The Kinglake versus Heidelberg West game which was originally scheduled for Kinglake Memorial Oval will be played at Heidelberg Park. The Lakers will be playing all their games away from now until the end of the season.
The change in venue is a huge boost for the Hawks when comparing their home and away figures against Kinglake. Heidelberg West’s appearances at Kinglake Memorial Oval yielded a 46-point loss in 2023 and a 90-point defeat last season.
At home, Heidelberg West won by 12 points in 2023 against the Lakers and then won by 56 points in the latter part of 2024, so this venue change is a blessing for the Hawks.
The Hawks will go into the game confident after a big win over Lalor last weekend. If they can prevail, they’ll be sniffing a top five position.
Kinglake snapped a long standing losing streak prior to their bye when accounted for Lalor at Lalor Reserve to the tune of 39 points. They may come out of the bye with renewed confidence and new coach Justin Sherman would love to make it two in a row.
Kilmore hosts Lalor at JJ Clancy Reserve in what is a must-win game for the Blues as they aim to keep in touch with the top five. The local fans will turn up expecting that newly appointed coach Mick Marrett will snap Kilmore’s three-game losing streak. The other thing they need is a major boost in percentage. If they can go to their Round 11 bye with both objectives ticked off, they can approach their vital clash with Reservoir at Crispe Park in Round 12 with some momentum.
Lalor are still searching for their first win of the season and it looks to be a difficult task at hand. They did however show some spark in the latter part of last week’s game against the Hawks, which give some hope to their vocal fans.
Laurimar will come off their bye to face off against Epping at Epping Recreational Reserve. Due to Ivanhoe having their bye in Round 10, the Power can draw level with the Hoers on eight wins each if they can secure the victory. Given that their only loss for the season was against Ivanhoe not long ago in Round 8, they’ll be tipped by most pundits to gain the four points. Head coach Jimmy Atkins would be keen to ensure the team returns immediately to the winners list.
In the run home, the Blues play all the teams currently occupying the top four spots on the ladder. As such, chances are they’ll need to win one or two of those games to cement a finals berth. In addition, they would also need to tick off wins against teams like Old Eltham Collegians and Heidelberg West in the latter part of the season, so Kilmore need to focus on getting wins across the board to get into a comfortable position for finals.
A decorated hit out against Laurimar is one of the toughest tests they’ll face in the second half of the season and, if they can pull the upset, it would be a great achievement for the club.
Watsonia takes on Old Eltham Collegians at Binnak Park in what is an integral game for the Turtles. They’re last of the group of four teams with three wins and their percentage of 64.4% is a fair way off that of Epping, at the top of that list, with 87.3%. However, Old Eltham Collegians has one of the easier runs home and only play one of the top teams after this match. So, if they can score a surprise win this weekend, they’ll still be in the hunt.
The Saints will go into this contest very confident to a win on their home ground, having beaten everyone this year except the top three sides. If they can win all of their home games against teams lower on the ladder from here on out, it’ll help secure their spot in the top five and give themselves a small hope of claiming the second chance.
Mernda are set to host Reservoir at Waterview Reserve in what will be an intriguing affair. If successful, the Demons will be equal top of the ladder with a win, although Ivanhoe has a game in hand on them. Nonetheless, it’ll provide a great incentive to the home team as they aim for seven wins in a row following their bye to further strengthen their spot in the top three.Given their current winning streak and the home ground advantage, they’re favoured to clinch another win.
The Mustangs will be aiming for three wins in a row in this hit out. Their spot in the top five is safe for now due to a healthy percentage, but an upset win would be a major bonus. With games against three of the top four coming up immediately after their Round 13 bye, a loss in this game may make them vulnerable down the track.
The recent inclusions of Trent Cotchin, Michael Hurley and Bachar Houli has given Reservoir positive energy. If any of them front up for this contest, it’ll be a significant help.
