Several teams that finished outside the top five last season excelled in Round 3 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football, making for an interesting day to come this Saturday.
Round 3 kicked off on ANZAC Day when local fans were treated to seeing Eddie Betts play for the Fitzroy Stars against Old Eltham Collegians at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval. Betts wowed the adoring crowd with a bag of five goals in the wet as his team won by a huge 131 points.
“Rapt to get the result, play four solid quarters and implement things we wanted to coming into the game,” Fitzroy Stars coach Neville Jetta said.
Ethan Penrith and Allan Norris also shone for the Stars, as their fans will be well pleased with the 3-0 start as they go the bye.
Friday was a low point for the Turtles in their time in the league against one of the powerhouses of the competition. Leadership duo Daniel Cartisano and Beaudie Maroney were among the best for Matt Sleeman’s men.
Laurimar clashed with Mernda for their first meeting since the 2023 decider. While the Grand Final was a thriller, the Power ensured the result was decided early on in the piece as they recorded a big 61-point victory in the rematch.
“A good hard-fought win; we got the jump on them in the first half and were able to control it from there,” Laurimar coach Jimmy Atkins said. Patrick Fitzgerald and Stephen McCallum each booted four for the victors.
The Demons won the second half by a point, but the damage was already done by then. Matthew Campbell and the ever-reliable Jayden Bell impressed for Robert Fletcher’s men.
Kinglake caused the upset of the round in defeating Epping by 18 points at Epping Recreational Reserve. Few tipsters would’ve given the visitors a chance as they lost their only other game at this venue by 55-points in Round 3 last year.
“We converted our opportunities early to stay in the game and were able keep our noses in front for the majority of the day,” Kinglake coach Dave Florance said.
“Epping are a great side and we are rapt to come away with an important win.”
Florance was pleased with the work of Bailey Robinson, Les Adams and Michael Florance, who was highly influential late in the game.
Sebastian Latina excelled for the Blues, while Daniel Rahklin was dangerous up forward with four majors.
Last season Reservoir and Kinglake were both winless when they met at Kinglake Memorial Reserve which resulted in a triple figure loss for the Mustangs.
The reverse occurred this season as Rohan Davies’ men and Lalor were both 0-2 before facing off at Lalor Reserve on Saturday. The Mustangs dominated and won by 101 points, which was their biggest winning margin since 2014.
The Bloods had no answer for James El Moussalli and Aaron Edwards who kicked eight and seven goals respectively.
2024 leading goal-kicker Sam Rexhepi kicked two for Lalor from limited opportunities, while recruit Nawid Najafi also stood out.
Kilmore ventured to Heidelberg Park to take on Heidelberg West and came away with a 20-point win. It was a vital away win for the Blues to keep them undefeated this season.
“That was a fantastic win by the boys who showed character to get over the line,” Kilmore coach Paul Derrick said.
“It was a game of momentum after half time, but we capitalised more when we had it.”
Derrick liked the work of Josh Coe and Grant Paxton in the victory.
Hawks fans would have walked away feeling that the game was within reach had they been more efficient in the forward half. Dale Mayne’s men booted three goals to one in the final term, but being a wasteful 4.13 at the last change made the task too difficult for them.
Ex Bundoora player Bryce Barnes kicked two goals for the local team, with Bradley Moore again getting plenty of the footy.
Four teams remain undefeated, headed by the Fitzroy Stars with three wins. Kilmore, Kinglake and Ivanhoe are all two from two, while Laurimar rounds out the top five with two wins and a loss.
Round 4 gives fans three games which look tough to tip and another two with strong favourites.
Laurimar heads to Eltham College to take on Old Eltham Collegians. Recent form would suggest a comfortable win by the Power, who have hit their straps with two impressive wins after going down to the Stars in the opener.
A huge plus for the Turtles is returning to their home ground where they overcame the Mustangs in Round 2. Another reason for the locals to have confidence is that they have won their past two at this venue against Laurimar.
With an exodus of talent, it will be a tougher task for Matt Sleeman’s men this time, but their fans will roll up with history on their side.
Lalor has back-to-back home games when hosting Epping at Lalor Reserve. Their last contest at this venue was on Good Friday last year when the Blues drew away to win by 55-points.
Last week’s results would suggest that the Bloods would struggle to get as close this time, but they will surely want to lift after going down to Reservoir.
For Brad Hollow’s men, it will be a chance for them to return to the winners list as they gear up for a home game against the Stars the following week and they would hope to get Brent Macaffer back this week.
The Country Cup features undefeated sides in Kilmore and Kinglake fighting it out at J.J. Clancy Reserve. Blues fans will relish the home ground advantage and would love a repeat of the previous game against the Lakers in Round 11 last season which yielded a 69-point victory.
Conversely, Kinglake won the return match at Kinglake Memorial Oval a few weeks later by 46 points. It’s hard to imagine any big margins this time as the combatants look so evenly matched, and with a guaranteed top three spot on the table by week’s end for the winner, it shapes as a great spectacle.
Reservoir hosts Heidelberg West at Crispe Park in an intriguing tussle. Both teams look better than in 2024 and a big crowd is expected to witness the clash.
Mustang fans would view this as a chance to take a scalp, having only beaten Lalor in recent years.
Dale Mayne would look at this game and the following game against Lalor as a chance to go 3-1 and be in the top five for the first time in a long while. Hawks fans would be hoping Jarryd Coulson can help his team dominate around midfield.
The locals will give themselves a great shot at it if they can get enough supply to dangerous forwards in James El Moussalli and Aaron Edwards. A Levi Greenwood return would also give the Mustangs a big push towards back-to-back victories for the first time since 2015.
Vying for match of the day status is the clash between Mernda and Ivanhoe at Waterview Recreation Reserve. This seems strange when seeing that the Hoers are unbeaten, while the Demons sit second last at 0-3.
But the final round of 2024 against Mernda at this venue will be strongly in the minds of Wayne Schultz and his men.
That day the Demons won by 57-points and other results saw the Hoers unexpectedly drop out of the finals race. It was a bitter pill to swallow for their faithful fans and revenge will be sweet if they can atone this Saturday.
Meanwhile, Robert Fletcher’s men will be desperate to secure their maiden win for the 2025 season, as it will be a long road back if they go to their Round 5 bye at 0-4.
With so much on the line and good conditions for footy expected, a large crowd should be present to witness the crucial clash.
