It is shaping as a super weekend of football in Division 3 with all three matches set to be contested by two relatively evenly-matched teams.
The biggest billed match will take place at Main Street Oval where second-placed Thomastown can end Reservoir’s hopes of a top-two finish.
A Bears victory would leave the Mustangs two wins and percentage outside of second place with only six weeks remaining in the 2013 home and away season. Conversely, a win to Reservoir would place it back on level-pegging with Thomastown and make for a thrilling end to the remainder of the regular season.
Last week Thomastown returned to the winners list when it accounted for an amazingly accurate Heidelberg West at Heidelberg Park. Just a week after running out of puff in a loss to Watsonia, the Bears tore the game open in the first quarter when they kicked out to a 44-point lead at quarter-time.
Despite the fast start, the Bears were outscored in each of the final three quarters against the competition’s bottom-placed team – an outcome that will have coach Steve Krstevski asking serious questions.
It was a case of the opposite for Reservoir last Saturday, who cost itself any chance of victory over Panton Hill with an extremely slow start. Looking to make up for a poor early-season showing against the Redbacks, the Mustangs trailed by 32 points at quarter time and were made to play catch-up football thereafter.
They did manage to outscore this year’s premiership favourite by nine goals to seven in the remaining three quarters, however a come from behind victory never truly looked likely with the deficit still standing at 31 points at three quarter time.
Watsonia remains outside of the top two by percentage only and will continue to push its case for a double chance in the finals when it makes the short trip to Whatmough Park to play St Mary’s.
Five goals to Jeremy Bennett helped propel the Saints past Parkside last Saturday, winning by 26 points in a match they always had control of. The haul moved Bennett’s tally for the season to 33. He and Brody Ricardi have now combined for 61 goals in 2013 and are arguably the competition’s best forward duo.
St Mary’s remains three games outside the top four and will have to win its remaining six games to play finals for a third successive year. It was disappointing in its last match prior to last weekend’s bye, when it led Parkside by 24 points at quarter time before succumbing to a 32-point loss.
The Burra were winners the last time they met the Saints, when they claimed a 10-point win at A.K. Lines Reserve in Round 6.
The third game of Round 13 sees sixth-placed Parkside host seventh-placed Heidelberg West at Pitcher Park. The previous fixture between the two sides resulted in the Hawks only win of the season thus far.
The Devils have struggled for consistency all season and were again unable to record consecutive wins when they were downed by Watsonia last Saturday. Again, it was the same names featuring in the best players in last week’s game, with Brad Hockey, Darren Gresham, Shane McLaren and Michael Thompson all featuring in the better players.
Heidelberg West recorded an astonishing score of 14.0 (84) in last week’s 22-point loss to Thomastown – a promising result against a genuine premiership contender following a superb first half against Panton Hill a week prior.
Kyl Ewart bagged four goals while Cameron Taylor chimed in for three as the Hawks took another positive step forward under Derek Shaw’s tutelage.
They have won their previous two clashes against Parkside after winning the aforementioned match in Round 6, as well as ending the Devils finals hopes in 2012 with a Round 18 victory.
