North Heidelberg notched up its fourth win of the 2013 season with a 12-point win over Lalor at Lalor Reserve on Saturday.
The Bulldogs had to hold off a fast-finishing Bloods outfit to take away the 12.13 (85) to 9.19 (73) win and move into second place on the Division 2 ladder.
Up forward for the Bulldogs, Shane Harvey kicked four goals with help from Leigh Gilbert who slotted three of his own.
Down the other end for the Bloods, Paul Brown and Benjamin Gibson were the only multiple goal kickers with three and two goals respectively.
North Heidelberg was able to take a hold of the game in the first quarter when it kicked four goals to one.
An ankle injury to Jarrod King late in the quarter put the Bulldogs at a disadvantage, going down a rotation for the rest of the match.
“Jarrod’s done his ankle, we just don’t know how badly yet,” North Heidelberg coach Leigh Gray confirmed after the match.
An inaccurate second term for the Bloods proved costly. Working their way into the contest they kicked a wasteful 3.8 to bring the deficit to just nine points at the main break.
North Heidelberg was able to take advantage of its opportunities in the third quarter kicking five goals in the space of 10 minutes to go into the last change with what appeared a more than comfortable 36-point lead.
However, Lalor stormed home in the final term but was again inaccurate and it turned out to be its biggest downfall. The Bloods kicked 4.7 in the final term to finish on 9.19 for the match.
“I’m not sure we won that game, we just got away with a bit of robbery.” Gray said after the victory.
“Lalor deserved the win. They were harder, tougher and more committed all day.”
Luke Villanti was named best afield for the Bulldogs, playing out of position in the ruck for most of the day and playing a stellar match.
Paz Saccuzzo was also named amongst the best, with a great game through the middle of the ground.
Next week, North Heidelberg will travel back home to Shelley Street Reserve to take on a winless South Morang side. Lalor will be back at home taking on the Fitzroy Stars who defeated the Lions by 83 points on Saturday.
Final score: Lalor 9.19 (73) def by North Heidelberg 12.13 (85)
