Williamstown cause an upset in a tight race for finals

Bailey Berry

Round 14 was another great showing by the VAFA’s young elite. St Kevin’s posted an impressive victory which keeps them two wins clear of the pack. SBMT now sit third and have arguably been the dark horse of U19 Premier division in 2023. Old Scotch, University Blues, Williamstown, and Old Brighton sit at the bottom half of the ladder, each possessing 6 wins thus far.

Old Brighton def by. St Kevin’s by 5 points.

St Kevin’s asserted their dominance in what was arguably the match of the round. Despite a slow start at Brighton Beach Oval, they were able to clench a clutch victory. SKOB delivered a 5-goal last quarter which propelled them over the line. Though Old Brighton’s performance across the first three quarters was outstanding.

J. Campigil continued his stellar form for Old Brighton, booting 3 majors in a comprehensive individual performance. He is a name to watch across the next 12 months.

St. Kevins’ composure is becoming more evident as the season progresses. They have talented players across every line who refuse to walk away with a loss. Though they’ll be disappointed at how they started this game, they still walk away from round 13 as premiership favourites. The ever-consistent group of R. Fernandes, H. Trotter, J. Palmer, S. Duffy, H. Kirkwood & B. Bryan propelled SKOB to their 11^th win of the year.

Old Brighton will face Williamstown in Round 13, while St Kevin’s will host Caulfield at home.

Caulfield Grammarians def. De La Salle by 39 points.

Caulfield may have slightly snuck under the radar in 2023. With 7 wins and a healthy percentage, they look primed for a finals berth in 2023. De La only sits one spot behind the Grammarians but have struggled to find consistency in this dense section.

Caulfield started hot, sitting at 40 points by quarter time. They were able to maintain a strong lead and cruise home in the final 3 quarters. De La Salle’s defensive unit were no match for the trio of T. Warner, C. Hankin & A. Loughnan, who combined for 13 majors. This remains one of Caulfield’s most dominant performances of the season.

De La Salle struggled to counter the dominance of Caulfield’s bigger bodies down forward for the duration of the contest. They also only posted one behind in the opening quarter and entered the first break down by 39 points. This poor start may be difference between them playing finals in a month’s time. They now sit in fifth. M. Wain, M. Higginbotham, L. Lyngberg, J. Torey-Toth, A. Liakakos & T. Martin were all strong in a losing side.

Caulfield look ahead to St Kevin’s, which will be a good test and De La will face University Blues.

Old Scotch def. St Bernards by 75 points.

Scotch have given themselves a nice percentage boost on the eve of finals. They were able to assertively defeat St Bernards at Camberwell Sports Ground on Saturday.

St Bernards posted an impressive opening half, remaining on the tail of Old Scotch. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas in the second half and fell short by 75 points. D. Gilham kicked an impressive 3 goals.

Scotch sparked up in the second half and showed why they’re on the cusp of a finals berth in 2023. They slotted 11 second half majors and kept the opposition to a scoreless fourth term. They have an important month ahead. A. Ryan, J. Rendelmann, T. Basile, D. Gilham, L. Gibson & J. Maddox dominated for the home side.

St Bernards will play SBMT under lights at Brindisi Street on Friday. Scotch will clash with Old Xavierans.

University Blues def by. St. Bedes/Mentone Tigers by 3 points.

St Bedes have secured another impressive win in their pursuit of a 2023 finals berth. A come from behind effort in the 4^th quarter has allowed them to jump to 3^rd position on the ladder. Uni will be disappointed to have missed this win on their home deck. They have slipped to 7^th.

J. Ryder was a standout for SBMT. The hardworking bull has put in a consistent season which has included a debut for St Bedes/Mentone’s senior side.

Uni’s A. Dowsley slotted 4 in a comprehensive performance for the forward pillar. He now sits 4^th overall in the section’s goalkicking award.

St Bedes will look to tick the box against St Bernards on Friday evening, while the University Blues will clash with De La at home.

Williamstown CYMS def. Old Xaverians by 15 points.

This irrefutably important victory for Williamstown will aid their descent up the ladder as the season draws a close. They utilised their home deck to a tee off against the reigning premiers. Xavier remains 2^nd on the ladder but a loss like this may dent their confidence on the eve of finals.

The skill efficiency and football IQ of Williamstown’s A. Williams, S. Elford, N. Sayers, F. Lodge & A. Martinez was on full display in this famous victory. A. Fernandes built upon his brilliant form and slotted one major.

Xavs will consolidate and put this performance behind them. They have real ambition in achieving back-to-back premierships and have had a great season thus far. T. Bourne, N. Pozzi, S. Noonan, N. Honeyman & D. Calvert were admirable in a losing effort.

Old Xavier will reload against Old Scotch this weekend, as Williamstown faces Old Brighton.