Joel Kennedy

Round 5 of the Holmesglen Under 19’s Premier Men’s competition delivered a handful of close games and exhilarating matchups, which a major upset by St Bedes/Mentone Tigers over Old Xaverians. It is a tight contest for the young guns of the VAFA who consistently deliver skilfully contested performances week in, week out.

The weekend kicked off with an intriguing matchup between Old Brighton and the University Blues. Despite a lopsided opening term in favour of Brighton, It was the Blues who bounced back in the second term, trailing by just 16 points at the main break.

Alas it was not to be for the Blues, as the undefeated Old Brighton stormed home late to secure a 33-point victory. Old Brighton have now extended their winning streak to five and sit solitary at the top of the ladder.

For Old Brighton, Jonah Campigli continued his goal-kicking form, slotting 3 majors. Oliver Goodger, Cooper Dowe, Ryan McKenzie and Flynn Bongiorno were also impressive in the win. For the opposition, Willem Sanders, Jevan Gunaratnam, William Richter, Lachlan Rees, Henry Woolcock and Grant Walker showed promising signs.

The match of the round involved Old Scotch triumphing over rival St Kevin’s in a nailbiter at Camberwell Sports Ground. SKOB had their nose in front right through the match, when a fourth quarter showdown saw both sides attack the scoreboard. Old Scotch rallied against the old rival, to fly home as 1-point victors. The Stars held their nerve and quietly shone across the park before making a late dash to seal the win, in what would prove to be a historical clash between two quality sides.

With the victory, Old Scotch make the move up to second position on the ladder, just a game behind the unbeaten Old Brighton. It was Will Hucker, Jasper Hassoun, Aiden Brien, Oliver Iser, Matthew Mayes and Jake Phillips who drove the side to victory. Despite a heartbreaking loss, St Kevin’s remain in third position. Jack Luscombe-Gluyas, George Delimitrou, Jackson O’Malley, Ben Ball, Liam Hepburn and Fred Noble were amongst the best in Round 5.

Later in the day, Caulfield Grammarians put De La Salle to the sword, winning by 32-points. Leading the entire day, Caulfield cruised to an authoritative win, notching up their third for the year. Charlie Eerhard, Ronan James, Hamish McInerney, Nick Madgwick, Lachlan Lawrence and Tommy Warner were pivotal in the win.

It was inaccuracy that was the common theme on the day for opposition De La Selle, kicking nine goals and a disappointing 15 behinds. Captain Max Miller impressed with 3 majors, whilst Josh Cumberlidge, Hugo Sheedy, Jackson Cauchi, Tom Childs and Joshua Stewart all put in strong performances.  The side remains winless in 2024.

The penultimate game of Round 5 saw St Bedes/Mentone Tigers outrun the Old Xavierians at Stradbroke park, in what was an upset no one saw coming. St Bedes started strong to let their opposition know they came to play, and that they did. The Tigers put in a consistent 4 quarters, but it was a fiery dash home hitting the scoreboard with 6 majors in the final term to walk away with a 34-point victory.

Sacha Dimachki, Ben Hempel and Liam Bowles spearheaded the attack up forward for the victors, each kicking 4 goals for St Bedes/Mentone. Bennett Martin, Ethan Hall and Cooper Donnellan were also named amongst the best. Thomas Delahunt, Oliver Britten-Jones, Atticus Scally, Ed Dalton, Nick Honeyman and Fred Visentini were the shining light for Old Xavs in the loss.

A twilight contest between Beaumaris and Williamstown CYMS round out the weekend. The opening quarter was hard fought with only 1 point separating the two sides, but it was the Sharks who kicked away in a second quarter, kicking 4 goals to Williamtown’s 1.

Once the Sharks got the upper hand they didn’t let go and the day ended with a Beaumaris 37-point win at Banksia reserve. Jhett Haeata was named best afield, whilst Angus Bowd, Carlos Reynolds, Mitchell Davidson and Aiden McCarthy were solid for the sharks.  Xavier Snelling, Cooper Eaton, Ben Davies, Andreas Martinez, Jack Wheeler and Charlie Norris toiled hard for Williamstown CYMS in the loss. They will look to next week to improve against St Kevin’s.

Looking ahead, the top of the table will face off at Camberwell Sportsground in a not-to-be-missed battle between Old Scotch and Old Brighton. The Round starts bright and early for these two sides, with everything on the line. Over at the infamous Stradbroke Park, Old Xaverians are looking to get back on the winners list when they host a winless De La Salle. This is sure to be no walk in the park for De La but their competitiveness against Caulfield in Round 5 shows they are not to be underestimated.

Williamstown CYMS will cross the West Gate Bridge to face St Kevin’s OB, whilst University Blues come up against Beaumaris at home. Round 6 culminates in a contest between St Bedes/Mentone Tigers and Caulfield Grammarians, both of whom are coming off strong wins.