A huge top-four clash headlines what again looks to be an important round of Northern Football Netball League’s Division 3 action.
After last week’s results, the battle for the double chance and the top four might go right down to the wire.
Laurimar moved into the second spot on the ladder with a strong 32-point win over Mernda at Laurimar Reserve. The Power started well to lead by 16 points at quarter time and while the Demons fought back and looked a chance to overrun Laurimar at times, the home team steadied and stood tall when it counted.
“I thought our pressure was fantastic,” Laurimar coach Jimmy Atkins said.
“I’m proud of the way we defended and played a full four-quarter game.”
After almost causing one of the biggest upsets in NFNL history last week, fans were wondering how Lalor would fare against a top-four side in Old Eltham Collegians at Eltham College.
While the game didn’t mirror the thriller of Round 11, the Bloods vastly improved on their Round 2 effort against the Turtles, going from a 193-point defeat to a 67-point loss away from home.
Lalor fans would’ve left confident that the trajectory of Angelo Lamanna’s team is positive, while the Old Eltham Collegians faithful would be glad for the vital four points to keep their team in fourth spot and keep their gap on the chasing pack.
Two teams aiming to catch the Turtles are the Fitzroy Stars and Heidelberg West, who played at RMIT Sports Oval Bundoora last Saturday.
The Hawks were impressive in their 40-point victory, making them the most likely team to unseat the Old Eltham Collegians, as they sit in fifth and a game behind Old Eltham Collegians after the win.
“I was really pleased with the boys for their mature performance,” Heidelberg West coach Michael Missen said.
“We have a lot of respect for the Fitzroy Stars, with players of the quality of Jai Burns, Peter Hood, Lionel Proctor and Tyson Pickett.”
Missen named 2022 Team of the Year defender Bradley Moore as his best, with Marcus Hill, Jordon Bulman and Dan Kelly also receiving praise.
Peter Hood and Jai Burns continued their excellent form for the Stars, with Burns currently second in the Division 3 Coaches MVP Award race.
Kilmore made its first trip to Kinglake Memorial Oval to vie with the ladder leaders. The Lakers consolidated their top spot with a commanding 51-point triumph over the Blues.
Bailey Robinson booted two majors and was best for Kinglake, while Leigh Irons and Michael Marrett were serviceable for Kilmore through the midfield.
Round 12 action sees Old Eltham Collegians travel to RMIT Sports Oval Bundoora to take on the Fitzroy Stars for the NAIDOC Cup as part of the league’s Sir Douglas Nicholls Round.
While most pundits have written off the Stars as a finals chance, an upset win against the Turtles would move them to a game outside the top four and give their fans a glimmer of hope.
For Old Eltham Collegians, a victory is vital and would snuff out the finals chances of the Stars as well as keep the Turtles ahead of Heidelberg West on the ladder.
Laurimar travels to Lalor Reserve to play an improved Lalor and it is a must-win game for the Power as they look to strengthen their grip on a top-two position.
While Laurimar goes into the game as hot favourites over the winless Bloods, Lalor fans will be looking for the improvement shown recently to be reflected in the scoreline.
Their 207-point defeat to Jimmy Atkins’ men in Round 3 is currently their biggest loss of the season and bettering that at the least would be regarded as a success for the club.
Reservoir is fresh off the bye as they travel to Heidelberg Park to take on Heidelberg West.
The Mustangs are also keen to measure their improvement from early season form. In a similar vein to Lalor, the Mustangs’ biggest loss for the season came in their Round 3 clash with the Hawks at Crispe Park when they were defeated by 173 points.
Recent form suggests that Reservoir will better that result this time, while Heidelberg West needs to tick off a win as they prepare for a season-defining game next week against Old Eltham Collegians. If the Hawks can win their next two games, the race for fourth looks like going deep into August.
Match of the day status belongs to the contest between Mernda and Kinglake at Waterview Recreation Reserve. A quick glimpse at the ladder would suggest that the Lakers are well on the way to securing the double chance. However, they do face some tough away games in the run home.
Rounds 15–17 see them play a home game against the Turtles, then back-to-back games on the road against Laurimar and Heidelberg West. Their challenging end to the regular season makes this game all the more important. If Kinglake can beat the Demons, they will put a two-game gap between the two sides.
Conversely, Mernda can draw level on nine wins with a victory. The Demons play fewer top-five teams in the run home and would be favoured to grab the double chance if they can prevail this weekend.
They will have to perform a lot better than in their Round 3 confrontation with the Lakers in which they trailed by a massive 70-points at the last change before a strong final term reduced the deficit to 36 points.
Mernda’s form aside from that game has been first-class, as has that of Kinglake. So, a great contest is anticipated in front of an expected bumper crowd.
Why wait ’till Wednesday for outdated newspapers?
VicNews
First for local footy
