A look ahead to this weekend’s Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 matches to complete Round 9.
Only one win separated second from fifth place on the ladder at the completion of Round 8.
Heidelberg West moved from seventh to fifth after an impressive 63-point win over Laurimar at Heidelberg Park. The Hawks controlled the game from start to finish and have now won four on the trot.
However, the Hawks were outclassed by St Mary’s in the standalone match over the Queen’s Birthday weekend – beaten by 55 points at Heidelberg Park.
Laurimar hit a speed bump after three straight wins with the disappointing loss to Heidelberg West and now sits two games outside the four.
Panton Hill bounced back from its loss against South Morang the previous week to defeat Kilmore by 54 points at A.E. Cracknell Reserve – withstanding a third term fightback by the Blues to win well. Jonty Rushton booted seven in a best on ground performance.
“A solid win but we still have a lot of work to do,” Redbacks coach Steve Layt said.
Jaxson Kinnear down back was best for Kilmore. The Blues have now lost their past three and have dropped to seventh on the ladder.
St Mary’s hosted Reservoir in a top versus bottom clash at Whatmough Park in Round 8. The Mustangs were highly competitive early, but the Burra drew away with a big second half to win by 107-points.
Reservoir’s contested footy was a positive, but they were beaten on the outside. Thomas Stoneham and Ben Mowlam each booted three majors.
The last time Lalor played South Morang, the result was a 149-point win to the Lions over the Bloods at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. This time, at Lalor Reserve, both teams came away with some positives.
The Lions got off to a flyer with a 4.6 to 1.1 first term, but Lalor fought back hard and avoided another blowout – losing by 46 points.
“Really pleasing to see the group respond after a poor performance the previous week,” Lalor coach Dean Grainger said. “They took some ownership and responded the way we know they can play without getting the four points.”
The Lions secured the crucial win and also second spot on the ladder. Daniel Caruso played another impressive game, while Lachlan Golledge booted a game-high four goals.
“It was a tough, scrappy game,” South Morang coach Gary Hall said. “Lalor was quite competitive, so we were happy to take the points and move on.”
Round 9 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football takes place over two weekends.
The standalone game on June 9 had been anticipated to be a close game, however St Mary’s dominated the second and third quarters to set up the 15.21 (111) to 8.8 (56) win.
A win by Heidelberg West would have seen them inside the top-four for the first time this year, however the Hawks are now at risk of slipping two games and percentage off fourth spot.
The other matches all take place this Saturday June 16. This includes Mernda travelling to J.J. Clancy Reserve to play Kilmore in a critical match for both sides.
The Blues now find themselves two games out finals action after a series of losses. The Demons’ past five games have produced modest wins against teams outside the four and a huge loss to St Mary’s. They appear to be getting some of their better players back and so could improve.
But they would probably need to find something extra from their most recent game – an 18-point win over Reservoir at Waterview Recreation Reserve before their Round 8 bye – to secure an away victory.
Panton Hill travels to Crispe Park to tussle with Reservoir. While the Mustangs have been competitive in patches in recent times, the Redbacks would be highly favoured to win this one and consolidate their spot in the top-four.
Laurimar will be desperate to atone for its Round 8 loss when hosting South Morang at Laurimar Reserve.
Like Kilmore, Laurimar are two games outside the top four and a win would help them stay in touch. But the Lions could grab top spot with a win if the Burra loses on Queen’s Birthday weekend.
