While Epping, Kinglake and Old Eltham Collegians all enjoy their mid-season bye, the other eight teams will slug it out in round 10 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football.
Division 1 and 2 men had the bye, so the focus was solely on round nine of division 3 action last Saturday.
Most tipsters expected an easy victory when the Fitzroy Stars played Heidelberg West at Heidelberg Park. But the ninth-placed Hawks, buoyed by the inclusion of ex AFL player Heath Shaw, exceeded expectations and led by a point at the 10-minute mark of the final term.
Goals were hard to come by thereafter, but the Stars found a way to slot two majors around the 20-minute mark and recorded a 12-point win. The undefeated league leaders had to fight tooth and nail to get over the line.
Captain Kain Proctor was the difference on the day, ably assist by Stars teammates Elijah Taylor with three goals and Allan Norris.
“Our guys were really disciplined in our plan and, unfortunately, couldn’t get over the line; but it gives us something to build on,” said Heidelberg West coach Dale Mayne.
Mitchell Antonello and Noah Zadorozniak were prominent for the Hawks.
Epping travelled to Crispe Park to take on Reservoir. Scores were level at quarter time, but the Blues gradually edged away after that to win by 28 points.
“Reservoir played really well and made it hard for us; but then we kicked into gear and finished off really well,” said Epping coach Brad Hollow.
Blues captain Leigh Judd won the praise of his coach along with Brent Macaffer, Jordan Wilkins and Matthew Williamson for his ruckwork.
Aaron Edwards kicked four for the Mustangs, while Levi Greenwood stood out.
Kinglake announced itself as a genuine finals threat with an impressive 66-point win over Mernda at Kinglake Memorial Oval. The game was won in the second term when the home side delighted the crowd, kicking 8.5 to 1.1.
Laker Bailey Robinson kicked five from the midfield and gained the maximum 10 Coaches MVP votes. Nick Gregson, who previously played for Reservoir in 2021, booted two for the Demons.
Ivanhoe snapped a three-game losing streak with a strong 106-point win over Lalor at Ivanhoe Park. Flynn Bergman was one of ten inclusions named by the Hoers on Friday and he well and truly justified his selection.
Josh Hogan and Wayne Schultz each kicked three, while Ben Wiggins picked up the maximum 10 Coaches MVP votes.
Connor Fitzgerald validated his promotion from the reserves for his first senior game and did well for the Bloods.
In a similar vein to Ivanhoe, Kilmore recorded a win after a quartet of losses with an 86-point victory over Old Eltham Collegians at J. J. Clancy Reserve. The Blues had some good patches in their four recent losses, but decision-making hurt them at crucial times.
“We worked hard on adjusting our style the last month or so and it paid dividends on the weekend,” said Kilmore coach Paul Derrick.
Bailey Derrick grabbed the lion’s share of the coaches MVP votes, while Chris Barton continued his stellar season for the Blues.
The top five teams are all separated by one win. The Fitzroy Stars remain undefeated with eight victories, followed by Laurimar, Epping and Kinglake, with Kilmore on four wins in fifth place. Ivanhoe and Mernda are outside the five on percentage, one win ahead of Reservoir.
Round 10 action features a crucial match of the day clash between Kilmore and Ivanhoe at J. J. Clancy Reserve. With the Blues in fifth place on the table, just ahead of the Hoers, a spot in the top five is on the line in this match up. It is possible that only one of these sides makes the five at the end of the season, so this adds to the importance of the contest.
Kilmore may go in as slight favourites but have not beaten the Hoers. Their only meeting was in round 9 last season at Ivanhoe Park, with Ivanhoe prevailing by 33 points. The difficulty for Wayne Schultz’s team is that they make their first trip north to Kilmore in winter time.
With two evenly matched teams playing for high stakes, a large crowd is sure to be looking on.
Lalor hosts the Fitzroy Stars at Lalor Reserve in what shapes on paper as a lopsided affair. The Bloods have been soundly beaten since their breakthrough win over the Turtles and the Stars, though given a fright last week, are on an eight-game winning streak.
While some may be tipping a huge margin, it is interesting to note that the last two clashes between these teams yielded a three-point victory by the Stars in 2023 and a 39-point win by the Stars last season.
While the fans of the Stars would like to see a big win, the focus for Neville Jetta and his team will be getting the win and ensuring that they are in top form for upcoming matches against Reservoir, Mernda and the Laurimar prior to the bye.
Mernda plays Heidelberg West at Waterview Recreation Reserve for the Les Butterworth Cup. Both teams are coming of losses last week in vastly different circumstances. The Demons headed north to play Kinglake in what many regarded as a flip of the coin game and were soundly defeated.
Conversely, the Hawks were friendless with the tipsters but went close to pulling off one of the upsets of the season when narrowly going down to the Stars.
Dale Mayne’s men know that a reproduction of that form gives them a chance to beat anyone. Heidelberg West were in front for most of the day against Mernda back in 2023 at this venue, but were overrun late in the contest.
Mernda will be desperate to atone for their poor performance last week and will see this game as a must-win encounter as they aim for a finals berth. Given last week’s results, it shapes as an interesting match-up.
News broke this week that coach Robert Fletcher and Mernda will part company at the end of the season. Fletcher joined the Demons as under-19s coach in 2019 and was then promoted to the senior role prior to the 2020 season and coached his first senior game for the club in 2021.
Laurimar comes off the bye to play Reservoir at Crispe Park. The Power went to the bye on a seven-game winning streak and will go into this game as favourites. Jimmy Atkins’ men would be eyeing off another trio of wins in tricky matchups against the Mustangs, Kilmore and Kinglake so that they reach the round 13 clash against the Fitzroy Stars with a chance to grab the top spot on the table.
The Mustangs need a win to stay in touch with the finals hopefuls. It will be tough with this game followed by a trip to Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval to take on the Stars. If they can snap their three-game losing run against Laurimar, it will definitely boost their finals hopes.
The clash features the top two goal-kickers in the league, with Laurimar’s Patrick Fitzgerald on 43 goals, just one ahead of Reservoir’s Aaron Edwards. Their race to win the top goalkicker award will be an entertaining backdrop to the main event on the day.
