Ivanhoe produced their best win of the 2024 Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 season to date, holding on to defeat Mernda by five points at Ivanhoe Park.
Although the Hoers never lost the lead, they had to fight tooth and nail to get over the line in the 11.4 (70) to 9.11 (65) victory, which moves them into third position on the ladder following the conclusion of five rounds.
Ivanhoe controlled the contest in the first half, with players making life tough for their Mernda opponents, all while making the most of their opportunities in front of the sticks. Ash Close and Ben Cococcia each booted two majors for the half, with the local team playing with plenty of energy.
As expected by many, the Demons began to fight back after trailing by 20 points at the main break. For the entire second half, Mernda dominated general play, but were unable to get full reward for their control around the ground.
Their return from the third quarter was 1.3 to 1.0, but the Demons also didn’t register a score with a couple of other shots. Several of their attempts at goal on the day landed a few metres short and made for easy spoils through for rushed behinds.
The Hoers held a 17-point lead when the three quarter time siren went. At the huddle, Mernda coach Robert Fletcher noted that the Ivanhoe players were good at flooding back, so the instruction was to look for the 45-degree kick and to not bomb it inside 50, but rather be efficient with their entries.
The first goal was virtually a must for the Demons and they got it courtesy of sixteen year old Lincoln Coffey. He had already booted his side’s only major in the third quarter after a strong grab, but this time snapped quickly and truly at the four-minute mark to give his team some hope.
Goals were hard to come by for a while after that, with both sides missing the mark as they attempted to move the ball down the field.
Then, against the general run of play, Ben Cococcia booted his fourth major of the afternoon. Mernda replied quickly however, when Matthew Bawden ran into the open goal.
It soon became Ivanhoe’s turn to miss some gettable chances, before Samuel Aanensen slotted his second goal of the day at the 17-minute mark, putting his team 18 points to the good. It looked to be enough.
But the Demons kept on coming. Aiden Kesici made something out of nothing at the 20-minute mark with a brilliant goal from the boundary line under enormous pressure.
Time was running out, but Kesici would pop up again with a strong grab and goal from close range to reduce the deficit to one straight kick with minutes to go.
The ball was in the forward pocket for the Demons with the seconds ticking down, and after multiple stoppages, the siren sounded, signalling Ivanhoe’s third win of the season.
The Hoers played the last few minutes like a boxer ahead on points but taking punishment and hoping for the final bell. Fortunately for their fans, the bell sounded in time to give them a famous victory in their short NFNL tenure.
“Our relentless pressure and our ability to turn defence into offence got us over the line,” Ivanhoe playing coach Wayne Schultz said.
Schultz had praise for the inside work of Kane Veliou as well as the outside efforts of wingman Jamie Lay. Michael Doyle also got a tick for his strong defensive work, while Ben Cococcia impressed his coach up forward.
“We were beaten by a better footy side,” Mernda coach Robert Fletcher said.
Fletcher loved the work of sixteen-year-old Lincoln Coffey. As well as his two majors, his leap was put to good use in the ruck, and he exhibited good decision-making under pressure.
He also enjoyed the work of Matthew Bawden, who after multiple weeks of producing five goal efforts, was the most dangerous forward for the Demons.
