Epping drew away late to return to the top five of the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 ladder after a 31-point win over Ivanhoe at Epping Recreational Reserve.
The 13.13 (92) to 9.7 (61) victory promotes the Blues back into the top five at the expense of the Hoers. The result also sees both Epping and Ivanhoe level on wins with Old Eltham Collegians in what’s now a logjam at positions four, five and six.
It was a match that produced different challenges for both combatants. Ivanhoe were facing consecutive away games against dangerous opponents, while Epping were coming off a double bye.
After a slow opening few minutes, the Blues were able to assert themselves into the contest.
They trailed narrowly at the first break before hitting the front early in the second quarter and never losing their advantage thereafter.
Fittingly, in his 150th senior game, Blues captain Leigh Judd received a free kick and nailed the set shot goal late in the day. The siren sounded almost immediately, and he was mobbed by his teammates.
“We came here today knowing we had to play four good quarters to win, and we did that,” Epping coach Brad Hollow said.
Hollow mentioned that, after the long break, the players trained brilliantly on Tuesday night and that translated into the way they played.
While noting that the entire team played well, he gave special mentions to Sebastian Latina, Leigh Judd and Liam Waldron.
Jake Conway was given the job on the dangerous Andy Otten and was successful in preventing him from being a match-winner for the visitors.
Dallyce Taylor was reliable in defence and took some telling marks, while James Tadd continued his stellar season as an inside midfielder.
Daniel Rakhlin was the most productive forward on the ground, slotting four majors, all from set shots, while Michael Gillard impressed the locals with his ruckwork.
The game looked relatively safe for the home team at the last break as they kicked three goals to one in the third term to establish a 22-point buffer. Coach Brad Hollow asked his team to push hard, keep the pressure rating up, execute their ball skills well and play in front.
But Ivanhoe hit back hard early in the last quarter with the first three goals. When busy midfielder Marcel Moran slotted the third from wide out, the deficit was reduced to a mere four points and an unlikely comeback suddenly looked a distinct possibility.
But it was the experienced Luke Lirosi who helped steady the ship for the Blues when he took advantage after a free kick and slammed through a major.
Youngster Archer Bugden soon kicked his second and third goals of the afternoon a few minutes later to seal the win.
The Hoers put in great efforts all day, but some costly errors were punished by the opposition.
“It was about getting the basics right today. The scoreboard was an indication of Epping’s superiority in executing the fundamentals,” Ivanhoe coach Wayne Schultz said.
Schultz gave a big tick to Connor O’Brien, who began on the wing and went to half back where he gave his team some drive. Ben Ernst competed well in the ruck and also played forward, where he kicked two goals.
Harry Bourke defended stoutly, while Jordan Miller finished with three majors.
Kane Veliou left the field in the second quarter after copping an accidental boot to the face and did not return. Schultz then moved from defence into the centre square for the remainder of the game and competed well as an inside midfielder.
