Round 3 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 offers opportunities for several clubs to put their hands up for top five spots on the table.
Amazingly, only Laurimar has recorded two wins at the end of Round 2. Ivanhoe (with a win from only one game played) and Kilmore fill second and third spots on the table respectively. Reservoir and Epping round out the top five at 1-1. Sitting just outside the top five on percentage are Old Eltham Collegians, Mernda, Watsonia and Heidelberg West. Kinglake and Lalor are at the foot of the table at 0-2. Mernda goes to the Round 3 bye with a series of winnable games to come after that.
Lalor hosts Old Eltham Collegians at Lalor Reserve in a match which will hold great interest for Bloods fans. Last season their only win was at this venue against the Turtles. After struggling in the Good Friday opener against Reservoir, Lalor was better last Saturday in the loss to Epping. Lance Whitnall is sure to have his team primed for a possible upset result.
Old Eltham Collegians followed a competitive loss against Heidelberg West with a strong win at Eltham College over Kinglake. Stewart McCallum’s men should bring confidence into the match and a win will propel them into the top five if others results go according to ladder position.
It is top versus second bottom when Laurimar welcomes Kinglake to Laurimar Reserve. The first two Laker games were very similar in that they were blown away early and then highly competitive in the second half, scoring exactly 54-points in each match. Last week, they appeared to be headed in the right direction with a bit of improvement but will be big outsiders against a Power team that many regard as a key premiership threat.
Laurimar will be looking to bank early wins to maintain a spot at the top of the table and their fans will be very confident of the team maintaining their unbeaten record in this tussle.
Kilmore comes off the bye to take on Heidelberg West at JJ Clancy Reserve. The last meeting between these teams at this venue in Round 17 last season saw the Blues romp to a 120-point victory. Kilmore was on a roll at this time, winning five of their last six games and losing only to the eventual premiers in the Fitzroy Stars on the way to a finals berth.
The Hawks had won only three games last season and came off a late bye that day against the Blues. Of interest is that Heidelberg West’s last win at J. J. Clancy Reserve came in 2023 to the tune of 26 points. The coach of the Hawks back then was Michael Missen, who has returned to the club this year.
While Kilmore will be highly fancied under new coach Corey McCall, it shapes as an interesting contest.
Watsonia takes on Epping at Binnak Park. These teams last met in 2023, but they have never played each other at this venue. The Blues sit in fifth place and would be looking for a victory to consolidate their spot in the top five. Coming into the season eyeing a finals berth, their fans would view this as a crucial game if they are to position themselves well for that outcome.
But the Saints have the home ground advantage and an in-form spearhead in Cameron Cloke. If the enthusiasm of last week’s victory can be continued, their loyal fans would see this as another winnable game.
Ivanhoe has back-to-back home games when hosting Reservoir at Ivanhoe Park in the twilight game which starts at 3:30pm, 30 minutes earlier than the previous week. The Hoers couldn’t have been more impressive in their first-up triumph last week and will go in full of confidence that they can make it a 2-0 start.
The Mustangs, at 1-1, will also be looking for win number two after dropping what was seen as a winnable contest last week. While looking like being underdogs, Steve Krstevski’s men will be keen to get back on the winners list as soon as possible. A big crowd is likely to turn up for the late start fixture.
