A huge opportunity to rise up the ladder awaits many sides ahead of this week’s Northern Football Netball League’s Division 3 action.
Seven teams would give themselves a chance to play finals at this juncture, with seventh-placed Heidelberg West on three wins and just four points behind Old Eltham Collegians, who are fourth. In between are Kilmore and the Fitzroy Stars who are also on three wins.
Kinglake will enjoy the long break with the bye in Round 9 after a 46-point win over Heidelberg West at Kinglake Memorial Oval. While the Lakers led at every change, the Hawks did lead by two goals during the second term.
The ladder leaders kicked some late goals to lead by 15 points at halftime and then went on with the job. The last quarter was played in perhaps the thickest fog in NFNL history.
Damian Pywell was superb with five goals in difficult conditions for the victors, while the strong defence of Matthew Coen and the White twins of Lachie and Ben once again impressed, with help from Riley Kennedy.
“Happy to have given ourselves a chance to compete at the back end of the season,” Kinglake coach Andrew Fairchild said.
Others given a tick by Fairchild were midfielders, Bailey Robinson and Rohan King.
The Hawks battled hard but were unable to become the first team to beat the Lakers on their home deck.
“Our effort was good, and we controlled periods of the game during quarters, but we didn’t have the class to finish off our good work,” Heidelberg West coach Michael Missen said.
Missen named Lachlan Evans, Brad Moore and Ryan Offer as his best from the defeat.
Lalor hosted Mernda at Lalor Reserve. After losing by 185 points the week prior against Kilmore, it was a better performance to go down by 162 points to the highly-rated Demons.
Nathan Mittica booted two majors for the Bloods, while Jake Wheeldon and Aaron James Tkocz both continued their stellar seasons.
Bryce Kimuliatis booted 15 goals for the Demons which is a record in senior football for the club. Kimuliatis now sits second on the goal-kicking ladder with 29, two behind Matthew Williamson.
“The kids played really well,” said Mernda coach Robert Fletcher, who took the opportunity to play some inexperienced players.
Under-19.5’s regular Jackson Armstrong scored two majors, while senior team members Kai Turner, Dayne Kellett and Matthew Bawden all contributed well.
Reservoir played Old Eltham Collegians at Eltham College. The Turtles drew away in the second term and went on to win by 145 points, this was a 99-point improvement for the Mustangs on their last trip to the ground in 2022.
Old Eltham Collegians had no fewer than 16 players hit the scoreboard, led by Matthew Williamson with seven. Sebastian Francis-Perkins had another top performance and finished off his work with three goals.
“We put in a solid four-quarter effort, but we were just unable to match it with their size, maturity and skill level,” Reservoir coach Justin George said.
Robert Holland scored two goals in a strong performance, while Zane Pugliese-Thompson was again among the best for the Mustangs.
Fitzroy Stars tussled with Kilmore at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval for Lionel Proctor’s 200th game with the club. The conditions made for a tough battle, with the Stars prevailing by 13 points in a game that was up for grabs until the final few minutes.
The break came at a good time for both teams after playing in a tight game in heavy conditions.
Lots of team selection changes are expected as players return from injury and illness to strengthen line-ups for Round 9 action.
Laurimar comes off the double bye to face Reservoir at Crispe Park and should regain Ethan Bateman for the clash.
The Power will be hot favourites as they seek to get back on the winner’s list and grab a top two spot. They currently sit third and would be poised to soon challenge for the second spot with a win.
Reservoir played Laurimar at this venue to begin the 2022 season and lost by 157 points, finishing the afternoon with a score of 1.1 (7).
Bettering that result would as well as hitting the scoreboard would be the more realistic task to accomplish for the Mustangs.
Kilmore host Old Eltham Collegians at J.J. Clancy Reserve and the Blues can draw level on four wins with the Turtles if they can get the job done.
Last year’s matches between these two at this venue saw Kilmore score an eight-point win in Round 9, followed by the clash in Round 17 where the Turtles won a thriller by a solitary point.
In 2021, a goal after the siren from the Turtles’ Timothy Ellis was required to give his side victory in Round 13, further highlighting that close games have been the order of the day between these teams in recent years.
Current form suggests that Old Eltham Collegians should be the tip, but Blues fans will turn up hoping for a victory that will put them closer to a top-four spot.
Heidelberg West welcomes Lalor to Heidelberg Park and, with the worst percentage of the teams on three wins, will be looking for a big result to move closer to a finals spot.
The Hawks will be hot favourites to beat the winless Bloods and need to get back on the winner’s list immediately. They then have the bye before a fascinating match-up against the Fitzroy Stars.
Lalor fans will remember losing at this ground in 2022 by 205 points in the opening round and would be hoping for a closer scoreline this time. With their games this year showing some improvement, they would be favoured to show that development on the scoreboard.
Mernda takes on the Fitzroy Stars at Waterview Recreation Reserve and will be looking to make it five triumphs in a row.
A win will ensure the Demons a top-two spot by week’s end, while a large enough winning margin would put them on top of the ladder.
They will be warm favourites to extend their winning run, but the Stars have won two in a row and, given the fact that they ran Kinglake to 10-points at Kinglake Memorial Oval in Round 5, their fans will give them a chance to cause an upset.
These sides last met in Round 12, 2015, when they faced off in Division 2, however, it is the first time these two teams have played each other at Waterview Recreation Reserve, which adds to the intrigue this contest brings.
