A look ahead at Round 12 in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3.
The top-four teams all won comfortably in Round 11 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3.
South Morang came off the bye with an emphatic 76-point win over Heidelberg West at Mill Park Lakes Reserve.
The Hawks were 39 points down at half time but drew within 11 points during the third term. But the Lions steadied and romped away for a big win.
Banyule had a huge 122-point win over Laurimar at R.J. Brockwell Oval to retain top spot. The win by the Bears keeps them one win ahead of South Morang, but the Lions have a game in hand.
Scott Gumbleton played his best game for the club with 11 goals – just one shy of the 12 kicked by teammate James Kroussoratis against Reservoir in Round 7. Up the other end, Lance Whitnall returned his best bag for the year with five for the Power.
Epping travelled to J.J. Clancy Reserve to take on Kilmore and came away with a comprehensive 55-point victory. Kicking 3.5 to nil in the first term with the breeze, Epping led from go to whoa.
“A really solid performance and starting to build quite nicely,” Epping coach Greg Whitcroft said following his side’s third win on trot.
Leigh Judd has hit a purple patch in recent wins which have taken Epping from sixth place on the ladder after Round 8 to fourth, with a game and percentage to spare on both Heidelberg West and Kilmore.
Calder Cannons-listed player Liam Middleton came into the line-up for Kilmore and excelled. He also produced the highlight of the match with a huge mark on his defensive goal line.
St Mary’s hosted Mernda at Whatmough Park and came away with a comfortable 65-point win. Jake Dambrauskas and Jackson Wolczko were dangerous around goals with four majors each.
Mernda was goalless in the second half against Banyule the previous week. This time the Demons finished much better and won the second half 11.2 to 8.4, but St Mary’s had already established a decisive break at half time with a ten-goal to one second term.
“An excellent first half where we executed almost perfectly to set up the win,” Burra coach Con Borg said following the win. “We now need to focus on executing against the top sides.”
“The effort is there and we were good for three quarters,” Mernda coach Steve Power said.
Under-17 player Sarmar Soumaya justified his selection with a good performance in his senior debut for the Demons.
Mernda will be looking to turn its better second half against St Mary’s into a four-quarter performance and snap an eight-game losing streak when it hosts Kilmore at Waterview Recreation Reserve in Round 12 action.
The Blues desperately need to win this one to keep in touch with the top-four after losing touch last week. Their poor percentage means they will likely need to win one more game than Epping and Heidelberg West to play finals.
Similarly to Kilmore, Heidelberg West faces a must-win game against Laurimar in its first trip to Laurimar Reserve.
The Hawks have to win back-to-back games against the Power and Reservoir before the bye to stay in finals contention following consecutive losses.
But Laurimar led Heidelberg West at Heidelberg Park at half time in their only other meeting, so the result should not be seen as a foregone conclusion this week.
Reservoir comes off the bye to encounter South Morang at Crispe Park. It is hard to make a case for the winless Mustangs – although the Lions are likely to have one eye on the upcoming top of the table clash with Banyule the following week.
With Banyule having the bye, a South Morang win will draw them level on top with nine wins. The Lions will need to win by around 30 goals to bridge the percentage gap on the Bears.
Both Kilmore and Heidelberg West will take an interest in the match of the day between third and fourth-placed Epping and St Mary’s at Epping Recreation Reserve.
This is a huge game for Epping. A win would draw the Blues level with the Burra and keep both the Hawks and Kilmore at bay. But, if results go according to ladder position, Epping will find itself back in a three-way tie for fourth spot.
St Mary’s also has a lot at stake. A win would push the Burra closer to sewing up a finals berth and give them breathing space over the chasing pack. If they lose, then their hopes of a double chance would be very slim.
