A spot in the top five is up for grabs, while other teams can move up the ladder in Round 9 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football on Kings Birthday weekend.
With Kinglake, Laurimar and Old Eltham Collegians all having a bye, every game can potentially cause a change in places on the ladder.
Watsonia plays Ivanhoe for the first time ever in the NFNL when they meet at Binnak Park. Both teams came off similarly impressive wins in the order of five goals last weekend where they exceeded the expectations of many pundits.
The Saints came off the bye and drew away late against Kilmore at JJ Clancy Reserve last weekend to win by 30 points. The win should give them a good degree of confidence in facing what appears to be their toughest test of the entire season.
Leaving aside their big loss in Round 1 against Laurimar, they have won every game except for a six-point defeat at the hands of Mernda in Round 4 at Binnak Park. This is the sort of form which will make them feel that they are not too far off the teams above them, despite going into the match as clear underdogs.
The Hoers could not have been more impressive late in the contest against Laurimar last weekend in a top of the table clash at Laurimar Reserve, drawing away to win by 35 points. It will be a challenge for Watsonia to curtail the potent midfield which includes the likes of Alex Federico, Riley Loton and Kane Veliou.
While Ivanhoe fans will be keen to see the team’s winning streak extended to make it a perfect record going into their Round 10 bye, the one thing they will need to do is to re-focus after the huge high of last week’s win which enabled them to officially grab top spot on the ladder and have a great chance to have the bye in the first week of finals. Most pundits would expect them to be able to get the job done again and confirm themselves as the team to beat.
With the outs for this weekend including Vivian and Reuben Blackmoore-Moore, Marcel Moran and Daniel Horsfield among others, the Hoers will be relying on their depth players to step into the void.
Lalor matches up against Heidelberg West at Lalor Reserve in a match where the Hawks will be favoured to win, but Bloods fans will turn up in the hope that their team can pull the upset. While Lalor has had some surprise wins at home in recent seasons, the closest they have come to the Hawks at this venue in the 2020s was last year when Heidelberg West won by 37 points. But with the Hawks being the lowest placed team they will face at this venue from now on, they will be giving it their all in an attempt to achieve their maiden win for the 2026 season.
This is the sort of match that Michael Missen’s men desperately need to win if they are to stay within touch of the top five. Still just a win outside the five and with only two more games in the season against the current top four teams, a win to break a four-game losing streak could see them poised to make a run at finals.
Lalor vs Heidelberg West will be the NFNL Match of the Day this Saturday – you can catch all the action on Sportscast Australia and Plenty Valley FM from 2pm.
Mernda is aiming for six in a row since the bye when hosting Kilmore at Waterview Reserve. The Demons grabbed third spot after Round 4 and have held onto it ever since. But they were two games off top spot then and have narrowed that gap to one after last week’s victory. This is the type of home game they need to tick off if they are to lay claim to the double chance at season’s end.
If the Blues can pull off the upset, they will climb from seventh to sixth and, with the teams vying for fifth having tough Round 10 encounters while Kilmore hosts Lalor, this shapes as a big game for recently appointed coach Mick Marrett and his charges.
Fifth spot is on the line when Reservoir hosts Epping at Crispe Park. If other results go according to ladder position, the winner of this match will be a game clear of the chasing pack in fifth spot and just one win behind fourth placed Watsonia. So, there is a lot on the line for both teams who would see themselves as likely finals contenders.
Winning this contest becomes even more critical when considering that these two outfits each play all of the top four teams in the run home. Of the other teams, Kilmore also plays the top four if you include their match this weekend against the Demons. Heidelberg West only plays two of the top four, as do Old Eltham Collegians.
If the winner of this match can also pinch a win against a top four side in the second half of the season, they would have one foot inside the door of the top five.
The Mustangs rebounded strongly from the disappointment of being overrun late by the Turtles the week prior. This will give them confidence, especially when factoring in that they are playing back on their home deck. The inclusion of former Richmond premiership star Bachar Houli alongside Trent Cotchin will certainly attract some interested onlookers.
Epping snapped a two-game losing streak prior to the bye when running away from Kinglake at Kinglake Memorial Oval. The Blues would mark this sort of game as being one they to win in order to be worthy of a finals berth.
With so much to play for, it shapes as an interesting tussle.
