A thrilling and pulsating year of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football reaches its climax this Saturday when the Fitzroy Stars and Old Paradians face off at Lalor Reserve in the 2024 Grand Final.
Both clubs will be aiming for their first flag in the Northern Football Netball League, and given the lack of recent success, whichever team wins will relish their greatest result in some years.
This will be the Raiders’ first chance at a premiership since 2015, when they claimed the Division 2 VAFA flag over another club who has recently transferred to the NFNL in Ivanhoe. Captain Marcus Nolan and forward Michael Boundy are the only two current players who took part in their club’s last success.
For the Stars meanwhile, this will be their third NFNL senior men’s Grand Final, and first in Division 3. Since joining the league in 2008, they featured in the back-to-back Division 2 deciders in 2013 and 2014, falling short on both occasions. Jai Burns, Allan Norris and Lionel Proctor were some of the current players to feature in that 2014 battle.
The first three weeks of the finals gave fans three thrillers to begin with, followed by two comfortable wins.
One of the tight games of that original trio was the second semi-final between the Grand Final combatants a fortnight ago. The Stars controlled the contest for most of the day until the Raiders booted the last seven goals of the game to fall short by six-points.
Making full use of their second chance, Old Paradians then produced a 10.6 to 1.0 second term on their way to a 61-point triumph over Mernda in the preliminary final.
In the NFNL finals where there has been a final five, it has been a mixed bag for the team winning the second semi-final. This is the first year that Division 3 has featured a four-week finals series, but results from the other divisions would suggest that the preliminary final winner has a very good chance to go on and win the premiership.
Based on their attempt of the miracle comeback two weeks ago and their inclusions since that game, the Raiders must be given a great chance to win.
Players coming back into the line-up last week were Sean Desmond, Lachie Kerr, Tom Philp and Noah Whittle, and with that group making Old Paradians a stronger team on paper, their fans would have a level of confidence that their team can go all the way.
Sam Gilmore, Marcus Nolan and Joel Tolli have been the standouts in their three finals matches so far, and have been excellent in helping their side reach this stage of the season.
Equally as impressive has been their team cohesion, their pressure on their opponents, and their ability to get the ball from heavy traffic to a player in the clear.
With all those positives and the team appearing to get through the preliminary final unscathed, it’s clear that Ben Turner’s men are a great chance to be holding up the cup at the end of the day.
But how can anyone tip against a team coming into the decider on a nine-game winning streak? The Stars have gone through undefeated since the mid-season break and now have their main match-winners available.
Patrick Farrant, Neville Jetta, Tyson Pickett, Kyle Thomas and Rivva Karpany all missed games during this winning streak, and all are likely to be available on Saturday.
The biggest challenge for Lionel Proctor and the coaching staff may be managing the two byes they have enjoyed while other finalists have been slugging it out.
But the break would seem good from a viewpoint of freshness, particularly with Proctor himself saying that the time off has benefitted players who were sore in the second semi-final victory; however, it is still a different routine that the players need to adjust to.
The Fitzroy Stars’ greatest asset is their speed and skills with the football, no matter what the conditions throw at them. They are clinical in transition and have multiple players with pace to burn, such as Neville Jetta and Jordan Proctor off half back.
The player however that combines those two traits the best is Patrick Farrant.
It may be as simple as stopping Farrant for the Raiders to win, particularly given that the Collingwood VFL listed forward kicked eight goals in his side’s second semi-final victory. His versatility makes him a threat both in the air and on the ground, so if he gets going early, he could produce the winning score off his own boot.
Another piece of the puzzle is what to make of the previous match between these teams. Taking the standpoint that the Stars were romping away with the game and put the cue in the rack a little early, then this would point to an easy win for the Stars.
However, if that thought is put aside, the match can be seen as one where the Raiders were storming over the top of the Stars and could have taken the victory had the game gone a minute or two longer.
With good reasons to tip both teams, the result might come down to the small things – a smother, a chase and tackle, a pressure act or a shepherd. A thrilling contest beckons, and the winner will have truly earned the chance to play in Division 2 in 2025.
