Laurimar recorded a significant 91-point win over Mernda at Laurimar Reserve in Round 11 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 football.
The Power won every quarter as eleven players hit the scoreboard in the absence of leading goal-kicker Patrick Fitzgerald. Joel Lawson and Liam Waldron each chipped in four, while Jai Langford booted three and Micah Vecchio two. Almost every goal by the Demons was met with a quick reply from Laurimar.
The win all but locks up a top two finish for the Power, who are now two games and percentage ahead of Mernda.
The Demons were in the game at the first break when trailing by 13 points after kicking into the breeze, but they had already lost captain Dayne Kellett and Lachlan Potter by that stage. Although more injuries were to come on the day, there were other factors contributing to the loss.
Throughout the contest, Mernda players missed shots at goal that the players would normally consider easy. In addition, there were plenty of missed targets plus a few over-ambitious and high risk kicks attempted that came unstuck.
The game was effectively put to bed in the second term when Laurimar booted four goals to nil into the wind.
Jesse Donaldson celebrated his 250th game in style, kicking a goal in the first term. He looked likely to boot a second late in the game after a contested mark at close range but gave off the ball to Hayden Trim who converted the shot.
The local fans were entertained in the third term by an Ethan Bateman specky. A few minutes later Liam Waldron snapped an absolute snag from the boundary.
“It was really pleasing to kick a big score and have a spread of goal-kickers,” Laurimar coach Jimmy Atkins says.
“We were defensively sound as well. It was a good win against a good team.”
Atkins loved the work of Jai Langford on the wing. He covered plenty of territory, going deep into defence to assist at times as well as going forward to slot three majors, adding a set shot after the final siren to his highlights reel.
Youngster Tyler Thomas looks to be improving week-by-week and looked totally at home when given centre square opportunities.
Power fans would’ve been rapt with the pressure the players applied throughout the contest. They were often winning the ball in the clinches or forcing errant kicks when their opponents did get to the ball first.
It was back-to-back losses for the Demons who will welcome the bye as they wait to get some injured stars back on the park.
Mernda coach Brent Marshall praised the work of Jesse Guelfo in defense, who came back after missing a month of football and excelled in defence. Marshall also liked the effort of Lincoln Coffey and Josh Mazzarella.
The usual suspect up forward in Kyle Green, spent some time on the ball with good effect. Playing coach Marshall was one of the better players on the ground and led by example. Co-captain Matthew Golledge played his first senior game for the year and will be better for the run.
The best news of all for the Demons was Watsonia losing at Heidelberg Park to Heidelberg West. That loss resulted in Mernda still retaining third spot on the table with the teams below them being a game back.
