A look ahead to Round 2 in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3.
Footy is back at the NFNL and there was a buzz at the grounds on the weekend.
Round 1 action in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 featured the first ever Friday night game at Heidelberg Park.
Heidelberg West relished the standalone time slot on its home ground and booted 6.6 to 1.0 in the last term on the way to a 77-point win over Old Eltham Collegians.
Fresh from his 2019 reserves premiership with the Hawks, new coach Michael Missen had the perfect start.
“We were really happy with how we controlled the game and thought it was a very professional team performance from our group of guys,” Missen said.
Jake Chiminello returned to the Hawks after playing for Macleod in 2019 and excelled first up. Allan Young was recruited from Watsonia and booted four majors.
The Turtles were well served by Thomas Cleary as well as Eden Simpson, who kicked two goals.
South Morang served notice that they mean business with a massive win over Reservoir at Crispe Park. The Lions slotted 14 majors in the final term to eclipse the 200-points mark and put them atop the ladder.
The best players for South Morang were Jake Potter and James Hewson, who combined for 11 goals. Matt Trim also enjoyed a strong showing.
“Not a bad effort considering it’s only our second game since the 2019 grand final,” South Morang coach Gary Hall said.
The Lions only played one practice match in the pre-season. But the group had synergy due to their close bond and small number of team changes since 2019.
Conversely, the Mustangs sported a plethora of first gamers. While some time will be required to gain team cohesion, it was still a poor start for new coach Jason Hamilton’s men.
“Disappointed, but we will look to make a better account of ourselves next week.” Reservoir coach Jason Hamilton said.
He was pleased with the efforts of Jack Smith, Petar Pavlovic, Sam Edward and Dylan Cornford.
Mernda hosted Lalor at Waterview Recreation Reserve and jumped to an early four-goal lead. That turned out to be the difference as the Demons ran out 27-point winners for new coach Robert Fletcher.
“Great to be playing footy again. We were good in patches and have lots of improvement,” Fletcher said.
He liked the work of captain Gus Mills, as well as Jacob Austin and Chris Roussos.
Lalor registered more scoring shots than Mernda despite the loss, however the Bloods booted a wayward 9.16 (70) to 15.7 (97).
“We had our chances, but let one slip,” Lalor coach Gary Cutler said, referring to his side’s inability to convert shots at goal.
Recruited from Fitzroy Stars, Dylan Harvey did well down back for Lalor. Hirsi Twomey excelled in the ruck and Justin Bentley – who previously played under Cutler at Heidelberg West – impressed in his Lalor debut.
The match between Laurimar and Kilmore at Laurimar Park lived up to its billing as the division’s game of the round. The Blues led at each change but were overrun late by the Power in a four-point result.
Marcus Webb and Luke Chapman both kicked two majors for Kilmore. Chapman’s second goal came after he ran off the mark to gain some extra metres.
Jacson Cecil booted four for the victors and Josh Williamson kicked three in his first game since Round 9, 2019. The winning goal came in the final minute courtesy of co-captain Mitch Thompson in the final minute.
With no team being relegated from MC Labour Division 2, a spot has opened up for at least one team that missed the finals in 2019 to jump up and take the vacant spot.
Front runners for this spot currently appear to be Heidelberg West and Mernda, who meet at Heidelberg Park in an enticing Round 2 match-up.
The Hawks began the 2019 season winning five games straight and will look to make the early running. With back-to-back home games and a few hours extra rest having played the Friday night game in Round 1, they would fancy their chances to win.
But Mernda will be a significant test for the Hawks after impressing in the opening round. The Demons missed the finals by two premiership points in 2019 and will be determined to show they are a finals contender.
Laurimar plays host to Reservoir at Laurimar Reserve. The Power will be expected to make it two from two without having to leave their home ground.
The build-up for Laurimar may feel very different. They go from playing a fellow premiership contender in Kilmore to meeting a 2019 cellar-dweller.
The Mustangs’ last win was against the Power and they will look to improve from their Round 1 defeat, although with a slightly different line-up following several injuries sustained in the loss to South Morang.
Lalor travels to J. J. Clancy Reserve to play Kilmore, where both sides will be looking to atone after letting go a winning opportunity in Round 1.
The Bloods played their final game of 2019 at this venue and were defeated by 120 points. A closer contest is expected this time as Lalor looks to have improved.
The Blues will be fancied and would want to avoid a 0-2 start after going within a whisker of upsetting Laurimar last week.
Old Eltham Collegians host South Morang at Eltham College to complete the round.
Based on the opening round results, the Lions would be hot favourites.
But the Turtles won the only match between the two sides at this ground in 2019 by 65 points.
The earlier match-up between the sides at Mill Park Lakes Reserve resulted in a draw, so the game holds plenty of interest for fans.
