Battle of Thermopylae for Ayce & his men

Posted on - Latest News, Premier Men's, Featured

Nick Armistead

Despite Old Brighton claiming yet another victory, there is a new ladder leader in William Buck Premier Men’s with St Kevin’s OB soaring to the top of the table following their 74-point Round 6 victory over Old Melburnians. And they did it without Tom Boyd (their leading goal kicker) and Jarrad Waite (that guy who kicked 58 two years ago). Their forward set-up of Billy Kanakis (4) and Boyd’s replacement Sam Barnett (3) caused havoc for OM’s defenders, but the most surprising/impressive move was Sam Critchley starting forward and kicking the first goal of the game. After averaging just 62ppg in the first five rounds, SKOB hit their straps on Saturday with 126. Kanakis will be missed as he relocates to Sydney but with the two power forwards returning soon, SKOB’s scoring woes may be a thing of the past. As for OM’s, this was their third test against a top four side after going down to Uni Blues (R3) and Old Brighton (R5). R1 Rising Star nominee, Ed Nichols, is currently operating in the elite category after another two goals and a standout performance, but now at 3-3 after starting 2-0, OM’s will be keen to improve their record when they travel to Harry Trott Oval this weekend. 

While Brian Waldron may have described his tip as idiocy on last week’s FTLOTG Podcast, there’s no denying Joe Pignataro’s tip of Old Scotch to defeat Uni Blues was inspired. The Cardinals, who had narrowly defeated the Snow Dogs one week earlier, made the most of their opportunities in front of goal with 10.9. In the end, that was the difference as Uni Blues delivered a masterclass in poor kicking – sending through 11 straight behinds in the opening half and finishing the game with 5.18 thanks to a 4.4 final term. Brodie Easton’s form has been a highlight of Scotch’s season to date, and he continued with a BOG performance, while Aidan Franetic was just as impressive. When Scotch’s defence is on song, they’re winning games with an average of 52 points against in their three wins. The Blues have been the comeback kids over the past few rounds but not even the continued good form of Jack Stephens and Marshall Rippon could save them from a brutal case of the yips. Expect Ayce Cordy to lead his men into their Round 7 clash against Trinity like King Leonidas in the Battle of Thermopylae – but unlike the Spartans, the result should go in their favour.

Maybe I’m wrong and Trinity could pull off their first win of the season after impressing against Old Brighton last weekend. Despite a change of senior coach during the week, the T’s took it up to the then ladder leaders and even led by eight points at half time. In the end, Woodrow Medal fancy (as he is every year) Harry Hill willed his men over the line while Seb Williams kicked a season-high four goals. Charlie Beasley was outstanding in defence for the T’s for the second week in a row and their young brigade of Dylan Xenos, Hugo McGlashan and Xavier Fry gave supporters every inkling the club’s future is bright. The Tonners will host Old Xaverians at the Beach Oval in the RSN Match of the Round in a clash of second vs third – arguably the most enticing match-up of the year to date.

Two losses were never going to turn into three as Old Xavs returned to form in emphatic fashion, defeating Collegians by 59 points at Toorak Park. For the first time this season, Xavs produced the three-headed monster up forward of Ryan Schoenmakers, Grant Valles and former Sydney Swan, Xavier Richards. Schoenmakers was the pick of the bunch with a match-high four goals, but two from Richards on debut and another standout performance from Valles gives Xavs a forward line as potent as any – especially when Rohan Bewick returns. It was a devastating start for Collegians with Tom Penberthy returning for his first senior game since the 2018 Grand Final but going down with an ACL injury in the opening term. With John Meesen sitting out, it left the Lions without a ruck to combat Jason Holmes, but Oli Jackson did his utmost while kicking two goals. The Lions are left at 1-5 after six rounds but will be hoping the likes of Sam Hibbins and Tom Sheridan return for their clash with OM’s.

In the final game, Caulfield Grammarians claimed their third win on the trot with a 42-point win over St Bernard’s at the Snake Pit. Offensively, the Fields are the best in the competition over the past three rounds with an average of 119ppg. Keegan Stewart was the main target this week with four goals while Julian Dobosz didn’t play, and Brett Eddy was needed only once. On the flip side, it was the Snow Dogs’ third loss in a row. Bernard’s averaged 83ppg over the first three rounds but have since managed scores of just 56, 57 and 58. Mitchell Mahady and Charlie Vague were their best against the Fields, but they will be hoping to break their run of losses against an in-form SKOB at TH King.