Mernda wins fourth NFNL Division 3 match in a row, overcome Aaron Edwards’ blitz

Mernda is charging back up the NFNL Division 3 ladder with a fourth straight win, overcoming an unstoppable Aaron Edwards performance.

Jayden Bell in action for Mernda. Picture: Andy Brownbill

What a difference four points can make.

On Saturday morning, Mernda was eighth on the NFNL Division 2 ladder and by that afternoon it was sitting fifth on percentage – level with fourth-placed Kinglake.

The 17-point win over Reservoir at Waterview Reserve could be a turning point in the Demons’ season – after losing their opening three matches, last year’s preliminary finalists have now won four on the trot.

The Mustangs’ ex-AFL star Aaron Edwards threatened to steal the match, bagging nine goals, but the home team held firm in a nail-biting finish to prevail 16.7 (103) to 13.8 (86).

Mernda coach Rob Fletcher said his team was starting to find its feet.

Dayne Kellett in action for Mernda. Picture: Andy Brownbill

“They’ve improved out of sight and play a good brand of footy, so it was a good game,” Fletcher said.

“We’ve got a couple of big weeks coming up, starting with them and then Kinglake, so we just need to keep winning after the start we had.

“We’re starting to gel together a bit, getting a few blokes back and a bloke called Billy Morrison.

“He was a standout again (on Saturday) and was awesome last week.”

Mernda burst out of the blocks, kicking 4.4 in the first quarter, to take a 10-point lead into the first change.

The Demons took full control in the second term, piling on 8.1, to charge into half-time with a 38-point advantage.

The margin was 42 points mid-way through the third term before Reservoir found another gear.

The Mustangs kicked six unanswered goals, including four in the opening 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, and looked like they would run over the top.

Edwards’ ninth of the match, got the visitors within six points, but a Nick Gregson intercept mark a minute later proved critical.

Billy Morrison would kick a steadying goal and Bryce Kimuliatis would seal it.

Morrison (three goals) was a standout, along with Josh Mazzarella, Jayden Bell, Dayne Kellett, Lachie Evans and Brayden Plant (three goals).

Matt Campbell and Jesse Guelfo had the unenviable task of stopping Edwards, while Mazzarella and Bell had the job on Reservoir prime-mover Josh Grabowski.

“Grabowski and Edwards were their best two, Josh was on fire early – he was unstoppable with his run,” Fletcher said.

“We were really good in the first half, going in with a six-goal lead at half-time, and maybe some of the boys thought it was as easy as it has been the last few years.

“They came out to play and it was a bit tense in the last quarter – they were coming – but we held steady, which was good.

“Hammer played on Edwards for most of the game, he’s just a strong bloke, he’s played AFL, so he’s smart and he never misses.

“Jesse went to him in the last and he kicked a couple but the ball goes to him 70-80 per cent of the time and if they’re getting 40 or 50 entries he’s getting a fair bit of the ball.

“We ended up having to put a tag on Grabowski, Maz and Belly went to him and managed to quieten him a little bit.”

For Reservoir, Edwards was best afield, while Grabowski, Tyle Williams and Levi Greenwood also stood tall.

Mernda will look to take another step back into the top-three conversation when it travels to Kinglake on Saturday.

In an incredibly tight finals race, the two teams are locked on four wins apiece, a game behind third-placed Epping and each have a game in hand over the Pingers.

Fletcher hopes to have veteran defender Brent Marshall and Riley Black available.

“Before this week we were fourth last and now we’re equal fourth, so it’s pretty tight,” he said.

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“Every game is important and every side has improved, we need to make sure we’re ready to play every game.

“It’s a big game at Kinglake, it’s a mini final for us.”

Elsewhere in Division 3, the Lakers proved too good for Old Eltham Collegians with a 47-point win and Epping eased past Kilmore by 33 points.

Patrick Fitzgerald bagged 10 goals to fuel Laurimar’s dominant 145-point triumph over Lalor, while Fitzroy Stars remains unbeaten after a 45-point win over Ivanhoe.