Top five spots are up for grabs as teams get ready for round 8 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football.
There was a huge upset and some statement wins in Round 7 action.
The biggest story was at Lalor Reserve where Lalor ran away from Old Eltham Collegians for a 38-point triumph. The contest was in the balance at the last change, but the home side booted 7.2 to 2.0 to seal the deal.
Sam Rexhepi kicked eight goals, eclipsing his best haul last season when he was the leading goalkicker. Hayden Hunt, returning after missing several matches, and Alex Dao both impressed.
A bonus for Lalor was that they climbed off the bottom of the table with the win. Daniel Cartisano was best for the Turtles.
Laurimar travelled to Heidelberg Park to play Heidelberg West and recorded a 74-point win. The Power has now won six straight and have scored triple figures in each win.
“We had to work our way around a strong defensive effort from the Hawks and it was game on early in the third; but we managed to break through with 32 scoring shots”, said Laurimar coach Jimmy Atkins.
Atkins gave credit to Kaiden Arthur, Bailey Macleod and Joel Lawson, who all hit the scoreboard.
The Hawks were in with a chance at half time, but Laurimar kicked 11.6 to 3.4 after the main break.
“We had a plan and stuck with it early into the second half, but they overran us in the end”, said Heidelberg West coach Dale Mayne. Mayne loved the work of debutante Tyrrell Lui. The Hawks now go to the bye.
Kinglake played the Fitzroy Stars at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval and were blown away early, with the Stars winning by 69 points.
“It was a great game from a depth point of view; we lost five players post the Kilmore game and the players coming in played their role”, said Stars coach Neville Jetta.
Roy George was an absolute stand-out performer for the Stars, assisted by Brock Carter and Alex Williamson.
“It was a tough day; we seemed to be a bit flat at the start of the game and against a side like Fitzroy we need to be switched on right from the outset or else they will pile on quick”, said Kinglake coach Dave Florance, who appreciated the efforts of Mason McAllister and Tommy Clarke.
Kilmore played Mernda at Waterview Recreation Reserve, with the Demons holding on to win by 18-points in a wind-affected game.
“We are starting to gel together now and we are playing with some confidence”, said Mernda coach Robert Fletcher, who liked the work of Billy Morrison, Josh Mazzarella and Christian Evans.
“Last quarter we constantly went forward with the wind, but couldn’t get out hands on it cleanly and kicked just 1.4”, said Kilmore coach Paul Derrick. Jared Crosbie kicked three for the Blues.
Ivanhoe hosted Epping at Ivanhoe Park in what turned out to be a shoot-out with a combined total score of 216. This suited the Blues who won by 62 points.
Seb Latina returned to the team and booted five for Epping, as did key forwards Matthew Williamson and Daniel Rakhlin.
Playing coach Wayne Schultz kicked four for the Hoers, while Michael Doyle continued his stellar season in defence.
Epping is now third on the ladder as the only team with four victories, two games behind the Fitzroy Stars and Laurimar. Mernda’s win means that they join Kilmore, Reservoir, Ivanhoe and Kinglake on 3-3.
Round 8 action has several games that will shape the ladder.
Epping tussles with Kilmore at Epping Recreational Reserve in the match of Blues versus Blues. With their eyes firmly fixed on the double chance, Brad Hollow’s men will go into this clash full of confidence.
It’s back-to-back away games for Kilmore. Having just fallen short against Mernda last week, Paul Derrick’s men may need to find a little more to overcome a team that is now in hot form. Added to the intrigue is that Kilmore hasn’t played at this venue since way back in 2017.
Kilmore fans would be rapt if they could pull off an upset win and will go ahead of Epping on the ladder should they prevail.
Old Eltham Collegians host Kinglake at Eltham College. Fans of both teams will remember a tight encounter back in round 12 last year at this venue when a late goal by Shane Harvey gave the Lakers a five-point win.
Based on recent form, Kinglake would be fancied to win this one. But they do have to deal with back-to-back away games and recovering from a big loss to the Stars.
Added to the mix is that the Turtles will be desperate to atone for their shock loss to Lalor last weekend. Last year Kilmore also incurred an upset loss to the Bloods at Lalor Reserve in round 3 and then surprised by beating the eventual premiers in Old Paradians at home a week later. Old Eltham Collegians fans will be hoping that history repeats itself.
The Fitzroy Stars and Ivanhoe face off at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval, with the Stars having consecutive home games. The Stars have been highly impressive this season and are the only team with an “against” of under 300. As well as that, they have dynamic midfielders and dangerous forwards.
It’s hard to make a case against Neville Jetta’s men, especially given the poor performance by the Hoers last weekend and the Stars look likely to be 7-0 after this contest.
But Wayne Schultz’s men will know that they can perform better than they did last weekend. They have one win against a top five team and that was versus Reservoir in round 1. In retrospect, that was a great win and a repeat of that effort would make them competitive this weekend.
Laurimar welcomes Lalor to Laurimar Reserve in a second versus second last encounter. With the Power on a six-game winning run and the Bloods causing what is probably the upset of the season last weekend, both sets of supporters will be cock-a-hoop as they prepare for the game.
Lalor managed a win over Reservoir last season two weeks after their huge upset win over Kilmore. It is likely that Lance Whitnall’s men will carry some positive energy into this game after last week’s victory.
However, it would be an even bigger upset if they were to prevail in this match-up. Jimmy Atkins’ men look set to go to the bye at 7-1 and consolidate their top two position.
Mernda takes on Reservoir at Waterview Recreation Reserve in a fascinating duel. Externally, little was expected from Reservoir this year and they went to the Easter break at 0-2. But then they reeled off three wins on the trot before a competitive loss against Kinglake at Kinglake Memorial Oval.
The Mustangs are now fresh off the bye and will relish the challenge of matching it with the Demons. With likely improvement as the teams gels, their fans will see this as a winnable game and a chance to stay in the top five.
Conversely, Mernda was touted as a flag hopeful prior to the season but began the year at 0-3 after playing some highly rated teams. Since then, the Demons have won three straight against teams which are in the hunt for finals spots.
Of course, it helps that Billy Morrison returned for those last three games. The four-week block beginning with Reservoir is all against sides that missed the finals last season. So a win here will be crucial to keep the momentum going for Robert Fletcher’s men. But a much-improved Mustangs outfit will provide a good challenge.
