With the finals race getting tighter, no result is certain as eight teams prepare for another massive round of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football.
The biggest upset of Round 14 saw Kinglake come from behind to defeat Mernda at Kinglake Memorial Park by four points.
Goals to Shane Harvey at the 24- and 26-minute mark of the final term sealed the deal for the home team in what was its best win of the season to date.
In the past three weeks, the Lakers have downed Old Eltham Collegians, narrowly lost to Epping and then overran the Demons in what was has been a vast improvement from their disappointing opening half to the season.
“The most pleasing thing for me was the reward for effort. The squad has shown some wonderful periods of play over the last month or so and on Saturday there were some excellent examples of our brand of footy on full display,” Kinglake coach Dave Florance said.
Both the match-winner in Harvey and midfielder Bailey Robinson drew praise from their coach, while Lachlan Taylor was best on ground for Mernda.
Kilmore made its first trip to Garvey Oval to play Old Paradians, with the Blues hoping to pull an upset to keep in touch with the top five. But after having a narrow lead in a goalless opening term, Kilmore was outgunned by the Raiders to the tune of 56 points.
“The boys played some great footy after quarter time. Credit to Kilmore for their pressure early, but we were able to lift our composure the longer the game went,” Old Paradians coach Ben Turner said.
Stalwarts Sam Gilmore and Kyle O’Sullivan excelled for the Raiders who now join the Fitzroy Stars on ten wins.
“Full credit to Old Paradians, they used the footy a lot better and finished off their work. We had a poor day by foot, and it hurt us when we turned it over,” Kilmore coach Paul Derrick said.
Kye Maher continued his great season for the Blues and was the side’s standout player in the defeat.
Reservoir and Heidelberg West played an entertaining game at Heidelberg Park.
The Hawks led early but the Mustangs produced a big third term to grab an eight-point lead at the last change. The home team steadied, however, ran out 16-point winners and bounced back from a disappointing loss the week prior against the Hoers.
“The players gutsed it out,” said Heidelberg West coach Dale Mayne, who gave credit to Michael Italia, Patrick Molony and Alex Hywood.
Lalor welcomed the Fitzroy Stars to Lalor Reserve, and while the Bloods led at quarter time, the Stars won the contest with a 10.4 to 2.1 second term effort. Lance Whitnall’s men finished strong in the second half but, were too far back to really threaten and lost by 39 points in a high-scoring encounter.
That said, it was the team’s best effort against a top side all season and that would give the loyal Lalor fans hope for the future. Sam Rexhepi kicked a season high seven majors to take extend his lead on the goal-kicking ladder.
Stars fans may have expected more, but the vital four points keeps them on top of the table. Coach Lionel Proctor liked the work of Keadin Ronnan and goal-kickers Alex Williamson and Tyson Pickett, who slotted five and three majors respectively. Rivva Karpany went back against the Bloods and his ball use set up numerous attacks.
Epping travelled to Eltham College to play Old Eltham Collegians. The Blues looked the goods early, but the Turtles took control of the game midway through the second term and never looked in danger thereafter, triumphing by 19 points.
The ladder sees the Stars and Raiders on top with ten wins, with the Stars having a game in hand. Mernda is on nine wins, a game ahead of both Ivanhoe and Epping, with the Hoers also having a game in hand. The Turtles are four points outside the top five on seven wins, while Kilmore is a further game back, with their faint final hopes now dependent on other results.
With no spot on the ladder locked away yet, Round 15 throws up some intriguing duels, as three teams in Epping, Lalor and Kinglake all have the bye.
Old Eltham Collegians will make the journey to Ivanhoe Park to take on Ivanhoe in a crucial clash.
If the Turtles can win, they will draw level with the Hoers and also displace Epping from the top five. Given that Matt Sleeman’s men have the Round 16 bye, a loss could see them as much as two games outside the top five with two rounds remaining.
It looms as an early final for the visiting team, who play an Ivanhoe side that are fresh off the bye, but the match is similarly important for the Hoers. A win could see them possibly as high as third on the ladder, while a loss leaves them with a genuine chance of missing finals completely.
The only other clash between these combatants yielded a 32-point win to the Turtles at Eltham Collage in Round 6. Expect a highly contested game between two sides that pride themselves on applying pressure to the opposition.
Kilmore faces Heidelberg West at J.J. Clancy Reserve in a must-win game for the Blues to keep their small final hopes alive.
The Blues would fancy their chances on their home deck, after downing the Hawks by 33 points at Heidelberg Park in Round 7. But they will need to bounce back from a poor loss the week prior to Old Paradians.
Meanwhile, Heidelberg West was much improved last week and can use the momentum from that win to aim for another scalp, something they have proved capable of doing already in 2024.
Old Paradians host Reservoir at Garvey Oval and will be looking to tick off another win as they aim for top spot. Currently with the worst percentage of the top three teams, a big victory would help them in their quest to get the rest in the first week of the finals.
But the Mustangs have impressed of late and would be confident in being highly competitive again in this contest. At an absolute minimum, they will look to better their Round 10 result against the Raiders at Crispe Park when they lost by 97 points.
Fitzroy Stars has a big game against Mernda at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval. The Stars are currently a game ahead of the Demons and can go a long way to securing top spot with another triumph.
Robert Fletcher’s men would love a victory of their own to help firm up their grip on a double chance spot. Based on their most recent meeting, a thriller is a distinct possibility, as some late majors helped Mernda prevail by just one-point.
Since that game, the Stars have won four straight and seem to be in better form than the Demons, who have lost two of their past three matches. Add to that fact that Lionel Proctor’s side are yet to lose at Sir Doug Nicholls Oval in 2024, and Stars fans will feel that they can turn the tables on last year’s grand finalists.
But Mernda has shown the capability this year of rebounding from a loss and is yet to lose back-to back games, meaning an enthralling contest looms.
