Teams in the middle portion of the table will be battling for important wins in Round 12 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football.
Kilmore is coming off the bye as they tackle Reservoir at Crispe Park in a game crucial to both sides. The Mustangs were in 8th spot on the table after Round 7, but four wins on the trot have elevated them into fourth place now.
The Blues seem to be a long way from being a finals chance. They’re two games and percentage behind Reservoir but have a game in hand on all the teams going for the lower spots in the top five. So, if they can secure an important away win this weekend, they’ll be within striking distance.
After this game, the Mustangs have the bye, followed by clashes against three fellow top five sides in a row. They would see this game as vital in strengthening their grip on fourth spot. In fact, a strong win could see them in third spot, with the current third placed Mernda having the bye.
Their group of experienced players and growing cohesion in the team has seen them blossom recently. They won three in a row against final five contenders in Heidelberg West, Epping and Mernda, followed up with a victory over Lalor last weekend. This form will see them tipped by most pundits.
Like Reservoir, Kilmore also beat the Bloods in their last game, snapping a three-game losing streak. The confidence gained from that triumph along with being fresh after a break could see them have enough of a positive vibe to pull the upset. It would arguably be their best win of the year if they could get the four points.
Heidelberg West have won three on the trot as they welcome Ivanhoe to Heidelberg Park. Despite their great recent form and playing at home, it’ll be a tough task facing the unbeaten league leaders. One statistic that’ll give fans some hope is that the Hawks defeated Watsonia last week by 42 points, compared to the Hoers prevailing over the Saints by the lesser figure of 29 points two weeks earlier.
The Hoers look well placed to go through the regular season undefeated, with the Fitzroy Stars being the only team to do so in the history of Division 3 in 2025. A win in this game plus the following away game against Mernda would virtually lock away the top spot. Their fans will go to the game confident of the streak continuing.
Laurimar has back-to-back home games when hosting Lalor at Laurimar Reserve in what shapes as a David versus Goliath battle. The Power has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to talent and will be the hot favourite against an undermanned Bloods outfit on the back of two big wins against finals contenders.
Laurimar will be looking to take the four points and use this game to prepare for a crucial away game against Watsonia the following week.
Lalor will doing their best to stay in touch with the Power in the knowledge that easier games are to follow.
Kinglake has one of their shortest road trips when playing Old Eltham Collegians at Eltham College. It’s the sort of game that the Lakers can go in with a genuine chance of a win in their long list of road games in the second half of the season.
Although suffering a big defeat against Ivanhoe the week prior, that form line would give them a chance against the Turtles.
Old Eltham Collegians fans saw their finals chances all but disappear last weekend when losing at home to Epping. It’ll be interesting to see if they can rebound this outing as they aim to finish off the year as strongly as possible.
With a 36-point triumph in their Round 2 match against Kinglake at this venue, the Turtles should go into the game with some confidence. If they play the way they did late in the Epping game, that should be enough to claim a win.
Epping is set to take on Watsonia at Epping Recreational Reserve in a mouth-watering clash. Most followers would’ve strongly favoured the Saints if they had to tip a week earlier, but last weekend’s results make this seem like a toss of the coin affair. The Blues took a stranglehold on the contest in the first half against Old Eltham Collegians and ran out 34-point winners.
The form in that encounter, especially in the first half of the game, would be good enough to be a strong chance to win again this weekend. With Watsonia’s two-game break on the Blues, a win would see Epping within striking distance of the top five by the end of the round.
From the Saints’ viewpoint, a vital win in this away game would put a big gap between then and the Blues. It would also take them a step closer to locking away a finals berth.
However, they’d need to improve on last week’s performance. Their score of 19 points, albeit in heavy going, was their lowest for the year and went close to the lowest of any team this season.
If Watsonia can regain Cameron Cloke, it would be a major bonus. They’d also need to step up their midfield work to get more good looks when going inside 50. Their form line prior to last week’s loss against Heidelberg West would make them strong favourites to win this encounter. They had won four of five and, in the loss, they went closer to beating the Hoers than any team this season.
The Saints will be desperate to rebound from last week’s defeat. Against an Epping outfit that has found form, a great contest looks likely.
