Four teams head to Lalor Reserve this weekend with high hopes of advancing as the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 finals get underway in season 2024.
It came down to the last 30 minutes of the regular season to determine the finals make-up, with four games in Round 18 action having an impact on ladder positions.
Reservoir hosted Kinglake at Crispe Park in the one match not affecting the finals. The Lakers won the games with an eight goal to three first half, on their way to securing a 44-point triumph.
“Although we controlled the game for the most part, Reservoir took it right up to us in the last quarter and we had to make some adjustments to get things going our way again,” Kinglake coach Dave Florance said.
Florance liked the work of club best and fairest favourite Bailey Robinson, while Rye Johnson and Adam Wiseman also impressed.
Nicholas Miliaresis again shone for the Mustangs and Mark Ferraro gave them drive off half back.
The Fitzroy Stars headed to J.J. Clancy Reserve to take on Kilmore, and in a familiar recent pattern, the Blues lost after being well down at half time before then narrowly winning the second half.
While this is frustrating for the fans, it did show some resilience to stick with the top team late and not be blown away. Benjamin Barton was best for Kilmore, capping off a great end to his year.
The 36-point win guarantees Lionel Proctor’s men the week off to begin the finals series, as top-quality performers in Jai Burns, Patrick Farrant and Kain Proctor look in peak form approaching the club’s first finals appearance in the senior men’s competition since 2017.
Old Paradians come off the bye to journey to Eltham College and tackle Old Eltham Collegians. The Turtles took a commanding 46-point lead into the main break and then hung on to defeat the Raiders by 21 points, with the win locking away a finals berth.
Ivanhoe travelled to Waterview Recreation Reserve, aiming to be the first team since 2022 to defeat Mernda on their home deck, but the Demons took control of the contest with a 6.1 to 0.4 second term and went on to win by 57 points.
The result saw Robert Fletcher’s men lock away third spot on the table, with Nathan Baccega finishing the regular season in fine form. Michael Doyle was among the best for the Hoers.
Sadly for the Ivanhoe fans, the loss dropped them out of the finals race altogether. But the year as a whole was a big improvement on 2023.
“I’m super proud of the playing group this year, after winning just two games last year in the VAFA,” Ivanhoe coach Wayne Schultz said.
Lalor travelled to Epping Recreational Reserve to vie with Epping, with the Bloods competitive until the main break, before the Blues broke away.
With a big win looming, what seemed like an unlikely possibility opened up for the local fans, as the massive 131-point victory by Epping was enough to put the Blues ahead of Ivanhoe on percentage and propel them into the finals.
Jake Conway kept the dangerous Sam Rexhepi to a solitary goal, but Rexhepi was still a runaway winner in the goal-kicking with a total of 55 majors. Stars forward Patrick Farrant grabbed second place with 43 goals from just nine games.
While it was a disappointing last day for the Bloods, both they and the Mustangs were much more competitive in 2024 compared to the previous season.
As an indication of improvement, Lalor’s percentage rose from 15.40 in 2023 to 48.56 this season, while Reservoir similarly rose from 22.33 to 46.35.
Two wonderful finals matches headline the beginning of the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 finals series, as four sides venture to familiar territory, Lalor Reserve.
A spot in the second semi-final against the Fitzroy Stars is the prize for the winner of the qualifying final between Old Paradians and Mernda on Saturday.
The Raiders came into the season hopeful of finals action, but uncertain as to where they sat in the scheme of things. After exceeding the expectations of most, Ben Turner’s men had a top two finish locked away for the past few weeks and claimed second spot by season’s end.
The Demons began the year as the number one seed and sat atop the table after Round 11, but three losses in four weeks thereafter meant that they had to fight hard to grab third spot.
Robert Fletcher’s men clinched third position and the double chance in emphatic fashion with a big win over Ivanhoe in Round 18.
The one clash between these teams occurred in Round 11 at Garvey Oval, as the Demons led from early in the first term to record a 28-point triumph.
Sam Gilmore played in that game but hasn’t been seen on the field since Round 14 against Kilmore. Raiders fans will be looking for him to return for this final.
If he does, it sets up an intriguing battle in the ruck with Mernda’s Billy Morrison who has recently returned from an ACL injury and comes into this game off a best on ground performance against the Hoers last week. Whoever gets on top between Gilmore and Morrison will go a long way to deciding the midfield battle.
Both teams also have high scoring power. Bryce Kimuliatis (41) and Matthew Bawden (25) lead the goal-kickers for Mernda, while Lachie Kerr has slotted 35 majors for Old Paradians, with both Blair Healy and Mitch Merkel booting 20 apiece.
With plenty of firepower up front, it sets up stern challenges for the defences of each team. Whichever outfit can get clean entry from half forward into the attacking fifty will be a factor in who prevails in this contest.
Sunday’s match is the very first Division 3 elimination final featuring Old Eltham Collegians and Epping.
Turtles fans have had a rollercoaster ride this season. It began with six straight wins and a good chance to finish as minor premiers, before they then proceeded to lose the next six games which saw them tumble out of the top five.
By steadying in the last month of the regular campaign with four straight triumphs, they not only found themselves back in the finals series for a third consecutive year, but also enter the post-season in great form.
Epping entered Division 3 with high hopes this season and began their campaign at this venue on Good Friday with a win over the Bloods.
But victories against top teams were hard to come by early on, and it wasn’t until they recorded back-to-back wins over Ivanhoe and Mernda in Round’s 11 and 12 that they looked like a genuine finals threat.
Losses against the Turtles in Round 14 and Stars in Round 17 left them just outside the five, although that huge win last weekend saw them secure the last finals spot.
Matt Sleeman’s men would seem to have better momentum coming into this weekend’s match, and an additional bonus for Old Eltham Collegians is that they boast a 2-0 record against the Blues this season.
The first victory was a two-point thriller back in Round 2 at Epping Recreational Reserve, while the most recent win was by 19-points at Eltham College in Round 14, which snapped their six-game losing streak.
Recently, the Turtles have had a two-pronged attack featuring Kieran Malone and Matthew Keys, while Matthew Williamson can always threaten to produce big totals. A strong performance from star midfielder Brent Macaffer would go a long way to securing a win for Old Eltham Collegians.
The Blues are slick movers of the footy when on song and would love to be able to get the ball in quickly to dangerous forwards Daniel Rakhlin, Adrian Alfonsi and Seb Latina.
A wonderful contest awaits on a weekend where winners appear hard to pick.
