NFL 2018: North Heidelberg marks Trent Scannell’s 300th game with a 64-point thumping over Montmorency

NORTH Heidelberg is on the cusp of becoming the first club in the history of Northern Football League to play top-tier finals a year after winning a Division 2 premiership.

Trent Scannell runs through the banner for his 300th game. Picture: Nathan William Media

NORTH Heidelberg is on the cusp of becoming the first club in the history of Northern Football League to play top-tier finals a year after winning a Division 2 premiership.

The Bulldogs are on a four-game winning streak after disposing of Montmorency by 64 points on Saturday to be the form team of the competition outside of Macleod, marking stalwart Trent Scannell’s 300th game in style.

Since the competition introduced a second tier in 1981, no Division 2 premier has played finals the following year.

North Heidelberg is also the only team to defeat Macleod this year after a 19-point triumph in Round 1 and does not have an injury on it seniors, reserves or under-19s lists.

Trent Scannell leads North Heidelberg out for his 300th game. Picture: Nathan William Media

North Heidelberg coach Jimmy House said the 17.12 (114) to 7.8 (50) triumph over the Magpies was his side’s “most complete performance” of the year.

Former Montmorency trio Liam Nunan, Mitch Dillon and Nick Matthews are just three of the players that are flourishing at Shelley Reserve in 2018.

“They’re former Montmorency kids who got told they weren’t up to it and they’ve found their niche in our footy side and we’re rapt with where those boys are at,” House said.

“Young kids like Kyle Green, Liam McLeod, Jackson Jones, who are juniors of North Heidelberg, they’re first year out of the (under) 19s and they’re really starting to come of age.”

The Bulldogs sit fourth with a 7-5 record and are dreaming of a top-five berth with fixtures to come against bottom-two sides Whittlesea and Hurstbridge in the next three weeks.

First-year mentor House said his side’s season had “exceeded any expectation that I had”.

“Being a development coach previously, some of the players the club had recruited previously were probably poorly coached (at rival clubs) and publicly criticised for not being up to the standard,” he said.

“Not just myself, but the other coaches have really worked on developing these players in particular aspects of their game and they’ve found their niche at senior level.

“I thought the first 12 months, the view was to win enough games just to stay up, grow into our game plan, continue to develop the kids, get as much Division 1 experience into the kids as possible and then obviously look to continue to drive the standards.

“To pick up what I have put in front of them in six months and really own it, I’m excited for the boys.

“It’s a pleasure to work with a group that’s got themselves to where they are and I’m glad they’re reaping the rewards for a really big pre-season and six months.”

Elsewhere in Division 1, Heidelberg defeated Hurstbridge by 28 points and Macleod made it 11 consecutive wins after a 25-point triumph over Greensborough.