It is going down to the wire for the last spot in the finals as teams prepare for the final round of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 Football.
The Round 17 results were all clear cut but helped to set up a great Round 18.
Kilmore played Heidelberg West at J.J. Clancy Reserve and needed a big win to keep their finals chances alive.
The Blues achieved their aim as they romped away after half time to record a 120-point win. Twelve players hit the scoreboard for Kilmore with brothers Ethan and Bailey Derrick each booting three.
In a tough day for the Hawks, Will Bruce and Max Brown were amongst the best.
Ivanhoe hosted Reservoir at Ivanhoe Park and continued their recent momentum with a 90-point win.
Noted as a hard-working midfielder, Marcel Moran kicked ten majors in the win. Fellow mid Kane Veliou continued his recent run of good form along with Oscar McIntyre.
Aaron Edwards kicked four goals for the Mustangs. He has 69 goals now and trails Patrick Fitzgerald by five goals with one game left in the regular season.
Kinglake travelled to Lalor Reserve to take on Lalor. The Lakers secured the vital four points with a 58-point victory.
Will Graf and Lachie White excelled for the victors. The Bloods were best served by Hayden Hunt and Alex Dao.
Epping took on the Fitzroy Stars at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval, knowing that an upset win would secure a finals berth.
The Stars ran away after a tight first term to win by 43 points.
Playing coach Neville Jetta and Ethan Penrith led the way for the Stars who retain their perfect record for 2025.
Brent Macaffer returned for the Blues and was among their best, along with Sebastijan D’Arro.
With one round left in the regular season, the top three spots are officially locked away. The Fitzroy Stars have fifteen wins, Laurimar is second on thirteen victories and Ivanhoe is a further two wins behind in third spot with eleven wins.
Kinglake lies in fourth with nine wins and a percentage of 130.09%; next is Epping on nine wins and 119.60% followed by Kilmore on eight wins and a percentage of 124.97%.
Kinglake plays finals unless they lose by a margin of around 80 points. But that would be extremely unlikely.
Kilmore will play finals if they win and will miss with a loss.
Epping has the bye and can only watch on and hope for the best. They will play finals if Kinglake win or lose by a huge margin.
Round 18 action sees some vital clashes in terms of finals as well as some interesting matchups for teams lower down the ladder.
In a preview of the qualifying final, Ivanhoe clashes with Laurimar at Ivanhoe Park. Regardless of the result, these two will face off two weeks in a row.
It will be the first game at this venue for the Power who are coming off the bye. The only other match between these teams came back in Round 6 at Laurimar Reserve when Jimmy Atkins men won convincingly by 44 points. This result will give their fans confidence that their team can prevail.
However, the Hoers are now on an eight-game winning streak and look to have improved since that clash. It would provide Wayne Schultz’s men great confidence if they could go into the finals with a win over a top two outfit.
It’s hard to tip against Laurimar who have won every game this season except for the two matches against the Stars. The day shapes as a perfect curtain-raiser to an exciting finals series.
Reservoir welcomes Fitzroy Stars to Crispe Park. The Stars are aiming to be the first team in Division 3 to go through the regular season undefeated. Based on form and ladder position, the Stars look certain to prevail.
The game will be a tune-up for the finals, with Neville Jetta’s men having the bye in the first week in the finals series. Without doubt their fringe players will be looking to impress.
Rohan Davies has announced that he will step down as coach, so this Saturday will be his final day with the Mustangs. Under his guidance, the team has risen from a cellar-dweller to a side not far from finals action.
The local fans would love the year to end with a major upset. Few will expect a win, but a good performance will set them up well for 2026.
Old Eltham Collegians and Lalor meet at Eltham College. It has been a tough year for both teams. The Turtles have won two matches and the Bloods have won a single game.
Lance Whitnall’s men were able to get their win against Old Eltham Collegians back in Round 7 at Lalor Reserve to the tune of 38 points in an upset win.
The Bloods were unable to secure another win after that but did push Reservoir all the way in Round 16 at Crispe Park when they went down by 14 points.
The Turtles defeated Reservoir in round 2 at Eltham College and were able to overcome archrivals in Heidelberg West in round 13.
Lalor will be aiming to join Old Eltham Collegians if they can win, but the percentage gap means that they will not be able to climb off the bottom of the table.
The Turtles have a chance to join the Hawks on three wins, depending on other results. But, like the Bloods, the percentage gap means that they will remain in tenth spot regardless of the results.
It will be a great day for one set of fans to end the year with a rare win. Whoever does prevail will celebrate well.
While team higher up the ladder are hoping to win the flag, Heidelberg West and Mernda face off at Heidelberg Park and will play for the Les Butterworth Cup. With Les being a legend at both clubs, it is a much sought after prize for the winning team.
Dale Mayne’s men will be aiming to win back the cup having lost to the Demons back in Round 10. They are likely to go into the game as outsiders, but do have the benefit of finishing the season on their home ground.
The last victory by Heidelberg West over the Mernda at this venue was back in 2022 when the Hawks snapped a four-game losing streak to defeat the Demons by nine points in what was a huge upset at the time.
Mernda have gone close to a win under new coach Brent Marshall and the team will have their sights set on giving him the four points to end the year on a high note. It shapes as a great contest.
Kinglake and Kilmore play at Kinglake Memorial Oval for the most important Country Cup ever. A place in the finals is up for grabs should the Blues prevail. Should Paul Derrick’s men be able to win, it would be a great achievement.
The Blues haven’t been able to get within six goals of the Lakers in their two matches at this venue. But they go into this encounter having won four of five and a loss to the Stars since the bye and seem to be hitting top form at the right time.
Barring a complete disaster, the Lakers are playing finals this season. So, they could use this contest as a tune-up for an elimination final in another week against the Blues. It is just a matter of whether “the Blues” is Kilmore or Epping.
With their last nine matches yielding six wins and losses to the top three sides, that form suggest that they will be hard to beat on their home deck. A great day awaits for fans on both teams.
