With all sides now having played 10 games in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3, the race to the finals is on, starting with another important slate of games this weekend.
Three teams share top spot on eight wins while another trio of sides sit on six wins leading into Round 12 on Saturday.
It means that three contenders are tussling for top spot, while teams from fourth through to sixth seem likely to battle it out for two spots in the finals, while also hoping to bridge the gap between themselves and the top three.
Round 11 action had a huge impact on finals aspirations for the top six, headlined by the top of the table clash between Old Paradians and Mernda at Garvey Oval.
The Demons moved to top spot after controlling the match throughout on the way to a 28-point victory, while the Raiders dropped to third on percentage as a result of suffering their first defeat at home for the season.
Moving into second place on the ladder were the Fitzroy Stars, after they got off to a flyer against Old Eltham Collegians at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval to lead by 22-points at quarter time. Then it turned into a tight battle with the Stars eventually prevailing to the tune of seven points.
Epping kept its season alive with an impressive 31-point triumph over Ivanhoe at Epping Recreational Reserve but had to fight off a comeback early in the last quarter by the Hoers.
Lalor hosted Heidelberg West at Lalor Reserve, with the Hawks drawing away late to win by 51 points.
“We put an emphasis on discipline and a team focus and got the reward,” Heidelberg West coach Dale Mayne said. Michael Italia, Nicholas Paton and Jordon Bulman all received plaudits from Mayne.
Sam Rexhepi meanwhile continues to hit the scoreboard for the Bloods and slotted four majors.
The two country teams in Kilmore and Kinglake faced off at J.J. Clancy Reserve, and after using the breeze well first up, a four-goal to two second term by the Blues sent them on their way to a 69-point victory.
“It was good to come away with a nice win and produce two victories in a row for the first time this season,” Kilmore coach Paul Derrick said.
Derrick liked the work of key forward Bailey Taylor-Egan who booted five majors, while up the other end, Marcus Lacorcia kept star Lakers forward Damian Pywell goalless.
“Our team looked dangerous at times with our ball movement, however we just lacked any real presence or tall marking options up forward,” Kinglake coach Dave Florance said.
Mitchell Skipper’s efforts got the thumbs up from Florance, as did regular performers Bailey Robinson and Rye Johnson.
Although the teams from fourth to sixth all sit on 24 points, their runs home vary greatly.
Old Eltham Collegians are fourth and have a healthy percentage of 142.55, but they have the toughest fixture, with their only remaining matches against a bottom five team being a tricky assignment away to Heidelberg West and this week’s clash with Kinglake.
Epping’s percentage is 122.16 and has two matches against bottom five teams in their run home in the Hawks and the Bloods.
Ivanhoe has the worst percentage of the three teams at 114.87 but has the best prospects in their last six games, as they face Reservoir, Heidelberg West, Kinglake and Lalor.
With such a logjam of teams on the ladder, Round 12 action promises to be extremely important.
Fresh off the bye, Reservoir travels to Ivanhoe Park to take on Ivanhoe.
The Mustangs are still looking for their first win and may have benefited from the recent breaks; while their percentage shows that they have improved from 2023, their fans would love to cause what would be a major upset win.
It’s a must-win game for the Hoers who need to make every post a winner when playing lower teams in order to push for finals.
Kilmore sits just a game outside the top five and will go to their last bye after a second consecutive home game, this time against Lalor.
The Blues would be expected to win based on recent form and a victory would keep their slim finals chances alive.
But Bloods fans will be quick to remember their drought-breaking triumph over Kilmore in Round 3 and will be eager to replicate their efforts on Saturday.
With the Blues’ Bailey Taylor-Egan in good form up one end and Sam Rexhepi kicking goals at the other for the Bloods, it should be an entertaining affair.
After being 6-0 a few weeks ago, Old Eltham Collegians have now lost four in a row and will be desperate to get back on the winners list when hosting Kinglake at Eltham College.
Although the form line looks rough on paper for the Turtles, their four losses have come by an average of only six points.
Given the home ground advantage, ladder positions and the fact that it is the second week in a row on the road for the Lakers, Matt Sleeman’s men would be highly fancied to win.
Their only other meeting at this venue produced a 40-point win over Kinglake in Round 6 last season, which ended the Lakers’ then unbeaten run.
But Dave Florance’s men would love to take a big scalp in the run home and will be giving it their best shot to do so this weekend.
Heidelberg West takes on Old Paradians at Heidelberg Park in an interesting match-up.
This contest for the Raiders is sandwiched in between the loss to Mernda last week and a key tussle with the Fitzroy Stars next week.
The Hawks have been in reasonable form of late after an upset win over Old Eltham Collegians and a big win over Lalor in the previous three matches. The locals would love for the team to win back-to-back games for the first time this season in what shapes as a possible upset game.
Ben Tuner’s men cannot afford to drop this one if they want top spot back, with a win to take them ahead of the Fitzroy Stars, who have this week’s bye. If they can prevail, it sets up a promoter’s dream the following week against Lionel Proctor’s men.
Match of the day status belongs to the clash between Epping and Mernda at Epping Recreational Reserve.
While the Blues have not yet cemented a finals spot, they looked every bit worthy of such with a runaway win over Ivanhoe last week at the same venue.
It’s the sort of game Brad Hollow’s men need to win if they are to make a mark in 2024. But it won’t be easy against a Demons team on a five-game winning streak, and come into this game after their impressive outing over Old Paradians last weekend.
The battle in Epping’s forward line will be of great interest. The Blues have the most total points for of the teams third on the ladder or lower and will look to hit the scoreboard heavily.
Standing in their way will be the Mernda defence which rates third just behind the Turtles and Hoers. Led by Dayne Kellett and Kai Turner, who were each pivotal last week, the Demons will be trying to restrict players of the calibre of Daniel Rakhlin and Adrian Alfonsi, who have combined for 45 majors in 2024.
Similarly, Bryce Kimuliatis and Matthew Bawden have notched up 51 goals between them and will be looking for silver service from their quality midfielders. It will be up to a solid defence featuring Jordan Wilkins and Dallyce Taylor to keep the Mernda forwards in check.
With top spot on the line for the Demons and a finals berth a possibility for the Blues, a great contest is expected.
