Old Eltham Collegians go goalless in the second half but hold off Heidelberg West in thriller

A five-goal second quarter and some desperate defending secured Old Eltham Collegians its third win of the season and delivered a massive blow to Heidelberg West’s NFL Division 3 finals hopes.

Old Eltham Collegians coach John Garrad. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Old Eltham Collegians claimed a remarkable win on Saturday, after going goalless in the second half.

The Turtles’ four-point win at Eltham College delivered a big blow to Heidelberg West’s NFL Division 3 finals hopes.

A five-goal second quarter was all Collegians needed to secure the four points, winning 6.9 (45) to 6.5 (41).

The Turtles led by 15 points at half-time but added just 0.4 in the second half and staved off a Heidelberg West comeback.

The Hawks kicked four goals in the third quarter to narrow the margin to three points and looked ready to run over the top of the home team but could only manage a single behind in the final quarter.

Alex Emmins gets a kick away under pressure from Mitchell Thompson. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Collegians coach John Garrad admitted he hadn’t even been watching the scoreboard in the thrilling final quarter.

“I didn’t even realise we hadn’t kicked a goal, to be honest,” he said.

“We had a lot of opportunities that were just touched on the line, I think one hit the post, one we thought was a goal but the umpire called a behind.

“The ground deteriorated, it was just ball up after ball up. It was very difficult to move the ball quickly in the second half.

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“The guys were exhausted and couldn’t really get away from the stoppages and extract the ball with speed.”

Jack Fitzgerald was best on ground for the Turtles, while Travis Stevens and Tim Woods also impressed. Kieran Malone kicked three goals.

“Jack was one of the younger blokes that just kept running all day,” Garrad said.

“He positioned himself just off the pack, an extra number in defence and a lot of the time the ball squirted out to him.

Old Eltham Collegians coach John Garrad talks to his players. Picture: Andy Brownbill

“Trav was another one done back who stayed calm under pressure and generaled the backline.”

It’s Old Eltham’s third win of the season after transferring for VAFA Division 2 this season.

Garrad believed the club was still capable of playing finals if it could upset Panton Hill this weekend but there were still plenty of positives.

“We want to be as successful as possible and build on last year, holding the club together and not folding,” he said.

“Next year, I think we can build on that even more and maybe even look at finals.”

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