With a plethora of teams sitting on two wins, several teams can strengthen their chances for a finals spot as round 5 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 Football approaches.
Round 4 provided fans with a thriller and some impressive performances.
Laurimar dominated the contest with Old Eltham Collegians at Eltham College, winning by 88-points.
The Power had thirteen individual goalkickers on the day, led by Carter McCall and Stephen McCallum with four apiece.
“We got the jump in the first half again and were able to keep rolling from there”, said Laurimar coach Jimmy Atkins.
James McCallum and the ever-reliable Ben Cox stood out for the Turtles.
Epping headed to Lalor Reserve to take on Lalor and recorded an 83-point win. Matthew Williamson kicked his biggest bag of goals for the Blues with six, while Dallyce Taylor impressed down the other end.
Alex Finch did well for the Bloods and he hit the scoreboard.
On paper, the Country Cup between Kilmore and Kinglake at J.J. Clancy Reserve appeared to be a tight tussle. In the end, the game lived up to its billing, with the Blues storming home to win by three points.
The Lakers were in control after booting 5.6 to 1.2 in the middle quarters to lead by 26-points at the last change. But Kilmore kicked three quick goals to begin the final term and the game was up for grabs.
It wasn’t until the dying stages that the Blues regained the lead thanks to a long set shot by Caleb Newport. That was the final score for the match as the home crowd celebrated.
“Credit to my guys, they really stepped up around the stoppages in the last quarter and used the footy really well”, said Kilmore coach Paul Derrick. Marcus Lacorica was influential for the victors.
“We thought we controlled the game for the majority of the contest however it just goes to show if you give any team a chance to gain momentum the game can quickly turn in their favour,” said Kinglake coach Dave Florance.
Florance liked the work of Will Graf and Rye Johnson down back as well as Mason McAllister in the middle.
Reservoir registered its best win this decade with a big 56-point triumph over Heidelberg West at Crispe Park. The Mustangs made full use of the breeze in the first and thirds terms and were able to defend well into the wind.
Aaron Edwards heads the goal-kicking table and booted another seven to delight the local crowd.
Hawk fans will rue an inaccurate second term with the breeze when kicking 2.7. Recruit Will Bruce booted two in his best performance for his new club, while Masaki Miki impressed.
Mernda got on the board for 2025 with a crucial 27-point win over Ivanhoe at Waterview Recreation Reserve.
Billy Morrison came in for his first game for the season for the Demons, while his teammates Christian Evans and Jake Bennett were among the best.
Robert Fletcher’s men have the bye next and can look to continue to build momentum in round 6.
Hoers fans will be rueing the team’s inaccuracy with an amazing three quarter time score of 0.7. By the time they began hitting the scoreboard, the game was out of reach. Kane Veliou impressed for Ivanhoe.
The Fitzroy Stars and Kilmore head the ladder at 3-0, just ahead of Laurimar on 3-1. Kinglake heads a group of four sides on two wins, which includes Ivanhoe, Epping and Reservoir.
Round 5 action sees some fascinating clashes with plenty of scope for the ladder positions to change.
Prior to the season commencing, few would have pencilled in the clash between Reservoir and Kilmore at Crispe Park as a match of the day prospect. But Reservoir has a slim chance to climb into the top five with a win and the Blues can remain undefeated if they prevail.
It’s a game featuring the highest scoring team outside the five, with the Mustangs averaging over 90 points per game against one of the stingiest defences.
With both team in such good recent form there is no clear favourite. Reservoir would be the tip taking a line through their 56-point win over the Hawks last week. Kilmore defeated Heidelberg West to the tune of 20-points the week prior. If Rohan Davies’ men can prevail, it would be another important milestone as they climb the ladder.
But Paul Derrick’s men would be intent on keeping their unbeaten run going in the lead-up to a top of the table clash with the Fitzroy Stars.
Heidelberg West will look to get back on the winners list when hosting Lalor at Heidelberg Park. They would be highly favoured to do so against the struggling Bloods.
However, Lance Whitnall’s men did show a bit more last week against Epping after a big loss to Reservoir. Bloods fans would like to see them go to the round 6 bye with some positive momentum.
A win by Dale Mayne’s men would see them within striking distance of the top five.
Ivanhoe plays host to Old Eltham Collegians at Ivanhoe Park and will be looking to bounce back from last week’s loss and consolidate their spot in the top five.
Based on the form exposed, the Hoers would be favoured to prevail for the first time against the Turtles, providing that they improve their goal-kicking.
Matt Sleeman’s team have lost quite a bit of talent since 2024 and find themselves in unfamiliar territory at 1-3. But they have shown resilience in recent years when challenged and would see this game as a chance to get their season back on track.
The only meeting between these combatants at this venue resulted in a thrilling 6-point win by the Turtles in round 15 last season.
The Fitzroy Stars come off the bye to face Epping at Epping Recreational Reserve. Neville Jetta’s men have sparkled in all of their three wins so far this season and will head into the contest full of confidence.
Epping rebounded from its shock loss to Kinglake in round 3 with a comfortable victory over Lalor last week and would almost certainly climb into the top five with a win. But it will be a tough task to defeat the team many consider to be premiership favourites.
Last year at this venue, the Stars pulled away late to win by 23-points. What’s curious is that both teams have totalled 362 points so far for the season, with the Stars achieving that in three games versus the Blues doing it in four.
Epping has Matthew Williamson and Daniel Rakhlin sitting third and fourth on the goal-kicking ladder respectively. The goalkicking ladder’s top ten is rounded out by three Stars in Elijah Taylor, Alex Williamson and Patrick Farrant.
Whichever team delivers the ball best inside fifty is going a long way towards grabbing the win in what shapes as an interesting match-up.
Laurimar heads north to play Kinglake at Kinglake Memorial Oval.
Kinglake went within a whisker of remaining undefeated last week at Kilmore and would fancy their chances back on their home deck where they were undefeated in 2023. Despite the home ground advantage, it will be a stern test for the Lakers as they aim to return to the finals after missing last season.
Laurimar has managed a trio of wins against 2024 finalists in rounds 2-4 and will approach this game with significant momentum as they aim to make their second stint in division 3 a short one. It would be a great spectacle if the captains in Laurimar’s Luke Wilson and Bailey Robinson of the Lakers go head-to-head all day.
Whatever matchups occur, the midfield battle will be vital in this tantalising clash.
