Five sides will be looking to back up their terrific opening round victories ahead of this Saturday’s Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 action.

After Epping & Lalor kicked off the season on Good Friday, we saw four highly anticipated matches to complete Round 1 last Saturday.

Much of that anticipation came for the two newest sides in the NFNL, who each recorded strong wins.

Arguably the most impressive victory of the round was by Old Paradians over Heidelberg West at Garvey Oval. The Raiders gained the decisive break with a ten-goal second term which gave them a 64-point lead at the main break, with captain Marcus Nolan booting five goals to lead his side to an 86-point triumph.

Ivanhoe travelled to Crispe Park to take on Reservoir and got off to a flyer with a 6.5 to 1.1 first term. The Mustangs improved as the day went on and won the final term by a goal, but the Hoers would still register a 55-point win to begin their season on the right foot, with Ethan Hunt booting three majors.

In the 2023 preliminary final re-match, Old Eltham Collegians came from 41 points down at one stage in the third term to run over the top of Mernda and win by eight points at Eltham College.

It was a thrilling battle between two teams expected to be premiership contenders in 2024 and the comeback by the Turtles delighted the local crowd, with Liam Rushton-McCoach’s long kicking being a feature of the contest.

The Fitzroy Stars played Kinglake at Kinglake Memorial Oval and started well with a 4.4 to 1.1 opening quarter, before having to withstand a strong challenge from the Lakers, with the home side leading by five points midway through the first term.

Lionel Proctor’s men were then able to pull away late to win by 28 points in what many would regard as an upset result, since the Lakers were undefeated at home in 2023.

Jai Burns continued his great form of 2023 for the Stars in this contest, while prized recruit Neville Jetta also stood out. The Lakers will have to wait until Round 3 for redemption as the team has the Round 2 bye.

This week provides the fans with some intriguing match-ups, with Round 2 seeing five Division 3 matches take place on the same day for the first time in NFNL history.

A highlight of the round sees Ivanhoe Park as the venue for the first ever NFNL clash between Ivanhoe and Old Paradians.  Both teams are aiming to keep on the winners list as they endeavour to establish their credentials in this competition.

The Raiders were arguably the most impressive team in Round 1 and would go in full of confidence, however, Hoer supporters would also fancy their side’s chances having put the game away early against the Mustangs and now have the home ground advantage.

This Saturday night clash will make for a great spectacle for all onlookers.

Lalor and Reservoir met in Round 6 last season and both teams went into the match having lost all games to that point by triple figures.  It has been a brighter start this season for both outfits, so Bloods and Mustangs fans will be keen to see continual improvement this weekend.

After having the opening round bye, Kilmore will host Reservoir to kick off their 2024 campaign. They come into the game having won their matches against the Mustangs in 2023 by 120 and 60 points.

Based on that, the Blues would be warm favourites, however a narrowing of the 2023 margins would suggest that Reservoir is on the rise.

If Paul Derrick’s men can produce an impressive win, it would be the perfect start in their hopes of returning to finals action, which is a prospect that has been predicted by the majority of coaches in the recent Division 3 senior men’s coaches survey.

Lalor travels to Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval to take on the Fitzroy Stars. The Stars were excellent last week in being the first team to win at Kinglake Memorial Oval in the NFNL and would be expected to continue their winning ways on Saturday.

But Bloods fans would recall the Round 10 fixture last year between these two sides at Lalor Reserve, when the Stars trailed for much of the day before prevailing by a mere three points.  It was a far cry from the 114-point win over Lalor in Round 1 last year, and it remains to be seen which of those two results will be a better predictor of this week’s tussle.

A match full on interest sees Epping Recreational Reserve being the venue for the first ever meeting between Epping and Old Eltham Collegians. The Blues brushed aside some disappointing years in Division 2 with a comfortable win over Lalor on Good Friday.

The result would’ve delighted the Blues faithful, but the Turtles appeared to be even more impressive after finishing strongly to overcome Mernda a week later. It would be a massive early triumph for Old Eltham Collegians if they were to go to their Round 3 bye with back-to-back wins against flag hopefuls.

With both teams aiming to have a big say in finals action, a thrilling encounter is likely.  The tipsters may be going for Old Eltham Collegians in this one, but they have never played on the venue and the home ground advantage will suit the Blues.

Mernda will look to bounce back from last week’s defeat when they host Heidelberg West at Waterview Recreation Reserve.

The Demons have now lost after leading very late in the final terms of both the 2023 grand final and their Round 1 clash with Old Eltham Collegians, so a four-quarter performance against a side they won both meetings against last season will no doubt please Robert Fletcher.

Meanwhile, the Hawks were a whisker away from finals in recent seasons but looked a long way off the pace in their opening round loss to Old Paradians.  They will need to find more to challenge Mernda but did lead by a few goals at this venue in Round 16 last season before going down narrowly.  A repeat of that effort will see them right in the hunt for their first win of 2024.

By Doug Long