Scotch, Fields & Blacks flex as 2019 gets underway

Jake Morris

The 2019 Premier B competition launched with Old Scotch, Caulfield Grammarians and Uni Blacks securing dominant victories to set the tone, while St Bedes/Mentone Tigers and Old Geelong were also able to start the year with notches in the win column.

Old Geelong’s first hit-out in the Premier B competition in over 60-years ended with Nick Bourke and his men securing a narrow 13-point win over Beaumaris. For the OG’s, Co-Captain Scott Dixon was named best-on while Cal Woods booted three. Despite having more shots on goal, the Sharks inaccuracy doomed them, and is something Guy McKenna will look to drill into his troops ahead of Round 2. The OGs managed just one behind in the final term, so regaining the ability to finish games will be pivotal as the year progresses. The Sharks next outing sees them travel to Frearson Oval for an outing with Monash Blues, while Old Geelong return home for a matchup against Old Scotch.

Relegation may have lit a fire under the belly of Old Scotch, as they beat a promoted Fitzroy in a dominant 98-point victory. Thomas Downie kicked three while nine other Cardinals registered a major, Jack Hurley and James Sansom were also electrifying across the ground. Inaccuracy may be the only glaring issue, as a 16.23 (119) outing in-front of goal will need to be addressed. For the Roys’, Nathan Jumeua booted their only two-majors while Harrison Grace was named his sides’ best, but it’s ultimately back to the drawing board for Luke Mahoney. Old Scotch will now travel to Como Park to play Old Geelong while Fitzroy will try bounce back against a strong Uni Blacks outfit.

Just like Old Scotch, St Bedes/Mentone Tigers relegation to Premier B has fired up a team that struggled in William Buck Premier last year. A confidence boosting 17-point win over Parkdale Vultures was their first victory since July 14^th 2018, with Billy Hartung lighting-up Gerry Green Reserve with two goals and a dominant game in the middle. The Vultures also fell victim to inaccuracy in-front of goal, booting 6.16 (52), including 3.8 in the final term. Brad Austin was named his sides’ best, but Harley Balic also played well in his first outing as a Vulture. The Tigers will return home this weekend and square off against the Fields’ while the Vultures look to snatch an away victory over the Bloods.

Caulfield Grammarians began their quest for back-to-back top four finishes after defeating Old Haileybury by 89 points. An explosive final three quarters saw the Fields’ pile on 20 goals to eight, including four to Nathan Page, while Jesse Toniolo, Will Osborn and Tom Green contributed with three apiece. For the Bloods, Darras Seccull kicked three and Brodie Steele was a bright spot on what was an otherwise difficult day for the club. After registering just five wins last year, Old Haileybury were hopeful of a resurgent 2019, and despite the rough start, Daniel Ward and his team must stay vigilant and aim for an improved performance this weekend against the Vultures. The Fields’ will look to make it two from two as they travel to Brindisi Street Oval for a matchup with the Tigers.

Using a tough finals loss last year as motivation, University Blacks used a scoring barrage to defeat Monash Blues by 90 points. The Blacks had six multiple goal scorers and 14-individual ones to boot, including five from Lachlan Huntington and four to Daniel Mccullough. The Blues ran into a locomotive, hellbent on featuring prominently in September action, so putting out a respectable performance they could build on would have been the goal for Mark Passador and his unit. Despite the loss, 10 goals, including four to Matt Davidson and a BOG performance for Keegan Mason, should give their side some confidence heading into Round 2 when they face Beaumaris. The Blacks will look to go 2-0 when they face Fitzroy.