Mernda stormed home to defeat a gallant Watsonia by 12 points in a great spectacle at Waterview Reserve in Round 16 action of Heidelberg Gold Club Division 3 football.
For most of the contest, the Saints had their noses in front and appeared to be heading for an upset win which would all but seal a finals berth. They were able to apply pressure to the key Demon players and were generally able to answer quickly when the home team scored a major.
Mernda looked like they were going to put their stamp on the game early in the third term. The Saints had a nine-point buffer at half time, but the Demons booted the first two of the second half to hit the lead.
Watsonia, however, slotted three unanswered goals in the middle of the quarter to establish a 16-point lead. A late goal to Mernda’s Matthew Bawden reduced the deficit to ten points at the final change.
The game had all the makings of a thriller. Brent Marshall addressed his charges at the Mernda huddle, telling them to lift the pressure on the opposition and to work hard. Anthony McGregor instructed the Saints group to keep attacking the game as they had been all day.
The local fans were somewhat stunned when Watsonia kicked the first two of the final quarter. Luke Kenna was playing a great game and nailed a set shot. Then Cameron Cloke took a contested mark and kicked his fourth from the square to put his team up by 21 points at the six-minute mark.
The Saints appeared to be on their way to victory with the Demons needing to score four unanswered goals to lead, but there was still a lot of time left on the clock.
The busy Riley Edwards slotted a set shot for Mernda to make it a 14-point game. The Matthew Bawden kicked one midway through the term to get his team within eight points.
Watsonia needed to find an avenue to goal, but their kicks inside fifty weren’t finding targets. The Demon defenders, led by Bradyn Thomsett, had stopped the scoring and were moving the ball out of defence efficiently.
Two passages of play swung the game for Mernda. Jett Phillips snapped a goal from heavy traffic, his second for the day. Soon after, Lachlan Potter edged out his opponent at half back to mark. After a give-and-get handball, he took a few bounces, ran inside fifty and put his team in front.
The Saints tried to respond, but without success. Matthew Bawden kicked his fourth of the afternoon to send his team 12 points up with little time left on the clock. That was the final score of the game and the local fans celebrated heartily on the final siren. Their team had kicked 5.3 to nil at the end of the final term.
The Watsonia faithful left feeling that it was one that they could’ve and should’ve won. Perhaps they slightly altered their game style to “save the game” in the final quarter. Or maybe it was one they could have clinched had the team had that little bit of extra experience.
“Couldn’t be prouder of the boys today, but that one got away from us,” said Watsonia coach Anthony McGregor. He noted several teenagers that contributed well. One was debutant Asher Bell. Dean Talarico in the middle and Toby Herbert in defence were other youngsters to get a tick from the coach, as well as Ned Harvey.
Luke Lowry and Nathan Hallyburton did plenty of great work inside the packs, while captain Charlie Smythe was solid in defence. For those watching the replay, he began with number 2 on his back and switched to 26 in the second half.
The Mernda coach noted that Watsonia was the better team for the majority of the contest. “I’m really pleased as a coach today,” Brent Marshall said. “It’s one of the toughest wins I’ve been involved with – the way we dug our heels in and fought it out.”
He had praise for James Sekulovski who played mid and drifted forward to slot three goals. He also liked the work of Lachlan Potter, Jett Phillips and Billy Morrison’s virtual lone hand effort in the ruck.
The win gave the Demons a stranglehold on third spot on the table. The Saints remain in fifth spot but will need to beat seventh placed Kilmore next week to stay in the five.
