Mernda have booked a spot in the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 preliminary final by kicking 11 goals to three after quarter time to defeat Epping by 34 points at Lalor Reserve.
With a strong wind favouring the southern end, the Demons were able to boot two majors against the breeze in the first and third terms. Conversely, the Blues were goalless into the wind all day, leading to the eventual 13.14 (92) to 8.10 (58) result.
Epping made great use of their advantage in the first quarter and kicked five majors to lead by 27 points late in the term, before Mernda snagged a late goal courtesy of Matthew Bawden to reduce the deficit to 21 points.
A six goal to nil second term then sent the Demons to half time 19 points up and they always looked like winners thereafter.
Epping managed to draw level after half time with the breeze, but two late goals into the breeze saw Mernda go to the last break 14 points up with another wind advantage to come in the final term.
At the last address, Mernda coach Robert Fletcher stressed that the first ten minutes were going to be critical and that smart and aggressive football in that period would clinch the win.
The Demons increased their lead in the final term as the rain began to fall. With the game out of reach for Epping and lightning strikes occurring, the game was called off and Mernda were declared the winner with three minutes left on the clock.
“Overall, a good team effort. The attack on the footy was good and being able to score against the wind was the key,” Mernda coach Robert Fletcher said.
The Demons had multiple avenues to goal to assist them in kicking a winning score, despite Bryce Kimuliatis being a late out. Matthew Bawden headed the list with four, while Christian Evans slotted three – all in the second term. William Crouch also scored three but rotated back to the wing when defending against the wind.
Joshua Mazzarella excelled upon his return to the side and was ably assisted by Christopher Roussos in the midfield.
Kai Turner gave his team drive off half back and took numerous intercept marks, as did Jesse Guelfo, while Nathan Baccega spent time on the dangerous Sebastian Latina and stopped him being a potential match-winner.
As well as being able to score into the breeze, Mernda was also able to soak up time against the wind better than Epping. The Demons often executed a series of short 20-metre passes across half back, while the Blues opted to go for long kicks down the line, which regularly led to a turnover or a stoppage.
“Mernda played a good brand of football, and we couldn’t match them,” Epping coach Brad Hollow said.
Hollow liked the work of Michael Gillard who rucked and was also useful around the ground. Corey Middleton and James Tadd were his best in the middle, while Jordan Wilkins off half back and Liam Waldron on the wing contributed strongly, with Waldron also playing loose behind the ball at times.
Epping’s Lucas Aquilina had a bright patch in the third term which included a major, while Daniel Rakhlin was their only multiple goal-scorer with two in the first term.
The result was arguably the best performance by the Demons in the previous two months and was a stark contrast to their 45-point defeat to the Blues in Round 12.
While the season is over for Epping, Mernda heads to the preliminary final with the aim of turning the tables on Old Paradians after losing to them narrowly the previous weekend.
