North Heidelberg’s NFL Division 1 win over Greensborough had extra significance
It was a special day for North Heidelberg coach Jason Heatley and his family and the Bulldogs responded with an impressive win over Greensborough.
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North Heidelberg’s strong 25-point win over Greensborough had extra significance for coach Jason Heatley.
Not only have the Bulldogs got their NFL Division 1 season back on track with back-to-back wins, Heatley’s son Parker made his senior debut at Shelley Reserve on Saturday.
Having earned his chance in the reserves and under-19s, the 17-year-old forward kicked a goal in the 12.10 (82) to 8.9 (57) victory.
Heatley senior said it was a special moment.
“It goes to show there’s still romance in footy,” he said.
“He deserved his opportunity, that’s first and foremost, the excitement for me was through him.
“He got on the end of a couple and kicked a goal and the way the guys celebrated the moment with him was very special and he’ll remember that for a long time.
“He had some good moments, he didn’t look out of place at the level, he’s still only 17 and has some developing to do but we think he’s going to offer something.”
Parker Heatley was one of three inclusions for the clash, alongside superstar Brent Harvey.
Harvey and Billy Hogan both booted three goals, while Jesse Tardio was dominant in midfield, Nick Matthews impressive in defence and Adam Braendler in attack.
North Heidelberg led by three points after a first-half arm-wrestle but was able to stretch the game after the break.
Heatley said three names stood out.
“There were three that were super – Jesse (Tardio) is just elite at stoppage work and how much pressure he puts on the footy and Nick (Matthews) is developing into one of the premier defenders in the competition.
“I thought Adam was very good as well and that’s part of the connectivity we’ve been working on – he allows guys like Billy Hogan, Brock Chircop, Braidyn Hirt and Jared Crosby to go to work when he’s strong in the air.
“(Having Harvey back) makes a huge difference, the guy just loves playing footy and we appreciate any opportunity we get to have him whether at training or playing.
“We understand his commitments at North Melbourne but it certainly gives our guys a lift when he’s able to run around.”
The win lifts North Heidelberg to sixth on the ladder after being last a fortnight ago.
The Dogs have pushed several of the top teams deep into games – losing to Bundoora by 20 points, West Preston-Lakeside by two points and Montmorency by 10 points.
After a difficult start to the season, Heatley said his team was starting to “run on top of the ground”.
“We’ve been around the mark but just haven’t been able to get over line and that’s OK.
“We’re covering the ground well now, with all the challenges around COVID it’s taken us a while to get our legs underneath us.
“There wasn’t any talk about it but we’re in a results driven game.
“We’re really well led by Kyle (McDonald), Billy and Jesse and they steer the ship around training and not changing our focus – we just weren’t winning.
“While that can be frustrating we had to keep talking about the good things we were doing as well and how to stop those moments where good sides were getting a hold of us and kicking five goals in 15 minutes.
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“We put ourselves in a vulnerable position so to get a couple of wins, you can see what it does to the guys – everyone walks around feeling better about themselves.
North will look to make it three wins on the trot when it faces Hurstbridge on Saturday before a standalone Queen’s Birthday clash against Macleod.
Billy Bedford, Angus Seivers and Ben Ham (two goals) were Greensborough’s best in defeat.
The Borough will look to bounce back when they host Bundoora in a blockbuster at War Memorial Reserve.
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