Bedes, Beauy and the Battle for B

Jake Morris

With University Blacks officially putting a line through Old Haileybury for season 2019 and Caulfield & Scotch securing their spots in the final four, St Bedes/Mentone Tigers and Beaumaris will now use the final three weeks to tussle it out for the fourth and final spot for September action in Premier B.

Kicking off Round 15 with a tight win in a low-scoring affair was St Bedes/Mentone Tigers, as they downed a gallant Fitzroy by nine points. Thanks to three majors off the boot of Tom Tyquin in trying conditions, and a best of ground of performance from on-baller Sean Randall, the Tigers were able to create enough of a buffer in the first three quarters to stave off the fast finishing Roys’, and keep themselves locked into fourth spot on the table. Barely escaping from Brunswick Street Oval with the points, Bedes’ will now switch their attention to the red-hot Uni Blacks, with the tagline “must win” written all over it, while the Roys will play giant killers as they travel to Glenhuntly to face Caulfield.

Despite heavy rain turning Banksia Reserve into a ground resembling open waters, Beaumaris were able to strike in a 31-point victory over Monash Blues to continue their hunt for September action.  Sharks’ forwards Jak Nardino and James Davidson booted two apiece to help keep the Blues at bay while James Taylor was named best afield. Guy McKenna’s men will now head to Princes Park to face off against Old Haileybury, with a win and a Tigers loss almost certainly pushing them back into the top-four. The Blues managed to lift themselves out of the bottom two on the weekend, and will be looking to keep themselves there as they face Old Scotch.

University Blacks’ quest for an unlikely top-two finish continued in Round 15 as they downed Old Haileybury by 62 points in a one-sided affair. Despite booting 11.18 and dropping their goal-scoring accuracy on the year to below 50%, the Blacks were hardly challenged on route to their 11^th win on the year, and 5^th on the trot. Campbell Moorfield continued his stellar year with another four-goal haul while midfielder Samuel Bennett received the votes in his sixth game of the year. The Blacks will travel to Brindisi Street Oval this weekend to face the Tigers, with a win securing a top-three finish, while the Bloods will welcome the Sharks who are hellbent on playing in September.

Registering their largest victory margin of the year and keeping themselves lodged into the minor-premiership position was Caulfield Grammarians as they dispatched Parkdale Vultures by 92 points. Peppering the goals for the entirety of the day, the Fields’ registered a season high 39 scoring shots, with Nathan Page (4), Jesse Toniolo (3), Keegan Stewart (3) and Stephen Lachlan (3) the main perpetrators on the scoresheet. William Barker was the contested ball king, garnering best-on votes, while defenders Tate Short and Nathan Peterson were also heavily noticed by the umpires in the wire-to-wire victory. Caulfield will now return home for a clash with 10^th placed Fitzroy while the Vultures will look to end their slide towards relegation when they face Old Geelong.

Our final clash for Round 15 witnessed an inaccurate Old Scotch use a fourth quarter frenzy to speed past Old Geelong by 62 points. A 6.5 to 0.1 final term from the Cards’ saw their 21-point 3QT lead balloon to out over 10 goals in a matter of minutes, with defender turned forward Tom Kerr booting his only three goals of the season thus far in the final stanza. On-baller Nick Jamieson was adjudged best-afield while running mate Will Mitchell also received praise. Scotch will travel to Frearson Oval this weekend to clash with the Blues while the Ogs will do battle with the Vultures, with the winner elevating themselves out of the depths of potential relegation for 2020.