Form has fluctuated markedly as teams head towards Round 6 in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football.
Often when it appears that teams have found their level, surprise results appear to cause a rethink.
Heidelberg West was unbeaten after three rounds but came crashing back to earth in Round 4 with a 70-point loss to Kilmore. Based on that performance, it appeared the Hawks might struggle to match it with the top teams.
But when unbeaten Laurimar ventured to Heidelberg Park last week, it was the Hawks who prevailed by 14 points – joining the Power on four wins. After a slow start, the home side controlled the contest from the second term onward.
Victory was sweet for Heidelberg West – who began the 2019 season with five-straight wins, only to lose the next five and eventually miss finals action.
“I’m proud we were able to stand up when it mattered,” Heidelberg West coach Michael Missen said.
The back six especially pleased the coach. Captain Ben Kennan led the way in defence, while Ryan Offer held the dangerous Josh Williamson to two majors. Ayman O’Dowd was promoted from the reserves and snared two goals.
The Power dominated play early, but an inaccurate 2.11 to 6.2 half time score left them trailing for the entire second half.
“We had our chances but when you play good sides, you cannot miss shots, just play ten minutes of good football and then expect to win,” Laurimar coach Jimmy Atkins said.
Ever-reliable Luke Wilson stood out in the midfield for the Power. Brayden Burgess excelled in defence and Ethan Gorski continued his good recent form.
Another surprise result was the game between Old Eltham Collegians and Mernda at Eltham College. With both teams highly competitive against the top-two teams the previous week, a close tussle was expected.
But the Turtles showed superior teamwork and led from go to whoa in an impressive 42-point win.
The best example of this was a third term forward 50m entry. which looked like it was going to end in a ball-up. But the Old Eltham Collegians forwards fought hard to keep the ball in motion, which led to a Luke Bower goal.
The other two games in Round 5 saw big wins to the home teams.
Reservoir travelled to at J.J. Clancy Reserve to play Kilmore, where the Blues registered a 142-point win. Luke Chapman scored his best bag in the league – kicking four majors and giving several others away.
“Pleased we executed our game plan and hope to carry that form into the Mernda game,” Kilmore coach Nathan Phillips said.
Adam Milne played his best game this year for the Blues across half forward, while Chris Ryall and Bailey Taylor-Egan impressed and each bagged three majors.
The Mustangs were no match for the Blues but persisted to the end.
“We’re undermanned at the moment, but they had a real crack,” Reservoir coach Jason Hamilton said.
Hamilton gave praise to Emrys Black, who rucked all day, as well as Rob Holland, Ryan Evans in defence and captain Peter Pavlovic.
South Morang is now the only undefeated team in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 after it recorded a 139-point win over Lalor at Lalor Reserve in a polished display befitting of a premiership threat.
The Lions scarcely missed a target all day and numerous players from the 2019 under-19s premiership team shone. That included Dominic Tropea and Josh Lansfield, who kicked six goals apiece, and Liam Jolly who slotted four. Mitchell Kalpakis set things up from defence.
“We got off to a good start and kept the ball rolling.” South Morang coach Gary Hall said.
Sam Rexhepi kicked all six of his team’s goals in a great individual effort, while Bradley Johnstone kept Alex Colaidis in check.
“We were beaten by a very clinical team in South Morang,” Lalor coach Gary Cutler said.
Not helping Lalor’s cause was losing Hirsi Twomey to injury after the Reservoir game. The Bloods and Mustangs have headed the list of team changes in recent weeks and both will need a break on the injury front as they look to improve.
Round 6 is headlined by a top of the table clash between South Morang and Laurimar at Mill Park Lakes Reserve.
These sides met in the 2019 preliminary final, where the Lions led narrowly at each change to record a 10-point win.
So far this season, each time a top-four team has lost, they have rebounded strongly the following week with a victory. Power fans will hope this trend continues, but it will be a stern test away from home against a team in red-hot form.
The stakes are high. A win by Laurimar will see them join South Morang on five wins, but a loss will likely see them tumble out of the top-two and be two games and percentage behind the Lions.
The battle in the midfield looks set to be crucial as both teams have a host of potent forwards. Josh Williamson leads the list for the Power with 22 goals, while Jake Potter has 14 this year for the Lions.
Mernda is two games outside the top-four and will be looking for a win to keep in touch when it hosts Kilmore at Waterview Recreation Reserve.
Demon fans were disappointed with the effort last week but would know their team is capable of better.
With the reserves winning well, several players may be in line for a promotion. Top of the list would be Michael Arcus, who has recorded consecutive best on ground performances.
The Blues will be favoured, but they are yet to win on the road this year. With away losses to Laurimar and South Morang, they would see game this as a good chance to reverse that trend and establish themselves in the top-four.
Heidelberg West travels to Lalor Reserve for a match-up against Lalor.
The Hawks will climb into the top-two with a win if other results go according to ladder position, so they will be keen to carry on the good form from the previous win over Laurimar.
The last encounter between these teams at this ground resulted in a 43-point win to the Hawks when Jack Marris kicked four.
The Bloods will be keen to bounce back from a huge loss against the Lions and their fans will be expecting a great effort, but it would be an upset result if they were to win.
The late game sees Reservoir travel to Yarrambat War Memorial Park to play Old Eltham Collegians – commencing at 5.10pm.
The Mustangs will be looking for some team stability after a raft of forced changes in recent times. If in-form Nick Gregson could return, that would be a plus.
The Turtles will see this as a chance to move closer to that elusive spot in the top-four. If they can defeat Reservoir and then Kilmore the following week at J.J. Clancy Reserve, they are likely to draw level with the fourth-placed Blues on wins.
