Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 – Round 1 Preview
Published on Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Author : Doug Long
The long wait for many players and fans is over this weekend as Round 1 of Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 Football approaches.
Teams will be aiming to join Reservoir at the top of the table, with the Mustangs already clinching a big win over Lalor in the Good Friday game at Crispe Park which kicked off the season.
Kinglake and Kilmore battle it out for the Country Cup at Kinglake Memorial Oval. These clashes are generally evenly matched and keenly contested. Adding to the spice this time is the fact that the Blues defeated the Lakers in an elimination final thriller last season in an amazing score line of 5.4-34 to 2.17-29 at Main Street Reserve in Thomastown.
Kinglake fans will fancy their chances on their home deck and hope that Dave Florance has his team more accurate in front of goal.
Kilmore goes into the season under new coach Corey McCall. McCall led Watsonia to a Division 3 flag in 2016 and has coached in the Western Football Netball League. Blues fans will be hoping for a repeat of their 2025 finals win.
Epping and Mernda face off at Epping Recreational Reserve. These teams clashed in the first semi-final in 2024, with the Demons recording an easy 34-point triumph.
Despite having lofty ambitions, both sides missed the finals last season and will be keen to begin their campaigns with a victory. Brad Hollow’s men will go into the match with some confidence that they can win on their home deck to open the season.
Brent Marshall took over as coach of Mernda late in the 2025 season and has now had an entire pre-season to prepare his charges for what appears to be a good challenge first up.
Heidelberg West hosts Old Eltham Collegians at Heidelberg Park in an intriguing contest. These sides have, at times, been battling it out for the final spot in the finals and have had some great tussles over the years.
Last year began with the Hawks defeating the Turtles by 35 points at this venue. The promising start to the season didn’t become a finals appearance and Old Eltham Collegians won the return bout in round 13 at Eltham College to the tune of 12 points.
Michael Missen returns to take charge of Heidelberg West, having last coached them in 2023.
After coaching Panton Hill Under 19s, Stewart McCallum takes over as the new coach of the Turtles. With both teams looking to climb the ladder after disappointing 2025 seasons, this shapes as a fascinating tussle. Looking on will be the Ivanhoe coaching staff – the Hoers have the Round 1 bye with an upcoming match against Heidelberg West in Round 2.
Rounding out the opening week of matches, Laurimar hosts Watsonia at Laurimar Reserve. Both teams are previous Division 3 premiers. The Saints achieved this feat in 2016, while the Power triumphed more recently in 2023.
This will be the first meeting between these two combatants. Watsonia has been in Division 2 since 2017, and that year was Laurimar’s debut was a senior team.
The Power will be viewed by many as the number one seed for the 2026 season. They made the grand final last year and were the only team to defeat the Fitzroy Stars for the entire season. Coach Jimmy Atkins will be aiming to quickly return to Division 2 and their loyal fans will be expecting a win at home first up.
Watsonia coach Anthony McGregor will also be aiming for a short stay in Division 3. An away game against Laurimar is arguably the toughest assignment of all to begin the season, but his team will give it their best shot in what shapes as an interesting clash.