The Fitzroy Stars consolidated their spot atop of the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 ladder with a hard-fought 31-point win in tough conditions over Mernda at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval.
The 8.7 (55) to 3.6 (24) victory is the first win by the Stars over the Demons in the Division 3 competition, and the triumph means that the Stars have at least a top three spot all but sewn up with three rounds to play.
“The guys have a lot of belief now that we’ve beaten every side and we are on the right track,” Fitzroy Stars coach Lionel Proctor said.
Proctor gave credit to half back Josh Close who was the best player on the ground. The 28-year-old Close had not played senior footy since juniors when he returned to play for the Stars last season but has worked his way into the senior side and has been a permanent fixture in the team since Round 8.
Other players to impress the coach were Keadin Ronnan in the middle, Corey Salvador at half forward and Jordan Proctor at half back. Proctor had a massive third term when he had the ball on a string.
The regular top-liners also did their bit on the day. The wet conditions didn’t stop Patrick Farrant taking strong overhead marks and he slotted two majors.
Kain Proctor got among the action, with his highlight being a set shot on the siren from outside fifty on the boundary line after the half time siren. The shot never looked like missing and it gave the home side plenty of energy going to the break with a handy 24-point buffer.
Neville Jetta showed poise at half back and got on the end of a great piece of play to score the opener of the match. Farrant marked two kicks out from goal and went for a high risk / high reward centring pass to Rivva Karpany who marked, took on some tacklers and showed clarity of thought to dish out a handball to Jetta, who kicked truly.
Tyson Pickett snared two as the only other multiple goal-kicker on a day not suited to forwards.
The difference in the game was the ability of the Stars to score goals into the wind, as it was a stiff breeze blowing to the scoreboard pocket at the eastern end of the ground.
The home side managed two goals into the wind in the first term and another in the third, while Mernda didn’t register a goal at all at the St Georges Road end.
The other feature of the Stars game was their ability to get numbers to the contest when required. On a difficult day, many players dropped marks or mishandled the ball, but often, the next person in to swoop on the loose ball was a Stars player.
At the end of the third quarter, the Demons, who were trailing by 22 points, were close enough if good enough, albeit kicking into the wind in the final term.
They looked likely early with some penetrating kicks inside 50, but the forwards just couldn’t stick their marks.
Despite having a lot of the play in their attacking half, they scored just a solitary behind for the quarter.
At the same time, the Stars were missing opportunities up forward but did snare a goal courtesy of Corey Salvador.
The Demons had numerous solid contributors on the day. Brent Marshall played his best game for the club and was often at the bottom of the packs doing the tough inside work.
Joel Harris was the other midfielder to shine for the visitors and he produced a great major to kick-start Mernda’s afternoon.
Jayden Bell has played on the wing for most of the season but has relished his recent switch to half back where he used the ball well.
The defence held up really well under pressure and Kai Turner also shone, taking multiple intercept marks. Lachlan Taylor had a good duel in the ruck with Allan Norris, while Josh Mazzarella got plenty of the footy again.
The first back-to-back defeats of the season sees the Demons just a game ahead of three teams on eight wins.
