top-four but will grab second spot with a win, if Panton Hill loses.
But the Burra would be favoured to take an 11-game winning streak into the finals. They defeated South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve by 40 points in Round 11.
Laurimar will be attempting to climb into the top-four for the first time all season when hosting Reservoir at Laurimar Reserve.
The Power won their previous encounter by 29 points at Crispe Park in Round 6.
Mernda finishes the regular season with back-to-back home games at Waterview Recreation Reserve and plays Panton Hill. The Redbacks have plenty of incentive. A win will clinch the double chance for them.
This is also a must-win game for the Demons. If they lose, they will have to rely on Reservoir winning their first game for the season to cling on to fourth.
In the event that both Mernda beats Panton Hill and Laurimar defeats Reservoir, percentage will come into play.
The Demons hold fourth spot presently by 2.75 percent over the Power. As a guide, Laurimar will need to win by five goals more than Mernda to displace them inside the top-four.
While most tipsters wouldn’t expect the Demons to win, it should be remembered they won the Round 1 encounter against the Redbacks by 83 points at A.E. Cracknell Reserve.
