A huge top-four battle headlines another intriguing weekend of Northern Football Netball League Division 3 action as local football heads towards the second half of the 2023 campaign.
The top four sides, Kinglake, Mernda, Laurimar and Old Eltham Collegians, have percentages of 206, 203, 228 and 227, so teams can easily move up or down as games are won and lost throughout the next two months.
Heidelberg West sits in fifth with four wins, but has a percentage below 150, while Kilmore and the Fitzroy Stars are each on three wins and remain mathematical chances to play finals, with Reservoir and Lalor fighting it out for eighth place.
Round 9 saw the higher-placed teams on the ladder win all four games.
Old Eltham Collegians vied with Kilmore at J.J. Clancy Reserve and prevailed to the tune of 33 points. Matthew Williamson booted four majors to remain atop the goal-kicking ladder with 35 goals.
Laurimar travelled to Crispe Park to take on Reservoir and recorded a 144-point win. Thirteen Power players got amongst the goals, headlined by Noah Mooney and 2022 leading goal-kicker Jacson Cecil with four apiece.
Remarkably, Laurimar’s score of 164 was identical to the last time these teams met at this venue back in Round 1 of 2022. That day, the Mustangs kicked just one goal and while the hosts had three on the board by quarter time last Saturday, they were unable to add to that tally throughout the afternoon.
“We worked hard and were competitive in patches but lacked the size and maturity to match it with Laurimar,” Reservoir coach Justin George said.
“We are improving every game and looking forward to seeing how we measure up in the second half of the season.”
Damien Petrucciani stood out for the Mustangs and has been a consistent contributor throughout the year.
Heidelberg West slotted 12 final-term goals against Lalor at Heidelberg Park to run away with a 166-point triumph. Allan Young cashed in on the midfield dominance with six majors, while Michael Adams kicked five goals in a best-on-ground performance.
Mid-season recruits Wyatt Le Gassick and Kyan Watson, who has previously played senior football for Montmorency, both hit the scoreboard for the Hawks.
“We were very pleased with what we saw from Watson and Le Gassick,” Heidelberg West coach Michael Missen said.
“We’re hoping to get a handful of key players back over the next couple of weeks and we think our performances will improve accordingly.”
Similarly to Reservoir, the Bloods’ last trip to Heidelberg Park saw them kick just one goal as they went down by 205 points in 2022. This time, they were goalless at halftime, but scored four after the main break with Christian Pisano booting two. Zac Orr was best for Angelo Lamanna’s men, with the consistent Thomas Burn also being a solid contributor.
The Hawks go to the bye before facing the Fitzroy Stars in what looks to be a huge clash in two weeks’ time.
The Stars headed to Waterview Recreation Reserve to play Mernda, with the Demons notching up their fifth win on the trot. Recruits Daniel Smith and Billy Morrison pleased the local crowd, while key player Ryan Bongetti returned after missing several weeks of football.
James Trajkovski was the best for the Stars, while Jai Burns continued his stellar season and has been among his team’s best in his last seven games.
It’s a must-win match for the Fitzroy Stars this week, as they travel to Lalor Reserve to take on Lalor.
The teams met in the opening round of the season at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval, with the Stars opening their account in Division 3 with a 114-point victory.
While the Bloods are on an upward trend from a low base, the Stars have probably improved since that game as well. If Lalor could get within 100 points of the Stars, this would be seen as a huge positive by most fans.
But the Stars have the potential to move up the ladder with a win, so they will be keen to press home the advantage.
Kinglake comes off the double bye to play Reservoir at Crispe Park. The Lakers will be looking to consolidate their place on top of the ladder and any percentage benefit they can gain from this encounter may be handy later in the season.
The Round 1 clash between these teams yielded a 151-point triumph by Kinglake which began a five-game winning streak. Given that the Mustangs just lost at home to a premiership hopeful in Laurimar by 144 points, a goal would be to better that result this week as they continue their rebuild.
Things will gradually get more challenging for the Lakers who play Kilmore and then Mernda after this game, so Andrew Fairchild’s men will be looking to take some momentum from this clash into the upcoming games.
Kilmore plays the second game of back-to-back home matches when it faces Laurimar at J.J. Clancy Reserve.
The Power needs to win games such as this in order to push for the double chance. Based on ladder positions and a 70-point win over the Blues in Round 1 at Laurimar Reserve, Jimmy Atkins’ men should go into the clash with plenty of belief.
Depending on other results, the Power could rise to second or drop to fourth this week.
But the Blues need to get some consistent results if they are to push for finals action. If they can pull off the upset on Saturday, they would keep their top four chances alive.
In what shapes as the game of the round, Mernda does battle with Old Eltham Collegians at Waterview Recreation Reserve. If other results go according to the ladder position, the Demons will need a triumph to avoid dropping to third.
In what was then considered the upset of the season, Mernda defeated the Turtles by 30 points at Eltham College in Round 1. Since then, the Demons have franked that form – losing just one game and looking like a flag contender, as such, their fans will be expecting another win.
Mernda plays Laurimar and Kinglake after this clash and a treble of wins would all but lock up a double chance for the Demons. If so, it would be a wonderful result for their supporters after years without any final action.
But Old Eltham Collegians will see this as a crucial game in terms of securing the double chance. A victory would put them just one win below the second spot and, with a healthy percentage, they would have a good platform to aim for at least second place.
With so much at stake and the possibility of a tight contest, a big crowd is expected for this clash.
