Excitement is building as preliminary final day approaches in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3, with Mernda set to face off against Old Eltham Collegians at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
The prize for the winner is a chance to take on Laurimar in the Grand Final, which would be the first time in 11 years if it’s the Demons and the first time ever in the NFNL competition if it’s the Turtles.
This match-up comes as a result of Mernda losing the second semi-final to Laurimar by 11 points last Saturday at the Whittlesea Showgrounds, while the Turtles prevailed the following day by 24 points over Kinglake at the same venue.
The two preliminary final combatants have taken markedly different paths to Saturday’s big game and the regular season began with these sides meeting at Eltham College.
In what was then a huge upset result, Mernda began the 2023 campaign with a five-goal win over Old Eltham Collegians in a game where the Turtles could only manage two majors.
Next up, the Demons took care of the Power at Waterview Recreation Reserve to the tune of eight points and after an uncompetitive Round 3 loss to Kinglake at Kinglake Memorial Reserve, Mernda consolidated and were always near the top of the table. Internally, expectations at the Demons were high and eventually proved correct.
Old Eltham Collegians recovered from the opening round defeat to win the next two, but then lost first to Laurimar in a thriller and then to Heidelberg West the following week. It left the Turtles at 2-3 and, from that point onwards, were around fourth or fifth spot for the rest of the season.
These teams met again in Round 10 at Waterview Recreation Reserve and this time Old Eltham Collegians performed much better. The final result was a seven-point victory to Mernda, but despite the loss, coach Matt Sleeman went away from this game much happier than in the season opener.
The Demons got off to a flyer with a five goal to one first term, but the Turtles quickly got back into the game and kept the match close, albeit without winning. In both games, Billy Morrison excelled for the red and blues, so he looks to be a critical player this coming weekend.
As well as the paths to the finals for these teams being significantly different, so too were their fortunes in week one of the finals series.
Mernda battled hard to keep within striking distance for most of the game against Laurimar last Saturday. But then they showed their ability to score quickly and came with a rush in the last term to hit the front. Alas, for their fans, they were unable to hold the lead and went down narrowly.
Conversely, Old Eltham Collegians looked in control for the vast majority of the contest against Kinglake on Sunday and coasted to the line in the final term.
The ladder positions and the fact that Mernda has the extra day’s rest leading into this Saturday is a positive for them. But last weekend was the senior team’s first final since the 2014 season, when they made it to the preliminary final in Division 2, so the Turtles have the edge in terms of recent finals experience.
The Demons will be sweating on the fitness of Kai Turner who did not play the final term against the Power. In all likelihood, he is the only player from both teams who could come out due to injury, and it would be a huge plus for Robert Fletcher’s men if he is good to go.
While the midfield battle is always highly significant, there will be great interest in seeing the Old Eltham Collegians do battle with the Mernda forwards.
The Demons have plenty of firepower in front of goal, with Bryce Kimuliatis leading the way on 42 goals, while Daniel Smith, William Crouch, Matthew Bawden and Riley Edwards have all booted over 20 majors this year.
Holding these players to a modest score will be a challenge for the Turtle defenders, but Hugh Kavanagh is back and in good form, while Tim Ellis has been a leader in taking intercept marks at half back all season.
Down the other end, Old Eltham Collegians boast the leading goal-scorer for the competition in Matthew Williamson who has slotted 65 goals so far. Nick Milne has recorded 30 and has also spent some time in the centre square this season.
