Thomastown moved four points clear on top of the Division 3 ladder after three rounds, following a huge win over Reservoir last Saturday, while Heidelberg West finished strongly for an upset win over St Mary’s at Whatmough Park.
Both the Burra and the Hawks had five scoring shots in the final term. The Hawks booted five straight goals to surge clear, while St Mary’s five behinds took them to a wasteful 6.15 for the afternoon.
As an example of Heidelberg West’s confidence in front of goal, young ruckman Mitchell Reeves took a strong contested mark just outside the 50m arc. He had no hesitation in going for the shot – and put it right through the middle goal post high.
Both captains, Heidelberg West’s Dan Bailey and Michael Costanzo of St Mary’s, hit form immediately upon return from their suspensions, while James McLean-Brunton was again the Hawks’ best. The win moved Heidelberg West into fourth spot on the ladder, ahead of a Round 4 encounter with bottom-placed Parkside – an encouraging sign for Derek Shaw’s ever-improving team.
In the Round 3 match of the day at Crispe Park, Thomastown jumped to an early three-goal lead over Reservoir in the opening stanza and then totally controlled the game.
Bear Matthew Cupo had three goals by quarter time. In the end, Jacob Osei-Duro, Michael Di Battista and David Folino had all booted multiple goals. Anthony Fazzari’s field kicking was exemplary through half back.
The Mustangs looked sluggish early and never got back into the game. Leigh Sullivan, with two goals, was their best and never gave up for his side despite the lopsided scoreline.
Parkside led narrowly at half time at Pitcher Park in their tussle with Watsonia. But 15 unanswered goals in the second half by the Saints propelled them to an 84-point victory. Parkside’s lone second half goal came after the final siren.
Watsonia coach Damien Zanic admitted that the Devils were the better team in the first half. But he was happy with his team’s fitness levels and that they began to hit their targets in the second half.
With Jeremy Bennett a late withdrawal, Jack Larkin belied his recent average form with seven goals – ably assisted by Nick Gaylor (five goals) who was a marking target in the forward half.
“Our pressure early was fantastic,” Parkside coach George Lattouf noted, “but we ran out of legs.”
They also ran out of bench rotations. Lattouf was pleased with the work of Mark Schwabl and Jacob Heritage on the day.
Watsonia now hosts Reservoir at A.K. Lines Reserve in Round 4 action, with key players Ben Anderson and Jeremy Bennett both chances to return for the big clash.
The Mustangs would need to improve greatly on their last effort to be a chance. But they do now have the benefit now of a block of five games in consecutive weeks, after a 21-day break between their first and second games.
Challenging this game for match of the day status is the contest between Thomastown and South Morang at the Main Street Reserve.
The Lions drew away for an impressive win over Heidelberg West in Round 2 before having the bye last week. They will need to be at their best to win, judging by the Bears’ start to the season – which stands at three wins from three matches and a percentage of 217.
Heidelberg West has a past players reunion when it hosts Parkside at Heidelberg Park. After their good win away against St Mary’s, the Hawks should be chock full of confidence against the winless Devils. Parkside will be looking for a four-quarter effort to build on its recent positive starts.
To mark the past players day, Heidelberg West will wear a commemorative maroon and gold jumper, colours worn by the club between 1936 – 1985, before changing to the gold and brown stripes of today’s Hawks.
