A few weeks back it looked like Lalor would need a miracle to field a team in 2018.
The Bloods had requested to be dropped down to Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 and needed to fill their 44-man roster if they were going to participate in the 2018 Northern Football Netball League season.
The club worked tirelessly to make up the numbers and the men and woman who volunteered their time were rewarded with a 11.13 (79) to 7.10 (52) opening round victory over Reservoir.
Lalor coach Dean Grainger recently told NFNL.org.au that he wanted to see his players develop into good footballers and win a few games over the course of the season.
Grainger would have been impressed with what his side, which is comprised of youthful exuberance and big bodied midfielders, produced in the opening round.
The Bloods showed a willingness to take the game on, whilst also being composed down back – two features the club has lacked over the past two years.
Anthony Velicki was strong in defence, while Alex Dao continued to impress in midfield. Up forward Nathan Stavridis had his kicking boots on and kicked three goals.
For Reservoir, David McGregor was the star booting three goals and Jye Collins had a solid game.
The match got underway in perfect conditions at Crispe Park. Reservoir looked the better side in the early stages of the first quarter and opened the scoring via a goal from McGregor.
The Mustangs had plenty of opportunities to punish Lalor on the scoreboard, but lacked decisiveness in attack.
Alex Dao kicked Lalor’s first goal against the run of play, before Jace Williams kicked the Bloods’ second.
At quarter time the scores were level. Mustangs coach Aaron Collins asked his defenders to work as a team and wanted his side to use quick hands, instead of taking on the tackler.
Collins’ rev up did wonders as Matthew Rodaughan kicked truly to give the Mustangs the lead within a minute of the start of the second term.
The Bloods then kicked the next four goals, including two from Stavridis to lead by 15 points, before McGregor goaled on the siren to reduce the deficit to nine points at the main break.
The third term was an end-to-end battle with neither side converting its chances in front of goal.
Reservoir was the better side but could only add four behinds to its score, while Lalor added one goal via Dao, who used his big body to take a strong pack mark in front of goal.
At the final break, Collins urged his side to slow down and lower their eyes when going forward. Lalor coach Dean Grainger reminded his players of the hard work they put in during the pre-season and how satisfying the feeling of victory would be.
The Bloods showed maturity in the final term, finding their targets in attack and fighting off a spirited Mustangs side.
A sloppy turnover by the Mustangs in defence allowed Dean Angelkoski to kick his first goal of the game.
But two goals to the Mustangs via Thomas Stoneham and McGregor reduced the margin to nine points with still plenty of time to play.
It appeared the Mustangs would over run the Bloods, but steadiness in the attacking half allowed Lalor to find loose men in attack. Stavridis kicked his third before Robert Todd put the game to bed.
Final score: Reservoir 7.10 (52) def by Lalor 11.13 (79)
