Bloods in Grand Final, Ts and OGs play out thriller

Old Haileybury is the first of two sides to graduate from Premier B, defeating De La Salle by 41 points in the second semi final at Box Hill City Oval and securing a place in the Grand Final to take place in two weeks time.

It’s a successful bounce back to William Buck Premier for the Bloods, who despite a six-win season were sent down in 2023, finishing 1.52% shy of safety in its first year in top flight since 2011.

Now Daniel Ward’s men, following a 14-win home-and-away season, will be out for their second Premier B premiership in three years.

“Obviously it didn’t go our way last year – a bit unlucky, winning six games and going down on percentage,” Ward said.

“It’s a real credit to our group. I’m really proud of them.”

Ward felt as if his side was able to set the game up well in the first term, and the signs were there early in the piece – De La Salle kicking with a wind that has been so prevalent over the last fortnight of football in the Amateurs, yet unable to capitalise, kicking 1.4 (10) from 16 inside 50s, as compared to the Bloods’ 4.1 (25) from ten entries.

Space inside the Bloods’ forward 50 allowed dangerous forward Andreas Stefanakis two early goals, dynamic key Harrison Jones joining Stefanakis on the scorer’s sheet with one major of his own.

Nick Hyland was left to rue his squad’s over-use of the football, inviting pressure from an Old Haileybury squad that would ultimately record 38 more contested possessions, 15 more clearances and 11 more tackles.

“We expected their best, and I think that’s what we got. I think they dominated every facet of the game…every KPI you look at, they beat us,” Hyland said.

“It was disappointing that we didn’t quite get our game up and going, but credit to them, they didn’t allow us to get our game up and going.

“They were able to take their chances, and we sort of squandered ours when we got some looks.”

With the wind, the Bloods extended their advantage to 32 points at the long break, Stefanakis having booted three goals while Brede Seccull, Josh Gaspirini and Charlie Harrop were busy.

And after half time, the Old Haileyburians enjoyed a territory advantage that ensured any comeback would be mightily difficult to undertake, winning ten more inside 50s than De La in the second half and incrementally increasing its advantage to eventually run out 15.13 (103) to 9.8 (62) victors.

Stefanakis and Jones finished with four goals apiece, while Charlie Harrop had claims to best-on-ground honours with two goals from 26 disposals.

The availability of the full complement of Old Haileyburian forwards has been a key storyline this season – and with Stefanakis, Jones and Harrop available, the Bloods look nigh on unstoppable forward of the football.

“They’re all professional – the good thing about them is that they’re all different types of match-ups. ‘Dre’ (Andre Stefanakis) is good on the ground, but also very good overhead,” said Daniel Ward.

“Charlie (Harrop)’s an athlete who can leap and take a catch, and can get up (the ground) and back, and Jonesy (Harrison Jones) is more of a key forward that flies for everything.”

The Bloods will meet the winner of this weekend’s preliminary final, De La to play Old Trinity for a place in the Grand Final and William Buck Premier.

“I just said to (the playing group), ‘this is why we worked so hard through the year to fight for the double chance’,” said Nick Hyland.

“We’ll reset, our group’s been pretty resilient all year and able to bounce back.”

Old Trinity survived a thriller at Trevor Barker Beach Oval, defeating Old Geelong by two points in a contest heavily influenced by horrendously wet and windy conditions.

In a game where just nine goals were kicked, Old Trinity’s prime movers looked a cut above, but were somewhat caught out when the rain and wind intensified – conditions that favoured the OGs.

“There’s no doubt, when the conditions changed we were trying to play dry-weather football,” said Old Trinity coach Donald McDonald.

“They were super smart, kicking the ball off the ground, surging the ball forward.”

In a desperately tense affair, the OGs took the lead in the third term through Nick Freeman, but scores were level early in the fourth with high-quality scoring opportunities frightfully difficult to muster.

But when Connor Dixon found spearhead Matt Wallis in space inside 50 in the fourth quarter, who duly converted, the OGs were six points up and looked to have a handle on the territory battle.

Had Ts’ backman George Belcher not been on the line to fist a hacked shot from Jack Sheridan through for a rushed behind minutes later, the OGs would’ve been hard to catch.

“They had all the momentum, our defence was under all sorts of pressure. Our boys hung in there really well,” said McDonald.

Despite its ascendancy, Old Geelong couldn’t extend its advantage across the middle period of the quarter – and at the 21-minute mark, classy Ts midfielder Alex Emery was clipped high deep in the left forward pocket.

With a wet Sherrin in hand, Emery went back and nailed the set shot from 40 metres, tying the scores as the quarter ticked into time-on and the rain intensified.

Any score would do from that point – and Ollie Scott’s rolling snap at the 26-minute mark pushed through for a behind by OGs defender Lachie Dunell gave the Ts a one-point lead.

From there, it was contested chaos in increasingly biblical conditions. The OGs, with no hope of clean, precise football such was the wind and rain, sought numbers to sweep past the football from behind, with the hope of forcing the ball inside 50.

But Old Trinity’s midfielders kept the ball in tight, moved ever forward, and Christos Manoussakis hacked a kick inside 50 in the direction of Dom Payman, who was afforded the chance to steady and snap to seal the game.

But he missed, and with moments left, the OGs had one last chance – and took it.

Through Matt Bird and Sam Barnett the OGs found the corridor with Jack Anderson sweeping by from half back in what Donald McDonald later labelled the Ts’ “loosest play” of the afternoon.

Anderson’s left-foot kick was a desperate hack, bending into centre-half-forward – but finding Mickey Nicholls in space, who marked on his chest between the fifty-metre arc and the front edge of the centre square.

It was at that moment the final siren blew, the OGs two points in arrears, and Nicholls tasked with the enormous challenge of punting a sodden Sherrin some 60 metres for a goal to win the semi final with the game’s final kick.

Nicholls’ raking left boot was straight enough – but his kick fell three metres short, the stacked Ts defence batting the ball down to book a place in next week’s preliminary final in a 4.14 (38) to 5.6 (36) win.

“It was indicative of the game – it could’ve gone either way,” said McDonald of Nicholls’ final shot.

Afterwards, Old Geelong coach Nathan Brown joined club president Simon Bones in expressing his enormous pride to the playing group, which had come desperately close to winning the club’s first-ever final in Premier B.

“So proud. From the president to the boot stutter, they’re all good people,” Brown said.

“Right down to the last kick of the day, we threw everything at a quality opposition.

“The boys got to do something that has been near-on impossible for every other group.”

The OGs’ 12-6 home-and-away season is well worth celebrating, even if the two-point loss will sting those who have been so committed at Como Park this year.

“Everyone just takes a deep breath, and we’ll evaluate that over the next week,” Brown said.

“I had a ‘coach sleep’ last night where you’re just thinking of moments, just little moments. I didn’t sleep much!”

Matt Wallis “was a star” with two goals, Harry Kol racked up 25 disposals, while Jack Sheridan’s battle in the ruck with the Ts’ Harry Thompson was excellent to watch.

Donald McDonald lauded his defenders, the likes of Ed Weatherson and George Belcher superb with Lachie Mulcahy absent from the senior side – but expect Mulcahy to face De La this weekend.

“They didn’t yield, our blokes,” said McDonald.

“We knew what we were going into – after the Old Haileybury game, (the OGs) had two good wins against Beaumaris and De La.

“(Christos) Manoussakis, Emery, (Hugo) McGlashan and Ollie Scott were really terrific. Our senior players really stepped up and led the way, which you really need in a finals match.”

In this weekend’s preliminary final the Ts will be out for their first appearance in top flight since a three-win season in 2022 saw them relegated, De La’s last appearance coming back in 2019.

“We’ve had two really good encounters against them, one win each during the year,” said De La coach Nick Hyland.

“They’ve got some really classy players that we feel like we know really well.”

“It’ll be a hot contest, as most finals are.”

Donald McDonald’s message ahead of the game is simple.

“It’s going to be up to our boys to get out there and believe in themselves,” he said.

The ball will be bounced at 2:30pm at Trevor Barker Beach Oval this Sunday, the 15th of September, with a spot in the Premier B Grand Final and in William Buck Premier in 2025 on the line.