MEGT Under 19 Premier Preview – Round One

John Donohoe

Well, here we are once again, exchanging the white ball of the cricket for the red Sherrin, yes it was great to see the Australian cricket team triumph at the Cricket World Cup, but now I can speak for everyone when I say, we just want the footy back! Winter is slowly rolling in, as are the brand new footballs, the new tubes of deep heat, the abundance of Elastoplast tape and the emergence of three new teams in the MEGT Under 19 Premier competition.

There are many unknowns this early in the season like; Can St Bernards off their premiership win last season win it again? The football factory produced a fantastic display of football last year and I have no doubt the Snowdogs will shine again this year. They will take on Old Scotch in round 1 in what will no doubt be a fiery affair at Camberwell. The round 2 encounter with the Old Xaverians will be intriguing as it will provide us with an early indication of whether or not the Kew boys are a force to be reckoned with this year.

Are the new boys in town, Uni Blacks going to make an immediate impression on the competition when they take on the other promoted side Old Trinity at Crawford Oval in round 1? If we use the teams’ senior sides as a guide, both will no doubt be ruthless around the ball and won’t give their opposition an easy avenue to goal.

Will this be the Sharks year? Many down at Beauy are very confident that they can contend with the best, they performed well in 2014 but weren’t standouts and are ready to take that next step and challenge for that Premiership they so dearly crave.

Will Old Melburnians be the easy beats they were last year? I certainly hope not, because they are a committed and determined side who had a rough year in 2014, but with a new crop of players and a willingness to learn anything is possible for the Albert Park boys. They take on De La in round 1 which is bound to be a grudge match with both hard nosed sides with an appetite for the contest.

Speaking of De La, can they find that Premiership winning form of 2012? They will need to produce something very similar if they are to take it home this year, but they are more than capable, if there is one thing De La does well it is produce talented players at Under 19 level. I see them finishing in the middle half of the table, but a few surprise wins here and there could elevate them into finals calculations, and from there, anything is possible.

St Kevins produced some outstanding football in 2014 and fell just short of the ultimate prize, but they are back with a vengeance this year, already dealing out a football lesson to the Old Xavs in a practice game. They seem to have a steely determination to right the wrongs of last season and go one better. Beware of Skobs, they will be dangerous this year.

Old Trinity is the unknown this year, but coming off a premiership win last season you would think they would be able to hold their own in Premier. It is a tough competition but early wins for them will be crucial. They may ruffle a few feathers and keep their spot in premier, but expect them to miss out on the finals by a slim margin.

Uni Blues are also new this season after having a great campaign in section 2 finishing 2^nd on the ladder and runners up in the competition to Trinity. Will need to produce their best to stay in the top flight but club wide they are strong so they wont go down without a fight.

The Old Xaverians had an inconsistent year last season, and were able to compete with the likes of Skobs and Bernards until the end. There is a lot of fight in this team and this year will be no exception. They are tall, strong and fast this season but lose Jeremy Hannan to senior duties. Silk will fill his role beautifully and Tom Anderson could well be the best player in the competition this year. It will be a monumental task for the Xavs but they are well capable of glory. No one expects that they can do it, I am more optimistic, aggression, footy smarts and determination will be their best friends this year. They take on Beaumaris first up in an encounter the Xavs will no doubt be viewing as a launching pad for a strong season.

I cannot wait for Round 1; it will really give us an early indication of where a few teams are at. I hope it is a well-contested competition this year. Good luck to all teams in 2015, give it your all and you will succeed