Mernda strengthened its Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 finals chances with a one-point victory over South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve.
The Demons recorded their fourth win in a row in the 6.2 (38) to 5.7 (37) result, with the victory meaning the Demons – after sitting 10 points behind South Morang at 1-5 after six rounds – are just half a game outside the top four.
Torrential downpours throughout the day, coupled with a rapidly deteriorating ground surface, meant the game was a scrap throughout the day. Remarkably, the two sides played out their game at Mill Park Lakes in the same conditions in 2018.
Tyson Sparkes set the tone – making a mockery of the conditions by goaling from a 45-metre snap just 15 seconds in. Sparkes’ opening salvo was a pointer towards his afternoon – constantly staying on his feet, cleaner than most others on the ground and getting to the right place.
Sparkes’ goal was one of three for the Demons in the opening quarter, with the Dees’ 18-point lead already quite a buffer given the conditions.
Brenden Egberts expertly crumbed a contest to kick the Demons’ second of the game, before Andrew Marino goaled from a difficult set shot to keep the momentum going.
Coach Paul Derrick was delighted with his team’s opening quarter but warned that South Morang would fight back.
That is exactly how the second quarter played out for the Lions, kicking two goals to roar back into contention. Tye Hall kicked the opening goal for the Lions, before Joshua Lansfield kicked a goal off the ground to bring the margin back to three points at the main change.
The third quarter was the highest scoring quarter of the day, with four goals kicked. Sparkes sent a reminder of just how clean he was when he was able to restore the Demons’ buffer to nine points with another snap, before South Morang quickly established its first lead of the day with the next two goals.
Luke Shelton, who looked like breaking the game open for South Morang all day, was able to capitalise on a loose ball inside 50 to kick the first goal of the game towards the Mill Park Lakes Road end, before Nathan Tassell marked and converted from the goal square.
At that stage, it looked like the Lions were starting to take over the game. However, the Demons kept responding. Marino kicked his second from a crumb, allowing the Demons to keep the lead at the final change.
The last quarter saw the worst conditions of the afternoon arrive, with the wind and torrential rain leaving the ground in near-darkness at times. However, both teams were still hungry for the win.
Joshua Renehan converted from 25 metres on the run to give South Morang back the lead, but the final say would be left to Riley Black, who goaled in the middle of the torrential downpour to give the Demons back the lead – one they would keep for good.
South Morang had one last ditch effort with under two minutes left on the clock, but the ball was rushed through for a behind to ensure the Demons would hold on to their one-point win.
Along with Sparkes, James Duclos and Brad Dimech were amongst the best for Mernda. Duclos’ height proved a factor throughout the afternoon as he was able to take control of the ruck contest, while Dimech – a proven wet-weather performer – relished the conditions.
For the Lions, Shelton and Hall were their best players, with Ben Power and Nathan Bell also contributing.
The Demons will be out for five wins in a row next week when they host Panton Hill, while the Lions will be out to return to the winners’ list when they head to Lalor to face the Bloods.
Final score: South Morang 5.7 (37) def by Mernda 6.2 (38)
SOUTH MORANG
Goal Kickers: J. Renehan, L. Shelton, N. Tassell, T. Hall, J. Lansfield
Best Players: T. Hall, L. Shelton, B. Power, N. Bell, A. Lazaric, B. Muscat
MERNDA
Goal Kickers: T. Sparkes 2, A. Marino 2, B. Egberts, R. Black
Best Players: T. Sparkes, J. Duclos, R. Kannegiesser, B. Dimech, A. Marino, R. Black
