Round 14 matches will again be crucial to teams battling it out for fourth spot in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3, while an opportunity presents for the bottom-two sides.
Laurimar has the double chance sewn up after a come-from-behind 34-point win over Kilmore at J.J. Clancy Reserve in Round 13.
The Power has started slowly two weeks in a row, but this time they hit their straps in the second term and roared away for an impressive win.
Josh Leather starred in the ruck for Laurimar. And on a difficult day for forwards, Dallas King, Mitch Golby and Ethan Frawley all booted multiple goals.
“Kilmore jumped us early,” Laurimar coach Justin Sherman said. “But after quarter time we kept Kilmore to 16 points and kicked 71 of our own. A great defensive effort and everyone contributed.”
Ben Cooney, Leigh Irons and Shane Skidmore excelled for the Blues, despite their side struggling after the first break.
“Started really well,” Kilmore coach Nathan Phillips said. “But they were cleaner after quarter time. (They) are undefeated for a reason and played a great brand of football. Hopefully we get another shot at them.”
Mernda faced a must-win game at Crispe Park against Reservoir and sealed the deal in the second term, where it kicked six goals to two to lead by 35 points at the main break.
Reservoir was better in the second half – eventually going down by 45 points. Caretaker coaches Peter Bartle and Ben Noy would have been pleased with the way the team fought it out as the Demons looked for a percentage boost.
Matthew Hands kicked three goals for the Mustangs, while Sam McDowell continued his purple patch of form and was named best.
James Maraschiello justified his promotion from the reserves and slotted three majors for Mernda – with four other players booting two each. James Duclos was best in a strong showing.
Mernda finds itself on the brink of finals action, but now has a bye before a challenging trip to play Kilmore at J.J. Clancy Reserve. The Demons may need to win that one to qualify for their first finals appearance in five years.
Heidelberg West let slip a chance to climb back into the top-four when playing Old Eltham Collegians at Eltham College. Amazingly, the Turtles scored five of their six goals in a dominant second term to lead by 15 points at the main break.
From that point on, the Hawks fought their way back into the game. The last term became a hard slog in worsening weather. Neither team registered a goal and Heidelberg West fell agonisingly short – losing by four points.
“It was a tough game,” Heidelberg West coach Cam van Florestein said. “We had our chances. We knew what was on the line and how much the game meant to us. We have made it difficult for ourselves now, but the ball is in our court.”
Jarryd Coulson was again best for the Hawks and Zac Tranter backed up his form of the previous week with another solid performance.
The win was the first for the Turtles in a close one – having seen South Morang salvage a draw after the siren back in Round 4. Their previous wins against Lalor and Reservoir have been by convincing margins.
“Confident we could get the win at home and what a win it was,” Old Eltham Collegians coach John Garrard said.
“We had eight changes, but the inclusions played well and didn’t miss a beat. We lost Cody Johnstone and Corey Ray to injury. A massive effort by captain Tim Woods in the ruck, but the standout was the whole backline group which was a brick wall and that’s what won us the game.”
Up forward, Kieran Malone booted three in trying conditions and was ably supported by Dylan Debritt with two. Malone now leads the club’s goal kicking despite only joining six weeks ago.
Panton Hill won a crucial game against South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. Similar to their previous game, the Redbacks looked better as the day wore on and drew away to win by 29 points.
“The Lions led us by two goals at one stage in the first half,” Panton Hill coach Steve Layt said. “From that point our boys responded well. We were pleased by the complete team effort in extremely difficult conditions.”
Dan Freeman continued his strong form and booted three goals. Matt Fowler, Scott Conte, Sam Parks and Nick Parks got the game going the Redbacks way.
South Morang was best served by Mathew Robinson and Ben Muscat. Results from other games kept the Lions inside the top-four.
Laurimar is three games clear of Panton Hill on top of the ladder with five rounds remaining. The Redbacks are a game and 85 percent ahead of Kilmore in third. Both Kilmore and Panton Hill have a game in hand on Laurimar.
It means the second semi final teams are almost set in stone now – unless Kilmore can win two more games than the Redbacks in the run home. The sides do meet again in Round 17 at A.E. Cracknell Reserve.
Kilmore leads South Morang by a game and a half. Back in fifth – half a win behind the Lions sits Heidelberg West and Mernda on six wins. The Demons closed the percentage gap on the Hawks to a manageable 10 percent.
Old Eltham Collegians has seventh spot all sewn up – ten points clear of Lalor, with Reservoir bringing up the rear.
Round 14 action will again be crucial to teams battling it out for fourth spot.
Heidelberg West plays the unbeaten Laurimar at Heidelberg Park.
With Panton Hill coming up the week after at the same ground, the Hawks will probably have to cause an upset in at least one of these matches to make finals.
Their most recent meeting against Laurimar ended in a comprehensive 58-point win by the Power. The advantage for Heidelberg West this time is that they will have more incentive and have the home ground advantage.
The Power have lost their two previous meetings at this ground by 44 and 63 points. They would like to notch up their first win at the venue and keep their winning run going. But they are also now in a position where they can rest players as needed in the run to finals.
South Morang hosts Kilmore at Mill Park Lakes Reserve.
The Lions’ challenge is similar to last week – beat a top-three team to ensure they stay in the top-four. If the Lions win, they will draw within two points of Kilmore. But the Blues have a game in hand, and it would be unlikely that South Morang could eventually displace them.
Nonetheless, Kilmore would see this as their chance to turn a 99 percent chance of playing its first NFNL finals campaign into a sure thing. The Blues would also be keen to bounce back from a disappointing loss last week – and to avenge their Round 1 loss at J.J. Clancy Reserve. The Lions won a thriller that day by a goal.
Reservoir travels to Lalor Reserve to play Lalor.
It’s the Mustangs best chance for the year to record a win and draw level with the Bloods on four points.
The winning team will greatly enjoy the spoils after both experiencing such a long run of outs – with Reservoir not winning since 2017 – and a keen contest is ensured.
Lalor’s only win for the year came against Reservoir back in Round 3, when it romped to a 67-point win on Anzac Day when Sam Rexhepi booted seven goals.
Panton Hill hosts Old Eltham Collegians at A.E. Cracknell Reserve.
While the venue will be unfamiliar to the Turtle players, coach John Garrard has been both a player and a coach for the Redbacks – so he should be able to educate his players on the nuances of the ground.
The Turtles would be keen to get another scalp or two to end the year and would be boosted by last week’s fighting win over Heidelberg West.
But this will be seen as a must-win game by the Redbacks as they work to keep Kilmore at arms’ length. They won the earlier encounter at Eltham College in Round 1 by a comfortable 70 points.
