Kilmore claims sixth win in a row to cement NFL Division 3 top three place

Kilmore continued its dominance of Heidelberg Park with a big win over Heidelberg West and all but locked in a NFL Division 3 top-three finish.

Steve McIntyre in action for Kilmore, Picture: Nathan McNeill

Kilmore made it six wins on the trot on Saturday, disposing of Heidelberg West by 50 points.

The Blues haven’t dropped a game since going down to South Morang in Round 3, knocking off the Hawks twice during their current streak.

The 14.8 (92) to 6.6 (42) result all but locks in a top-three finish with a home clash against Laurimar on July 17 likely to decide both team’s NFL Division 3 second chance hopes.

Kilmore burst out of the blocks at Heidelberg Park, determined not to suffer any complacency after last week’s 126-point win over Reservoir.

The Blues kicked five goals to one to establish a 21-point advantage and were never challenged.

Leigh Irons in action for Kilmore. Picture: Nathan McNeill

“Coming off the back of playing Reservoir we made it clear we didn’t want to take last week lightly and have it affect this week’s performance,” coach Nathan Phillips said.

“The boys were ready to go and had the foot on the pedal from the start.

“You don’t want to give Heidelberg West any confidence early on, especially at their home ground, if their mids and ruck get on top they’ve got some dangerous forwards.

“We’ve always played pretty well at Heidelberg West, we might have only lost there once.

“Their ground is big and win, it’s not quite as big as our ground but you can find a lot of space, so it is similar in a sense.”

Kilmore has left victorious in three of four trips to Heidelberg Park, the only loss coming in 2018 by just five points.

Michael McCulloch has named best on ground in an enthralling battle against Heidelberg West star Jarryd Coulson.

McCulloch was able to match the three-time league best-and-fairest winner around the ground while also providing a valuable outlet for the Blues.

Meanwhile, Chris Jackson kick-started Kilmore in midfield while Leigh Iron also impressed.

Marcus Webb led the way up forward with four goals as Bailey Taylor-Egan added three majors.

“Michael rucked against Coulson, who three-time best-and-fairest winner in the comp, and he just nullified his influence.

“He halved most of the contests in the centre, Jarryd still won his fair share but he wasn’t as effective around the ground.

“Steve McIntyre played on him when he went forward and he didn’t take a mark inside forward 50m, so both those guys did a huge job.

“The first 10 minutes (Jackson) was crucial in the guts with his contested work, if they got their hands on it first he tackled and pressured.

“We snuck him into the best six but Leigh Irons was as close to best on ground as anyone, he would have had 35-40 touches, he was unreal.”

Jordan Allen was named Heidelberg West’s best on the day as Masaki Miki (two goals) continued his outstanding form and Coulson and Ryan Gall were also strong.

Kilmore hosts Mernda on Saturday looking to further cement itself in the top three.

The Demons were vastly improved against South Morang on Saturday despite losing by 38 points and pushed the Blues to 30 points in Round 6.

Phillips knows there’s still a long way to go in 2021.

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“We’ve just got to maintain our form, we’ve been blessed by injuries … you never take that for granted,” he said.

“We’ve won six on the trot now and we want to keep that form rolling.”

The loss saw Heidelberg West slip outside the top four for the first time this season.

The Hawks face the massive challenge of stopping South Morang at Mill Park Lakes.