As teams prepare for round 5 action in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3, a gap has opened up between the top four and the chasing pack.
South Morang have moved a game and percentage clear at the top of the table after two big weeks have given them a percentage of over 600.
Laurimar, Kilmore and Old Eltham Collegians sit on three wins apiece and are eight points ahead of Heidelberg West, Mernda and Reservoir, with Lalor in last place.
Mernda snapped a three game losing streak to open its account for the season with a 130-point win over Lalor at Lalor Reserve.
Bryce Kimuliatis and Aaron Colliss kicked four majors each for the victors, with Colliss getting plenty of it around the ground as well. Riley Edwards also impressed and slotted three goals.
Statistically, the result appeared better for the Bloods than the previous week, coach Angelo Lamanna agreed.
“The effort, intent and pressure was much better this week,” said Lamanna. He also had praise for Mohammed Idris in the midfield and Austin Creak down back.
Kilmore got the jump on Heidelberg West with a four goal to one first term at J.J. Clancy Reserve and withstood a late charge to win by 11-points.
Scott Swindells booted four majors for the victors, with Bailey Taylor-Egan kicking three and dominating in the air.
“We got the four points and extended the gap on the ladder between us and the Hawks, but we’ve still got a bit to work on,” said Kilmore coach Nathan Phillips.
Ben Kennan and Brad Moore were among the best for Heidelberg West for the second week running in a match where the Hawks couldn’t find the big sticks.
A depleted Reservoir was unable to match it with league leaders South Morang at Crispe Park.
The Mustangs failed to score, with the Lions’ winning margin exceeding 200-points for the second week running with a score of 31.19 (205).
Mitch Kalpakis slotted seven majors, while Ben Peterson chimed in with five. Back to full fitness in 2022, Alex Colaidis was best on ground and finished with three goals.
“The boys were disciplined and stuck to their structures in the last two weeks which were difficult games to get up for,” said South Morang coach Gary Hall.
Ayman El-Ali was best for the Mustangs, while Liam Morgan was industrious.
“We had to play a very young and inexperienced side, which is great for the future, but tough for the moment,” said Reservoir coach Justin George.
Old Eltham Collegians defeated Laurimar at Eltham College in a nail-biting affair by 3-points. The margin of victory was under a goal for the second consecutive week for the Turtles, who kicked 2.3 in the final term, while holding the Power scoreless, to claim the win.
Teams have the chance to jostle for spots in the five games leading up to the mid-season break.
In 2015, Reservoir sat at 1-3 after round four, before regrouping to move to an 11-5 record at season’s end and then going on to win the flag.
This gives a sense of hope to the current 1-3 side’s in Heidelberg West, Mernda and Reservoir who will believe they can play finals if they can start to string some wins together.
The Hawks have lost games to top four teams in South Morang by 22-points, Old Eltham Collegians by a solitary point and then to Kilmore by 11-points in the past three weeks.
It proves that Heidelberg West are not far away from a win against a top side and will get another opportunity this week when travelling to Laurimar Reserve to take on Laurimar.
The Power will also be determined to return to the winners list. In the past two weeks, both teams have lost to the Turtles by less than a kick, so a tight tussle appears likely.
The 2021 season results stood at one apiece when these teams met. The clash at Laurimar Reserve saw the Power win comfortably by 41-points, so their fans will await the match with some confidence.
Mernda will be looking for back-to-back wins when hosting Reservoir at Waterview Recreation Reserve. These teams met three times in 2021 with the Demons recording wins of 42, 151 and 95-points. The 42-point loss was the closest the Mustangs came to a win last season.
On the back of recently breaking a long losing streak with a win over Lalor, the Mustangs would see a win against a team of Mernda’s quality as their next challenge.
But the Demons should go in as firm favourites, who will be eyeing off this match as an opportunity to begin an important winning streak.
Speaking of winning streaks, Old Eltham Collegians will be look to make it four wins on the trot when venturing to Lalor Reserve to battle with Lalor.
Based on this season’s results, the Turtles will be the hottest of favourites to win. In fact, most pundits would expect them to take a 5-1 record into their round 7 meeting with South Morang as they play Reservoir next up.
Lalor fans will recall their 2021 meeting against Old Eltham Collegians at this venue when their team fell a mere 7-points short of victory. Despite their squad looking vastly different this time around, Bloods fans will hope that they can put on an improved performance.
Billed as a potential Grand Final preview, match of the day status belongs to the clash between South Morang and Kilmore at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The Blues would join the Lions on four wins if they can prevail.
The league leaders at their home ground would be favoured by most tipsters, but some would be concerned that South Morang’s lead-up games against Lalor and Reservoir might not be too ideal when facing a premiership threat.
A top two spot for the Blues may hinge on getting wins on the road against top teams. They were able to overrun the Turtles in the opening round and would be looking to replicate that effort in the toughest test of all.
With consecutive games coming up against the other three teams in the four, the Lions could establish a minimum two game buffer at the top of the ladder if they win all three.
