Young talent leads Mernda to stunning upset win over Old Eltham Collegians

Mernda coach Rob Fletcher has praised his club’s young talent as the Demons claimed a stunning upset win over Old Eltham Collegians.

Riley Vincent in action for Mernda. Picture: Nathan McNeill

Mernda sent out an early warning to its NFNL Division 3 rivals with a stunning win over Old Eltham Collegians on Saturday.

The Demons stunned last season’s preliminary finalists, holding the Turtles to just two goals in a commanding 30-point win.

In difficult conditions at a sodden Eltham College, Mernda’s brigade of youngsters ran all over Collegians in a 7.10 (52) to 2.10 (22) triumph.

Kye Turner, Chris Roussos, Joel Harris and 2022 Division 3 Under-19 league best-and-fairest winner Matt Bawden (two goals) all impressed.

While Old Eltham are considered a premiership contender, Demons coach Robert Fletcher was quietly confident his team could pull off the upset.

Nathan Baccega in action for Mernda. Picture: Nathan McNeill

“On the inside we were fairly confident, we’d worked hard (over pre-season),” he said.

“I thought our kids were amazing, Matthew Bawden and Chris Roussos were outstanding. Joel Harris and Kye Turner were excellent too.

“It’s a lot different to what it has been, usually it's the Bongettis, Mills, Golledges and Edwards in our best players, but Saturday it was the kids, which is good.

“I was really impressed, they’ve got a year of football under their belt now and I think the club is starting to get the rewards now.”

In a strong defensively display, Mernda held their more fancied rivals goalless in the first half as the Turtles kicked a wayward 0.7.

The Demons only had one more scoring shot in the half but took full advantage of their opportunities, booting 5.3, to establish a match-winning lead.

Jake Francis finally broke the duck for Collegians in the fourth minute of the third term.

Both team kicked two goals as the rain bucketed down.

Fletcher was rapt with the defensive performance and confident the offence would be cleaner in better conditions.

“To keep them to two goals and goalless at half-time, our pressure around the football was really good, it’s something we’ve really worked on,” he said.

“Epping kicked two goals in the practice match the week before, so only conceding two goals in the past two games is really positive.

I think we had 42 inside 50s, it was a little sloppy because of the conditions.

“(Bryce) Kimuliatis didn’t kick a goal but (Ryan) Lovegrove-Hudson picked it up and kicked two and Bawden kicked two.”

Experienced recruits Shannon Bennett and Billy Morrison were also among Mernda’s best.

For Old Eltham, summer signing Hugh Kavanagh and Liam Rushton-McCoach were best afield.

It doesn’t get any easier for the Demons as they host last season’s grand finalist Laurimar at Waterview Reserve in Round 2.

Fletcher wants his team to build on the good work it had done against Collegians.

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“We’ve got the biggest test next week, against the best team in the comp, in Laurimar,” he said.

“At the end of the day we could be a one-week wonder or see how we go against the best.”

Old Eltham will look to bounce back when they travel to wooden spooner Lalor.

Elsewhere in Division 3, Kinglake returned to the Northern league with a big 151-point win over Reservoir, Fitzroy Stars kicked off their campaign with a 114-point thumping of Lalor and Laurimar were too good for Kilmore, winning by 70 points.