With only two wins between first and eighth, Round 6 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football will be another that is eagerly anticipated.
Round 5 supplied some big wins, an upset and some significant momentum swings.
The Fitzroy Stars flew out of the blocks at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval when facing off against Kilmore. The Stars led by 22 points at the first break and put the foot to the floor in setting up a massive 84-point lead at the last change.
The Blues won the final term, but it was too little too late as the Stars recorded a 69-point victory to take a firmer grip on second spot on the table.
“It was one of the best wins I’ve been involved in,” Fitzroy Stars coach Lionel Proctor said.
“The guys played their roles and stuck to their structures.”
Proctor gave big ticks to Jai Nelson in his first game for the club along with Kain Proctor and Tyson Pickett, who kicked seven majors in the absence of Patrick Farrant.
Regular star performers Jai Burns and Allan Norris again contributed well, as the Stars now go to the bye content with a 4-1 record.
Bailey Taylor-Egan continued his good form for Kilmore and hit the scoreboard again.
Kinglake began well against Old Eltham Collegians at Kinglake Memorial Oval as they attempted to open their account for the 2024 season and led by four point at quarter time. But the Turtles booted 8.6 to 2.7 in the middle stages of the contest on the way to a 36-point triumph.
Bradyn Taglieri returned for Old Eltham Collegians and slotted four goals, while Lachie White continued his solid campaign for Kinglake.
While the Lakers find themselves winless and struggling to keep touch with the top five, the Turtles remain unbeaten from their four games.
Lalor locked horns with Reservoir at Lalor Reserve and broke the game with a five goal to nil third term to take a 38-point lead into the final quarter. The Mustangs came with a rush in the last term but fell short by 14-points.
“Lalor took their chances and kicked goals in the third quarter, whereas we had chances but were inaccurate,” Reservoir coach Rohan Davies said.
“We played some exciting footy in the final quarter with some pleasing signs and plenty to work on.”
James El Moussali booted seven majors for the Mustangs on his return to the side.
Heidelberg West dueled with Epping at Epping Recreational Reserve, with the Blues dominating and winning every quarter on the way to an impressive 61-point victory.
Jake Conway and Daniel Rakhlin were amongst the goalkickers, booting nine majors between them, with the Hawks being best served by recruit Liam Wanders.
Ivanhoe came off the bye to play Mernda at Ivanhoe Park and clung on tenaciously to prevail by five points. That tenacity was exemplified by playing coach Wayne Schultz, who attacked the ball hard and made good decisions when exiting defence.
The triumph sees the two teams swap ladder positions, with the Hoers moving from fifth to third spot, while the Demons cling on to fifth and are ahead of Epping on percentage.
In what should make for an intriguing fixture, Round 6 provides teams with opportunities to strengthen their claims on finals action.
Epping heads up the highway to take on Kilmore at J.J. Clancy Reserve. The two Blues teams have exhibited big fluctuations in form of late, but based on last round Epping would be the clear favourites after an impressive display against Heidelberg West, while Kilmore was no match for the Stars.
However looking at the week prior gives a totally different perspective on things. The Round 4 results saw Epping lose to Mernda to the tune of 72 points, while Kilmore overran the previously undefeated Old Paradians at J.J. Clancy Reserve.
With Kilmore unbeaten at home this year, their fans would have some hope that they could pull off what would be a minor upset.
Lalor travel for the first time to Garvey Oval to tackle Old Paradians, who are coming off the bye. Raider fans may have marked this as an easy win prior to the start of the season, but the Bloods have now won two of their past three games and hit the weekend in good form.
Ben Turner’s men will need to be switched on in order to give themselves the best chance of taking the four points. As Old Paradians are in a logjam of teams on three wins, a victory will be necessary to keep the double chance within view.
If Lalor can win as outsiders, they will incredibly find themselves within striking distance of the top five.
Reservoir hosts Heidelberg West at Crispe Park. Given that the Hawks have only won one game, the Mustangs would see this game as a chance to record their maiden triumph under Rohan Davies. It would help significantly if they could bring the momentum from their last quarter against the Bloods into this match-up.
Heidelberg West need to win this to stay in touch with the top five, already being two games adrift. But if they can prevail against Reservoir and then defeat Kilmore the following week, Dale Mayne’s men would be heading in the right direction.
Kinglake travels to Waterview Recreation Reserve to tussle with Mernda, with the Lakers desperately need a win. This will be a tough task for David Florance’s men, but they did show some positive signs last week against the Turtles.
The Demons have not lost at home since 2022 and will be determined to keep that winning run intact. Their record to date is 3-2, but their two losses were by single digit margins, so they could easily be 4-1 or 5-0.
Based on 2024 form, Mernda would be favoured to go to the round 7 bye on the back of a comfortable victory.
All eyes will be on the match at Eltham College between Old Eltham Collegians and Ivanhoe. The Turtles remain undefeated, while the Hoers’ only loss was a one-kick result against Old Paradians.
It’s a mouth-watering clash, particularly after Ivanhoe held on to defeat Mernda last weekend.
It will be the first journey to Eltham College for the Hoers, and with the home ground advantage and a 4-0 record, many pundits will be keen to tip Old Eltham Collegians.
With the Turtles having Matthew Williamson as the spearhead and Ash Close being the focal point for Ivanhoe, the team with the best delivery into the forward 50 will go a long way to winning the contest.
Ivanhoe boast the most frugal defence to date, conceding an average of just over 40 points per game, and it will need to stand up again to get the job done.
It would be huge for Wayne Schultz’s men if they could knock over the two highest finalists of 2023 in back-to-back games.
