De La Salle break their drought in their battle for the Bernie Sheehy Cup

Eliza Wright

With round four coming a close, the divide between the top and the bottom has begun to grow. De La secured themselves the Bernie Sheehy cup and their first win of the season in their triumph over AJAX, meanwhile, Old Carey are yet to earn themselves a victory conceding an 83-point loss against St Bedes Mentone. Old Haileybury tick off another win over Williamstown and Uni Blacks continue their reign as they defeat Beaumaris by 74 points.

Waverley oval set the stage for the battle for the Bernie Sheehy cup between De La Salle and AJAX. De La began the game on their terms heading into the quarter time break with a healthy 24-point lead. The Jackers worked hard to close this gap with Charles Hamilton giving his all and stellar performances from Jack Lew and Kane Nissenbaum both kicking 3 goals. In the end, the might of Trent Shannon and Jake Williams awarded De La the four points. The energy at the Dairy Bell was electric as midfield asset Hugh Nicholson put on a show for his 150th game, a result new coach Nick Hyland couldn’t be happier with. Next week Da La hosts Old Carey as AJAX host Williamstown down at Gary Smorgon Oval. 

In the clash of the cats, St Bedes Mentone shuffled up to third spot on the ladder after defeating Old Carey down at Brindisi oval. Outstanding midfield pressure from the Tigers coupled with exceptional forward line accuracy from Matthew Caia and Brayden O’Toole, both securing 5 goals each, saw St Bedes lead from the beginning. Jonathan Marsh put up a good fight in the middle alongside Will Mitchell however the Panthers couldn’t convert this hunger into points on the board. St Bedes Mentone are provided with another ladder jumping opportunity as they face a strong opponent in Old Haileybury. Meanwhile, Old Carey looks forward to a bottom of the table clash against De La. 

It was business as usual for Old Haileybury as they headed down to Fearon Reserve to face Williamstown. The consistency and resolve from Durras Seccull and Jack Lonie were on display once again, proving too strong for Williamstown’s defence. Haileybury ran away with the game after halftime as Kye Turner and Brede Seccull forced the game to be played on their terms. For CY, Oskar Manton showed exceptional diligence in the forward line securing him 2 goals while youngster Liam Conway verified himself as a key strength through the midfield. Old Haileybury have no time to waste heading into round 5 as the Tigers are hungry for another win, whilst CY look forward to their match against The Jackers. 

University Blacks are the team to beat in 2022 as they record an impressive victory over Beaumaris. Matthew Grocott and Jesse Hare were among the best for the Uni Blacks showing grit and determination around the ground. Despite the unflattering scoreline for the Sharks, Callum Heath and Jordan Evans were unwavering in their pursuit of the ball, putting their body on the line to grapple the game in their favour at any chance. This fight between second and third has highlighted the synergy created on and off the field by the Blackers as they remain undefeated. Beaumaris will utilise the bye round to regroup their troops meanwhile the Uni Blacks take on the Roys. 

Photo: Angry Panda Photography