WET weather threatened to turn Round 4 on its head, but we are one week closer to figuring out the Division 2 hierarchy given the even nature of the season so far. Round 5 sees the top four play each other for the first time this season.
One thing that wasn’t affected by the wet weather, however, was North Heidelberg’s early season dominance. Hurstbridge was its next victim, and this win was achieved in their most devastating fashion so far. If it wasn’t the 7.9 opening quarter which shook fear into every other Division 2 side, it would almost certainly be the 10-goal second quarter, which saw the Dogs take a 94-point lead into half time. The second half was a lot quieter, however, the Dogs were still able to win by 111 points. Leigh Gilbert and Lachlan Dowling kicked five goals each for the Dogs, with Louis Hill best on ground and Gazi Assi also putting in a solid performance.
The Bulldogs’ next assignment is with their rivals, Lalor, who was unable to convert its relative dominance into goals against Mernda last week. The Bloods enjoyed some solid patches of dominance against the Demons but could only register 2.17 (29) in their 22-point loss to Mernda. Tim Keily was Lalor’s best in the defeat, while Tom Bonson, Shannon Smith and Jarrod King were also solid performers. The Bloods will rue their missed opportunities which could have seen them consolidate a position in the top two.
Mernda took victory thanks to a great patch through the first and second quarters, which saw it kick four goals in quick succession, two of them coming from captain Andrew Smith. Mitch Kerslake kicked two goals himself, including the sealer in the final term, as Mernda took a big step towards finals football by moving to 3-1. The Demons now take on the Fitzroy Stars – the second week in a row that second plays third.
The Stars were made to earn their victory against a Panton Hill outfit full of confidence following its first victory of the season against Hurstbridge the week prior. That confidence was on display early on as the Hillers shot to an early 15-point lead. They were able to take a three-goal lead into the last quarter but could not hold on in an intense Stars surge, which saw them kick 4.7 to 1.1 in a frenetic final quarter. However, it took until the final minute for the Stars to hit the front, through debutant Max Maynard, which saw them take a six point victory. John Hayes kicked four goals for the winners, while Lionel Proctor kicked two and was best on ground.
Panton Hill lost no admirers in the loss, as Daniel Fulton kicked three goals, while Brett Middleton, Will Box and Tyler Scarce were also amongst the Hillers’ best. Their competitiveness against last year’s grand finalists creates a very intriguing matchup with Diamond Creek at Cracknell Reserve in the setting sun this week, with Diamond Creek losing their fifth game on the bounce, stemming back to last year’s first semi-final, following a home loss to Epping.
The Creekers didn’t have enough spread of goalkickers in their 5.10 (40) to 7.13 (55) loss, with Hugh Kavanagh kicking four of their five goals. They trailed by 20 points at half time as Epping enjoyed a three goal to zero second quarter, which – despite reducing the gap to 10 points at three quarter time – was just too big a gap to chase down in the inclement weather. Kavanagh was easily Creek’s best in the defeat which sees them in a pressure-cooker scenario at 0-4.
Epping’s Round 4 victory puts it right back in the frame to move back into the top four should it claim a victory against Hurstbridge this week. Daniel Moore was best on ground for Epping last Saturday, who also had Aaron Willits kick two goals. Moore, Harley Nancarrow, Lucas Aquilina, Joel Dunmore and Adrian Totino also got on the scoresheet in an important victory for the Blues.
They now host Hurstbridge at Epping Recreational Reserve with the Bridges having been shaken by North Heidelberg’s devastating first half. Although they trailed by 101 points at three quarter time, the Bridges missed an opportunity to put some respectability back on the scoreboard, kicking 1.8 in the final quarter. Jack Furlong kicked two goals on debut, while Sean Jellie continued his excellent start to the season. Michael Ryan was also amongst Hurstbridge’s better players, along with Furlong.
