A look ahead at Round 15 in Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3.
Round 14 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 saw big wins in blustery conditions for the leading four teams. The results have gone a long way to deciding not only the top-four, but also the double chance.
Kilmore was awarded the four points during the week for its Round 13 match against St Mary’s – which had been called a draw on the day of the match. The Blues then journeyed to R.J. Brockwell Oval to take on Banyule.
The Bears put a huge dent in Kilmore’s finals hopes with a convincing 78-point win to sure up second place on the ladder. The Blues now have a bye and will need to cause some upsets on the run home to have any chance of playing finals.
Epping has taken a firm grip on fourth – with Kilmore losing and Heidelberg West having the bye. The Blues accounted for Mernda at Waterview Recreation Reserve to the tune of 55 points.
The win, setup by strong showings by Lucas Aquilina, Leigh Judd and Jaedyn Kearney, gives Epping a game and percentage buffer on the competition’s fifth and sixth-placed sides.
“Very happy with our discipline in unfavourable conditions,” Epping coach Greg Whitcroft said.
South Morang followed up its top-of-the-table win the previous weekend with a 114-point triumph over Laurimar at Laurimar Reserve. The margin was unsurprising given the current form of the two combatants, with the Lions kicking 11 goals to one after half time.
St Mary’s rebounded from its disappointing loss to Kilmore to easily defeat cellar-dweller Reservoir at Whatmough Park.
In his 300th game, Toby O’Meara booted five goals against his old club. The last passage of the day saw O’Meara kick the ball to another ex-Mustang in Leigh Sullivan, who then booted the major.
“A really good day for the club and a good day for Toby,” St Mary’s coach Con Borg said. “Five goals and in our best players against the old club he play 180 odd games for. Today really belongs to Toby.”
Lachlan Shaw continued his good season for the Mustangs with another pleasing display, while Matt Velthius and Ben Noy also tried hard.
Round 15 action of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 gives Heidelberg West a chance to keep its finals chances alive when it welcomes Epping to Heidelberg Park.
A win to the home team would see it draw level with the Blues, although still a way behind them in percentage. Even if they win, the Hawks would still have a lot of work to do – finishing off the season with games against the top-three teams.
The Blues are likely to be favoured by most tipsters due to their encouraging form of late. But the Hawks won their most recent duel by four points in an absolute thriller in Round 7, when Jayden Shirreff kicked the winner in the final minute.
Banyule hosts the second of back-to-back homes games when St Mary’s comes to R.J. Brockwell Oval in a game crucial to the double chance.
The Bears won their Round 3 contest at Whatmough Park by 37 points, with James Kroussoratis booting six goals.
The Burra will draw level on wins with the Bears if they can come away with the four points. The percentage gap means that St Mary’s would need to win by a margin of 50 points to jump into second place.
But Banyule has a game in hand. So even if the Burra can win, the Bears can still forge a game clear when St Mary’s has its final bye.
Mernda travels to nearby neighbour South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve in what is expected to be an easy win for the home side.
The Demons did manage a win over the Lions at this venue early in the 2016 season when they won their first four games straight.
South Morang would be looking to use this game to tune up for the finals. Mernda plays the top-two teams on the next fortnight and then end the year with winnable games against Reservoir and Laurimar.
A match of interest at the bottom end of the table sees Laurimar embark on its first trip to Crispe Park to play Reservoir. Both teams should relish this challenge after a series of uneven games against finals contenders.
Their only other meeting yielded a 64-point win for the Power at Laurimar Reserve.
This match – and the Round 17 game at Crispe Park against Mernda – could provide the Mustangs with their best opportunity to score their maiden win for the season.
