Fitzroy Stars became the talk of the competition with a stirring win over Whittlesea last Saturday in an important win which may well hand them the double chance come finals time.
The Stars did it the hard way, coming from five goals down to beat an injury and illness hit Eagles lineup, 17.11 (113) to 13.13 (91). The Eagles lost Luke Deards and Chris Horman during the game but that did not take away from the performance of the Stars, who overwhelmed the Eagles with eight last quarter goals. John Hayes and Patrick Davis kicked four goals each, whilst Basil Sibosado put in a stirring effort for the victors. Lucas Hobbs was Whittlesea’s leading goalkicker with five goals, while Nathan Stefanile was their best.
Meanwhile, North Heidelberg exacted revenge on Mernda after its defeat earlier in the season, holding off a second-quarter Demons charge before powering away to a 39-point victory at Mernda Recreation Reserve. After trailing by five goals at quarter time, Mernda threatened to perform a comeback against the Dogs for the second time this season. It reduced the margin to seven points at half time, however, it was not to be for the Demons. Shane Harvey kicked seven goals, and is now one goal shy of reaching 100. North Heidelberg’s win came off the back of a team effort, led by Justin Bentley and John Green. Andrew Smith was Mernda’s best performer, kicking four goals for the Demons as their finals aspirations were officially ended.
At Coventry Oval, Diamond Creek did enough to keep a much-improved Lalor at bay, winning by 32 points under lights. Luke Simpson kicked five goals for the victorious Creekers, who were also well served by Josh Whitehouse-Summers, Jed McQueen and Luke Campitelli. Scott Dowell was once again fantastic for the Bloods, who also had Shannon Smith and Ben Gibson put in solid performances. Mark Ventura was their only multiple goalkicker, kicking two goals.
South Morang now faces a near impossible task to save its Division 2 status, after falling to Hurstbridge by 35 points at Ben Frilay Oval. The game was wide open at half time as Hurstbridge led by only eight points, but five goals to one in the third quarter put paid to any hopes the Lions harboured. Brett Woodhouse kicked five goals in the 19.18 (132) to 15.7 (97) victory, as Brent Hay, Jack Donnelly and Ben Fennell kicked three goals each. Mitch Lucas, Hay and Josh Saw were standouts for the victors. Daniel Watson kicked seven goals for the Lions, while fellow young guns Matt Morrison and Luke Hough provided support. However, it was not to be for South Morang in a result which leaves them on life support.
The standout game of the week sees North Heidelberg looking to repeat its triumph from its previous trip to Whittlesea when it ventures to the Whittlesea Showground. The Doggies will also be looking to erase memories of their one-point loss last time these sides met, having led by as much as 68 points at half time.
Regardless of the result, the big winners are set to be the Fitzroy Stars – provided they triumph over South Morang. The Stars either move to within half a game of the ladder leaders, or move away to a two-game buffer over North Heidelberg for second place. The Stars themselves will be buoyed by their last start victory over Whittlesea but need to be wary of a travelling South Morang who is looking to muster one last attempt to save its season.
The Lions, on their part, will be hoping that Hurstbridge can dispose of Lalor at Ben Frilay Oval. Should the Bloods win, they will possess a three-game and percentage break over the Lions, which would all but condemn them to relegation back to Division 3 in 2014. Hurstbridge, with a victory, would move within percentage of Mernda in the battle for fifth position.
Finally, Diamond Creek travels to Mernda attempting to take advantage of a potential North Heidelberg slip up and could find itself in third position if results go its way. Mernda, now out of finals contention, is playing for pride and will look to crash the top four’s party for the rest of the season, with games against Whittlesea and Fitzroy Stars to follow.
