HEIDELBERG held off a late Northcote Park charge to record a memorable win in front of a packed Warringal Park on ANZAC Day.
The Bergers looked the goods from the outset, playing some aggressive footy which the Cougars couldn’t contain in the 10.10 (70) to 8.11 (59) result.
The only thing that kept Northcote Park in the game early on was Heidelberg’s missed opportunities. When the Cougars were able to string a couple of goals together in the second half, it was the Tigers’ senior heads that lead the way and got the home side over the line.
The Cougars had their fair share of chances in the final term, reducing the margin to a straight kick midway through the term, but the Bergers’ experienced men were able to dig them out of trouble.
The opening minutes of the game saw some sloppy errors with both sides trying to shake off early nerves following the spine-tingling ANZAC ceremony beforehand. But it was the Bergers who were able to string a couple of slick possessions to get the first on the board with Matthew Pianto snapping the goal.
The Bergers weren’t able to reward their early forward pressure enough as the Cougars replied against the tide through Thomas Walliss at the other end.
Contested footy ruled the open quarter, with goals hard to come by. The Bergers hard nuts however were able to get some momentum through the middle and Joshua Gribben rewarded them, kicking a brilliant running goal to give the home side an 11-point lead at the first break.
The second quarter started in almost the exact opposite fashion as the first term, as Northcote Park started to exert it’s presence on the game, kicking the first goal of the term through Patrick O’Connell.
A couple of goal exchanges occupied most of the second quarter but it was the Bergers who were able to finish the better and, in a decisive period of the game, they kicked two quick goals to take a 16-point lead into the second half.
Heidelberg started with all the run and carry in the third term and opened up a game-high 22-point lead midway through the quarter.
Staring at defeat, the Cougars were able to claw their way back into the match, finishing with a flurry of three goals to close the margin to 12 points at the final break, despite managing just eight scoring shots in three quarters.
Northcote Park starting the final quarter exactly the way it had hoped, with Koden Colman picking the crumbs off the pack and kicking the open goal to reduce the margin to a straight kick.
But the Bergers, through their experienced heads, were able to halt the Cougars’ momentum and against the run of play extend their lead. Thomas Brown slammed home the goal from the goal square to get the strong Heidelberg faithful back to full voice.
The game had definitely opened up and it appeared to be the survival of the fittest, with both sides throwing themselves at the footy with no concern for their personal safety.
The Cougars were able to reply through Mitchell Papas as he kicked a great running goal from the 50m arc to bring the margin back to single digits. This proved to be the closest the Cougars got, with the Bergers ending the game with two goals in succession.
The Cougars had their fair share of chances in the final minutes, but they squandered three relatively easy set shots to surrender the game.
Heidelberg will look to extend its unbeaten start to the season when it takes on an out-of-form Eltham at Eltham Central Park. The Cougars are still winless in 2014 and they return home to take on Montmorency in a must-win clash.
Final score: Heidelberg 10.10 (70) def Northcote Park 8.11 (59)
