Spots three, four and five are all up for grabs as teams ready themselves for Round 16 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football.
Round 15 results gave fans some big wins and a minor upset.
Mernda took on Laurimar at Waterview Recreation Reserve. The Power trailed by just three points at quarter time, then took control with the wind in the second term to go on to a 65-point win.
“Happy with our efforts, especially into the wind in the first and third quarters; we set up the win with fantastic pressure and intensity at the contest,” said Laurimar coach Jimmy Atkins.
Carter McCall impressed with four goals for the victors, while Bailey Macleod continued his strong season. Patrick Fitzgerald booted three majors to go three ahead of Aaron Edwards, but Laurimar has a bye in the run home. So, this contest looks like going down to the wire.
Aidan Black has been prominent in his two games for the Demons, while Declan Felle also performed admirably. The loss all but eliminates Mernda from the finals. They will need to win their last two games and rely on Lalor defeating Kinglake to have a chance.
Old Eltham Collegians played Ivanhoe at Eltham College, with the Hoers claiming their first win at the venue with a 74-point win. It was 11.16 to 1.1 at the last change before the Turtles lifted their game to win the last quarter by a point.
Tristan Stead and Josh Hogan were the multiple goal-kickers for Ivanhoe who now move to third spot on the table.
Niall McDonagh and Sam Warren both continued their recent good form for Old Eltham Collegians, who now go to the bye.
Heidelberg West hosted Reservoir at Heidelberg Park. The Mustangs drew away after half time to win by 34 points.
“Heidelberg West played a few periods of exciting football but we were a lot more consistent for the four quarters,” said Reservoir coach Rohan Davies. Davies loved the work of Levi Greenwood in the victory.
Max Brown and Masaki Miki did well for the Hawks.
Kinglake vied with the Fitzroy Stars at Kinglake Memorial Oval with the hope of locking away a finals berth. But the Stars gradually pulled away after quarter time to record a convincing 48-point win. The win sealed the top spot for the Stars and left the Lakers in need of a win or two in order to remain in the top five.
Kilmore tussled with Epping at J.J. Clancy Reserve. The home team caused a minor upset in leading from go to woe and prevailing by 37 points.
“Our best four quarter effort of the season; the boys were really on and played our game plan to the letter,” said Kilmore coach Paul Derrick. Derrick loved the work of Jaden Smith who was tough in the contest, while also giving a tick to Joshua Alford and Ryan Johnson who kept Matthew Williamson goalless.
“Kilmore were the better team on the day; we have a lot of work to do if we are going to be competitive against Ivanhoe this weekend,” said Epping coach Brad Hollow. Jordan Wilkins and Liam Waldron were once again among the best for Epping.
The Fitzroy Stars and Laurimar now have the top two spots locked away. After back-to-back losses, Epping lost third on percentage to Ivanhoe. Kinglake and Kilmore will battle it out for fifth, with both teams on seven wins and the Lakers leading in terms of percentage 140 to 134.
Round 16 action contains some important clashes and big challenges.
Reservoir takes on Lalor at Crispe Park. The highlight of the day will be the one-off game played by Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin which will ensure an enthusiastic crowd watching on.
Local fans will be hoping Cotchin can deliver the ball to ex Tiger teammate Aaron Edwards to help him win the goal-kicking title. The Mustangs will have made it three from their last four if they win.
The Bloods will be outsiders in this contest, but an upset win will give them some chance of climbing off the bottom of the table by year’s end. They will surely be up for the challenge fresh after their bye last week.
Laurimar is gearing up for finals action as they host Old Eltham Collegians at Laurimar Reserve. The Turtles ran the Power to 3-points when last at this venue in 2023 and then won the return battle later in the season at Eltham College by seven points.
This will give their more optimistic fans some hope. It has been announced that coach Matt Sleeman will finish up at the end of the year and the team would love to claim a scalp for him in the last few games.
The fringe players for Laurimar will be all out to impress coach Jimmy Atkins as the team will look to take momentum into the finals. Patrick Fitzgerald will be hoping to extend his break in the goal-kicking with Daniel Hallett a possible opponent.
Mernda hosts Kinglake at Waterview Recreation Reserve in an intriguing match-up. If the Lakers can come away with a win in this critical contest, they will be well on their way to claiming the last spot in the finals. They will be aiming for their first win at the venue, having gone down to the Demons in 2023 and 2024.
But a strong 66-point win back in Round 9 this season at Kinglake Memorial Oval will give fans of the travelling team some confidence. So long as they can bounce back from the disappointment of last week’s loss, they will be hard to beat.
Mernda racked up two narrow losses prior to last week’s big defeat at the hands of Laurimar. The team will be looking for a much better performance this week with back-to-back home games. A great contest is anticipated.
The Fitzroy Stars clash with Kilmore at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval. It’s the toughest of all tests for the Blues as they aim for fifth spot on the table.
While it is tough to even consider tipping against the Stars this season, Kilmore has been in good form of late, winning three in a row since their bye. If they are able to cause the major upset, their fans will feel that they truly deserve a finals spot.
Meanwhile, Neville Jetta’s men could get one step closer to a perfect home and away season. The Stars have back-to-back home games with Epping coming up after this followed by a trip to Crispe Park to take on Reservoir.
More important, of course, is redemption in the finals series after going down as favourites in last year’s grand final.
Third spot is up for grabs when Epping and Ivanhoe lock horns at Epping Recreational Reserve. This scenario seemed unlikely a few weeks ago, but the Hoers are on a six-game winning run while the Blues have lost their last two games.
It’s an absolute must-win game for Epping as they follow up with a game against the Stars and then the Round 18 bye. Their fans would like to see the return of some talented players who have missed recently such as captain Leigh Judd and Seb Latina.
A victory for Wayne Schultz’s men virtually guarantees the double chance. However, they can still lose this weekend and finish third as they have a game in hand on the Blues.
The only other clash between these teams at this venue was in 2024 when Epping won by 31 points. This time, it is likely to be a closer contest and one which has so much at stake.
