Every spot on the ladder is up for grabs as teams prepare for Round 5 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 Football.
Laurimar will be looking to make it 5-0 when hosting Heidelberg West at Laurimar Reserve. The Power will be hot favourites to win on their home deck. They have been in excellent form and have been finishing games off very strongly so far this season. Their loyal fans will turn up expecting another polished performance.
The Hawks will be disappointed that they were unable to finish things off last week at home against Epping. Now they face the tough task of trying to win away against last season’s grand finalist. It was back in 2023 when these teams met at this venue which resulted in a 41-point triumph by Laurimar. While Heidelberg West faces an uphill battle, they know that they can produce better than they showed last weekend and will endeavour to make it a contest.
Certainly, the top two sides would be the pick of almost all tipsters at this stage. If last season is used as a guide, then the Power and Hoers look to be two of the most likely contenders to reach the Grand Final. Many thought last year that Fitzroy Stars would breeze through last season without a loss. But when they played Heidelberg West in Round 9 at Heidelberg Park, scores were level at 47 apiece halfway through the final term. The Stars found enough for a narrow 12-point win in the end. Then fast forward to the semi-final against Laurimar in which the Stars were hot favourites. The Power flew out of the blocks and never looked like losing, though the Stars recovered to win the flag.
It is a long season and things can change, including which of the two should be considered flag favourites. Back in 2017, South Morang and Banyule were the top teams. The Lions hosted the Bears in Round 13 and ran away to a 51-point victory. The season was done and dusted, it seemed. But then Banyule began getting some of their better players back from injury, while South Morang lost a few. On Grand Final day, the Bears turned the tables to win by 25 points. Football can be a funny game sometimes.
Reservoir stands out as the slow-starting flag winners. They went from 1-3 early on the claim the 2015 flag. The moral of the story is that upsets and surprises will occur, even when things appear easy to predict. Rest assured that the brains trusts at Laurimar and Ivanhoe will be working hard just to tick off wins and focus on the short term at this juncture and will not have pencilled in Grand Final day as already certain.
Epping faces off against Ivanhoe at Epping Recreational Reserve in what may be the toughest test yet for the Hoers, who have back-to-back road trips. The Blues bounced back from a disappointing loss against Watsonia last week to overrun Heidelberg West last weekend. Despite going into this match as clear underdogs, they should carry positive momentum into the contest. If they regain Brent Macaffer, who was a late withdrawal last week, that will certainly help.
The Hoers will, of course, go into the game full of confidence with the aim of keeping in touch with Laurimar. Their slick midfield ball movement will make them again extremely hard to beat.
Mernda welcomes Kinglake to Waterview Reserve in a must-win game for the home side as they endeavour to hold onto third spot on the table. The Demons carry positive energy into the game after coming from behind to defeat Watsonia last weekend. With lots of teams snapping at their heels, they should be motivated to get the job done.
The Lakers will be aiming for their first win for the year, but playing away against Mernda will be a tough assignment. Nonetheless, their fans will turn up expecting the team to apply themselves well to the task.
Watsonia travels to Lalor Reserve to take on Lalor. Depending on other results, the Saints could climb into the top five with a victory. This will provide significant motivation in what their fans will consider a must-win game.
Bloods supporters would see this tussle as the sort of home game in which they can cause an upset. Being fresh off the bye may be a plus for them and their losing margins shrank each week before their break. It shapes as an interesting contest, with no recent matches between these teams to give pundits guidance.
Old Eltham Collegians hosts Kilmore at Eltham College in the game of the round and the toughest one for tipsters. After a great win in the opener against Kinglake, the Blues would have been disappointed to lose at home to Heidelberg West and then were outclassed last week by Ivanhoe. They can emulate Reservoir who rebounded last week from a triple figure loss to score a strong win. At 1-2, Kilmore needs a win in this one to stay in touch with the top five.
The Turtles are a game ahead of the Blues and are eyeing off a spot in the top five. With the home ground advantage, their fans will be confident of a strong showing. The last match between these teams at this venue was back in Round 10 of the 2024 season when Kilmore pulled off a minor upset to defeat Old Eltham Collegians by ten points. With so much at stake, a great contest looks likely.
