With just one round remaining prior to the mid-season break in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3, the top six have split into three sections after all the higher placed teams won, albeit some winning only narrowly.
This round provided the lowest combined winning margin of the season, a total of 71-points, with each game in the balance in the final term.
Laurimar and Old Eltham Collegians share top spot with seven wins with South Morang and Kilmore rounding out the top four with five wins apiece.
Heidelberg West and Mernda have three wins each while one win further back is Reservoir with Lalor on the bottom.
The Lions and Blues find themselves in the middle of this group of six teams. They have some chance of grabbing a top two spot, but also need to mindful that the Hawks and Demons are looking to displace one of them from the top four.
Mernda was close to take a big scalp for the second week in a row when playing Old Eltham Collegians at Eltham College.
They were the outsiders, but pushed the Turtles all the way to fail by a mere seven-points. Reaping the rewards of a good pre-season, midfielder Riley Edwards stood out for the Demons and drifted forward to kick two majors.
“We were in it all day, but not just as polished as they were,” said Mernda coach Robert Fletcher.
Old Eltham Collegians kept their winning streak going, which now sits at seven straight. Nick Snowdon returned to the Turtles side to kick three majors, while Paul Vidinopoulos continued his recent good form to boot two.
The battle between seventh and eighth placed teams in Reservoir and Lalor at Crispe Park turned out to be a thriller.
The Mustangs would have been favourites, but it was Lalor who led for most of the afternoon.
Reservoir managed to come back from a deficit in excess of 20-points to thrill the home crowd in recording a 6-point victory.
“We found a way to win even when we weren’t at our best,” said Reservoir coach Justin George.
Despite the loss, Lalor fans had plenty of cheer throughout the game and their team could’ve won had it been slightly more experienced.
“We had lots of wins within the battle, but made errors at critical points,” said Lalor coach Angelo Lamanna.
South Morang snapped a three game losing streak in defeating Heidelberg West by 19-points at Heidelberg Park.
Aaron Lazaric was crucial in the ruck for the Lions and gave his team first use of the ball in the confidence-boosting win. Ben Peterson booted four upon his return to the team while 23rd man Daniel Lansfield, brother of Josh who is currently out injured, acquitted himself well.
“I’m proud of the players for their competitive nature through the past few weeks when we lacked the cattle,” said South Morang coach Gary Hall.
Dan Walters, Nick Paton and Ben Kennan were best for the Hawks.
“Another competitive performance against one of the top sides, but we walk away without the important four points,” said Heidelberg West coach Michael Missen.
Laurimar powered away from Kilmore late in the contest at Laurimar Reserve to claim a 42-point win. The Blues hit the front in the third term but were not able to go with the Power for the last third of the contest. The win put Laurimar two games clear of Kilmore.
Heidelberg West plays Lalor at Lalor Reserve and the visitors will be hot favourites. After struggling through a patch where the team lost four in a row, the Hawks look likely to head into the mid-season break at 4-5 which would keep their finals chances alive.
Bloods fans would take some heart from the improvement that was evident in their close loss to the Mustangs last weekend. Heidelberg West won to the tune of 205-points when these teams met in Round 1 and Angelo Lamanna’s men would be looking to significantly reduce the margin this time around on their home turf.
Buoyed with getting a second win for the season, Reservoir heads to Mill Park Lakes Reserve to take on South Morang.
Both teams would feel confident after snapping losing streaks with last week, but the Lions would be favoured to keep their winning run going. Depending on results in other games, a South Morang win will see them remain third and be either a game clear of fourth or within a win of second place.
In their Round 4 encounter at Crispe Park, the Mustangs were scoreless while the Lions amassed 205-points.
If Reservoir they can get on the scoreboard and, like Lalor hope to do, make sizeable inroads into the previous margin of 205-points, it will be a sign of progress.
Mernda is a team on the rise and hosts Laurimar at Waterview Recreation Reserve. The Demons overcame a top four team in Kilmore two weeks ago and then went within seven points of claiming another scalp when losing to Old Eltham Collegians at Eltham College last Saturday.
This will be an eagerly anticipated local derby and a win would have Mernda fans thinking that finals are within reach.
However, their opponents are the ladder leaders and are also in hot form. The Power is likely to go into the game with the edge based on their ladder status and a win would see them well on the way to securing the double chance later in the season.
Match of the round status belongs to the game between Kilmore and Old Eltham Collegians at J.J. Clancy Reserve. These teams met in Round 1 at Eltham College where the Turtles led for most of the day but were overrun late by the Blues.
Since that loss, Old Eltham Collegians have strung together seven wins in a row to share top of the table status with Laurimar. A win would mean that they have beaten every team in 2022.
More importantly, a Turtles triumph would see them well placed for a top two finish, while denting the chances of the Blues to do the same as a three game gap would open up between both sides.
But, if Kilmore can snap their two game losing streak, they will go to the bye with the double chance firmly on the agenda.
Mernda played both these teams in the past two weeks and, based on those results and taking home ground advantage into account, this one has the potential to go right down to the wire, just like their most recent two encounters.
