THE DIVISION 2 competition continues to intrigue with some fantastic games scheduled in Round 6 and a former AFL star set to line-up for Hurstbridge.
The pick of the games last weekend saw second-placed Mernda take on third-placed Fitzroy Stars, and the game lived up to its billing for the first three quarters. A depleted Stars outfit opened a four-goal lead at quarter time, but Mernda was able to generate some momentum and trailed by four points at three quarter time.
The Demons played their best football of the season in the last quarter, kicking 7.7 to overwhelm the Stars. Nicholas Brannelly kicked five goals for the victorious Demons, while Nathan Mills was Mernda’s best player ahead of this week’s trip to Hurstbridge.
The Bridges’ performance against Epping was frustrating, as they fell 37 points behind a fast-starting Blues outfit at half time, before mounting a comeback. In the end, the margin was too much to reel in and they fell 11 points short.
Daniel Francis kicked four goals in the defeat, with Tom Simpson kicking another three. Mitchell Thompson and Michael Ryan were the Bridges’ best players. Had they won, they would have moved two games ahead of last-placed Diamond Creek.
The Creekers were overrun by a Panton Hill outfit determined to snare its second consecutive win at home and move out of the relegation battle. With the Hillers trailing by three points at three quarter time, a four-goal to one last quarter saw them prevail 7.8 (50) to 4.10 (34).
Brendan O’Connor was the only multiple goalkicker on the ground, while Tristan Kreymborg and Tristan Miller were big factors in the Hill’s victory. For the Creekers, Corey Smith and Levi de Pyle were their best players in their sixth consecutive loss.
North Heidelberg extended its terrific start to the season, kicking away after half time with a dominant 13 goals to one in taking a 20.13 (133) to 6.5 (41) victory over Lalor.
Shane Harvey kicked a bag of six, with the Dogs’ variety of goal kickers on show again with nine separate goal kickers. Jeff Ryan was the dominant player on the ground, with Gazi Assi and David Florance providing support in the victory.
Round 6 sees a number of big games which will be very eagerly awaited. Diamond Creek will be under huge pressure to snare its first victory when it hosts Lalor at Coventry Oval. The Creekers will see this game as a big chance to finally return to the winners’ list, with Lalor having lost its past three games and coming off a 92-point belting from North Heidelberg.
However, the Bloods, despite the disappointing result, showed they can match it with the best, having trailed by only 15 points at half time. Todd Hughes kicked two goals, while Jarrod King was their best performed player, proving his worth against his old side.
Hurstbridge will play host to Mernda in what is expected to be a big occasion at Ben Frilay Oval, where Chris Tarrant will line-up for the Bridges for a one-off game.
His presence will be needed to knock over the Demons, who have started the season very well. The sides played off in two tight matches last season, with Hurstbridge prevailing by two points at Schotters Road, before Mernda reversed the result with a 26-point triumph in their last meeting.
Following their triumph over the Bridges, Epping has moved to third on the ladder and welcomes fourth-placed Fitzroy Stars to Epping Recreational Reserve. Aaron Willits was the dominant force in Epping’s tight Round 5 victory, kicking three goals. Adrian Totino also kicked three goals, with Daniel Moore continuing his excellent start to the season.
The Stars will be disappointed to have been overrun in the final quarter at Schotters Road, but nonetheless put in a very brave performance with many players unavailable due to injury. Young gun Patrick Kelly-Briggs kicked four goals, with Malcolm Dow again very impressive in the loss, kicking three goals from the midfield. Gordon Bamblett and David Welsh were also very impressive in the defeat.
The final game of the round sees Panton Hill play host to North Heidelberg at Cracknell Reserve. The Hillers, with victory, will move another step closer to moving into the top four following promotion from Division 3, but will find it hard against the Dogs’ potent side. In Lachlan Dowling, Shane Harvey and Leigh Gilbert, the ladder-leaders have the top three goal kickers in the league.
