One final look at the 2018 William Buck Premier season

Nick Armistead

For the second time in two years, St Kevin’s OB were crowned William Buck Premier champions after they defeated Collegians by less than one goal in the decider at Elsternwick Park. It was the first time since 2014 the VAFA’s top section’s grand final was played at the home of the Amateurs following the recent redevelopment, with SKOB holding on against a fast-finishing Lions outfit by five points.

St Kevin’s OB

SKOB entered the 2018 William Buck Premier season as reigning premiers for the first time in the club’s 71-year history. They showed few signs of complacency as they spent 12 weeks on top of the ladder through the home and away fixture and took out the minor premiership. Despite losing the second semi-final to Collegians by seven points, SKOB returned to form with a comprehensive 63-point victory over Old Trinity in the preliminary before going back-to-back one week later against the Lions. Billy Kanakis took his game to another level and booted 53 goals as the competition’s leading goal kicker while Mitch Brown polled a record-breaking 80 votes and claimed the Premier Coaches MVP. Tom Williams and Guy Martyn replaced outgoing premiership coach, Shannon Grant, in February and Stephen Gilham announced his retirement after four years at the club.

Collegians

It was another devastating end to an outstanding season for Collegians following their second straight grand final loss by less than a goal. Trailing by 31 points at three quarter time, the Lions took the game on and kicked five goals to one in a thrilling final term despite falling five points short. They improved their list over the off-season more than any other side with the recruitment of former AFL players, Taylor Hunt & George Burbury, and spent six weeks on top of the ladder (R1 & R13-17). They had five players named in the Team of the Year, the most of any side, and four in the successful Big V side who defeated South Australia in July. Viv Michie finished third in the Woodrow with 17 votes.

Old Trinity

Former Marcellin champion, Bernie Dinneen, took the coaching reins at Old Trinity for the 2018 season and helped his side to 10 wins and fourth spot on the ladder. With a similar list to the one that made two consecutive grand finals in 2015 and 2016, the T’s overpowered Old Brighton by 40 points in the first semi-final before falling to SKOB by 63 in the preliminary. The preliminary final loss was the final game for Trinity legend and two-time Woodrow Medallist, Brendan Iezzi, and both sides gave him an incredible and well-deserved guard of honour at the end of the match. Anthony Scott was a standout for the T’s and polled 19 votes to finish second in the Woodrow, while Seb Nicolosi kicked 41 goals in a breakout year for the forward. Both Scott and Nicolosi were named in the Team of the Year alongside Harry Tinney.

Old Brighton

Old Brighton were the fairytale story of the William Buck Premier season as they claimed 12 wins after coming up from Premier B in 2017. Seven wins from their first eight games of the year had them neck-and-neck with both SKOB and Collegians before a myriad of departures and subsequent heavy losses to Old Scotch and SBMT in Rounds 11 and 12 resigned them to third spot on the ladder for the remainder of the season. They were unable to claim a finals victory after losing to Trinity by 40 points in the first semi-final. Young forward, Anthony Zimmerman, was named the Grill’d Rising Star and Greg Hutchison was selected as coach in the Team of the Year.

University Blues

Overall, University Blues had a disappointing 2018 campaign following three consecutive preliminary finals appearances from 2015-17. Despite finishing in fifth spot, the Blues were battling relegation in Round 18, such was the tight-knit nature of the ladder. Recording five losses by five points or less during the home and away fixture, it was a 10-point victory over Old Scotch in the final round which helped the Blues avoid relegation and leap in to fifth. Former Western Bulldog Ayce Cordy joined the club and, despite not polling a vote in the first seven rounds of the season, took home the Woodrow Medal with 23 on the back of seven three-vote performances in the last 10 games.

De La Salle

De La were another side in the relegation mix come Round 18 but proved far too strong for SBMT and ultimately concluded their year with seven wins and in sixth spot on the ladder. They lost four of their first five games but fought back with standout seasons from Tom Humphrey and Jake Williams; both of whom were selected in the Team of the Year. Geordie Nagle and Liam Murphy were shortlisted for the Grill’d Rising Star, with Nagle also named vice-captain of the U19 Big V side.

Old Xaverians

After commencing the year with four straight losses, Xavs gradually improved over the course of the season with seven wins from their last 14 games and finished in seventh spot. There was significant change early with James McDonald resigning after Round 3 and Football Director Matt Hannebery taking the interim coaching position prior to Round 5. Matt Handley notched his 250th game during the season and finished second in the goal kicking with 48, while Tomi Johnston claimed his third club B&F and was named in the Team of the Year.

Old Melburnians

Old Melburnians struggled to find consistency in their playing list and subsequently their results, finishing eighth with seven wins and the lowest percentage of any side. They won just two games in a row twice and were in the relegation conversation following a five-game losing streak from Rounds 10-14 before an incredible 40-point win over Uni Blues in Round 17 put paid to relegation. Josh Freezer was a standout with 15 Woodrow votes, a Big V appearance alongside Tom Paule and Al Armstrong, and captaincy of the Team of the Year.

Old Scotch

Avoiding relegation was always going to be a difficult task for Scotch after commencing the season with seven losses in a row. However, there was a glimmer of hope due to the fact those seven losses were by an average of just 11.9 points. A Round 18 loss to Uni Blues confirmed their fate but with a percentage of 96.2%. Nick Jamieson and Jack Bull were incredible for the Cardinals and both named in the Team of the Year.

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers

Nine losses from their opening 10 games proved too hard a task for the Tigers to overcome as they were relegated to Premier B for the first time since 2016. They secured three wins in a row from Rounds 11-13 but lost their final five on the trot. Michael Barnes had a standout season and was rewarded with selection in the Big V side and Team of the Year.