Better late than never – Club XVIII preview

Norm Nugent

The fixtures are not ready? Who am I playing? Where are we playing? Many might think the Club XVIII players at clubs wake up on a Saturday morning and without having so much as run a lap of the ground in anger take their position on field to kick off the dew for round one. Without naming names, this might be the case for a few humble souls, but many Club XVIII players do take an interest in who they will play and where, and in most cases, some do even do some form of pre-season that doesn’t have them cemented to the couch. With the fixtures only being released on Tuesday as the VAFA tried to ensure competitive and even competitions, it has been hard to get a handle on what might unfold, however, just like the player that does turn up for round 1 without a single lap under their belt, at Club XVIII level it is better later than never.

Welcome to another year of Club XVIII football. We have lost a section as the VAFA expands the size of Section 1 and 2 and for this I am sure most clubs will be thankful.

In Club XVIII Section 1 the teams are headed by last years premiers Old Xaverians and the side they beat, Hawthorn. The two powerhouses of Section 1 in 2014 will be will have fellow finalist Prahran Assumption for company, whilst Old Geelong also stay in the group. Joining these sides we welcome: premiers of Section 3 last year, La Trobe University; 2014 premiers of Section 2, Richmond Central; North Old Boys/St Patricks (Section 3); and Ivanhoe (new) to make an eight team competition.

Of course I expect Old Xaverians to be the ones to beat again, but the extra teams will certainly make for a more interesting season and should mean a fairer fixture too.

In Club XVIII Section 2,  we have Section 3 sides Kew (4^th), MHSOB (runners up) and UHS-VU (6^th) join this section. The new clubs are a welcome sight. Divisional clubs Ormond (historically strong at Club XVIII) make a return and we see the additions of West Brunswick, Westbourne Grammarians and Albert Park all entering the fray. The late entry of St Francis Xavier should be an interesting addition.

The new clubs will no doubt ad an interesting mix to the year and with that we should be in for some entertaining football in Club XVIII Section 2 before the season is decided on Sportcover Arena later this year in August.

Once again welcome all clubs and good luck in 2015.

Preview

I can’t go past both last years grand finalists, so Hawthorn and Old Xaverians should both start with wins. I fancy the combine of NOB/St Pat’s away at La Trobe to cause an upset. These two sides were the best sides in Section 3 in 2014 but NOB’s fell over in the prelim so didn’t get to challenge for the flag. Old Geelong should improve on last years form and will get off to a winning start against new team Ivanhoe.

In Section 2 it is harder to get a gauge on how clubs might fair so I have done as every good tipster does in a crisis and elected to go for the home team in each match. St Francis Xavier (after their move into the section from Division 3) and Westbourne Grammarians hold the most interest as  the X-Men hope to put a difficult preseason behind them.

Section 1 Tips

Section 2 Tips