Rovers triumph to secure promotion and Grand Final berth

A high-stakes Preliminary Final at Elsternwick Park saw the Hampton Rovers defeat the Parkdale Vultures by a mere 7 points to earn a promotion to Premier B in 2025, not before an exciting Grand-Final match-up against Old Carey this weekend.

The breeze favoured Hampton in the first quarter, who made the most of the opportunity with six goals shared amongst six different players to get their supporter base fired up. With Parkdale’s defenders taking a hit with the early onslaught from the Rovers, the Vultures sent key forward Mitch Brown down back to help stop the bleeding.

The Vultures were virtually silenced on the scoreboard until they managed a late goal, lucky to only have a 35-point deficit at quarter-time as the Rovers could’ve been much further ahead if not for some inaccuracy.

Parkdale’s fortunes quickly turned in the second quarter as it became clear the Glen Huntly Road end was the scoring end. A strong contingent of Vultures supporters were situated behind the goals and thrilled to see Parkdale kick five goals to Hampton’s two throughout the second quarter. There was a strong sense around the ground that momentum was shifting, and Parkdale had well and truly found their way back into the game, trailing by just 12-points at half-time.

It was clear the Rovers would need to build a strong lead in the third quarter with the breeze to favour them. By and large, whilst the third quarter saw some good play around the ground, many fierce contests and strong showings of effort meant that both teams struggled to get the Sherrin through the big sticks. Both teams managed just the one goal whilst Hampton also recorded five behinds, narrowly increasing their lead to 15-points at three-quarter time. The game was well and truly in the balance and anyone’s to win.

Parkdale started strong with the first goal of the fourth quarter. At this stage, thirteen of the game’s seventeen goals had been kicked at that end of the ground (Glen Huntly Road end). Could that trend continue to work in the Vultures favour? Scoring began to stagnate as both teams brought pressure to the contest, eager to lock the ball into their forward 50. The Rovers stood up and found two brilliant goals under pressure, bringing the margin back out to 20 points with not long left to play. Despite the best efforts of Parkdale with two impressive late goals, it was ultimately not enough as the siren sounded, and the Hampton Rovers were declared victors in the preliminary final by just 7-points; 11.10 (76) to 10.9 (69).

Hampton’s midfielders were integral to their success, particularly Christian Carnovale, who found himself in the best players column for an eleventh time this season. Up forward, Max Coughlin, William Crawford, and Liam O’Driscoll each contributed two goals. Parkdale’s leading forwards Mitch Brown and Max Phillips each starred with three goals, ably assisted on the day by best players that included Matthew Emmanouil, Jack Edwards and Darcy Brown.

In a game that had a lot on the line and a lot for both sides to play for, it was pleasing to see a strong turnout of supporters, family members, and friends of players from both Hampton and Parkdale. The cooler, spring conditions didn’t deter any of the fans on the sidelines who were eager to cheer their team onto a Grand Final position, and a promotion to Premier B in 2025: be they standing behind the goals, finding a spot of sun on the lawn, or tooting their car horns in synchrony after a goal was kicked.

This loss brings a well-rounded season 2025 from the Parkdale Vultures to a close. Finishing 4^th with 12 wins, it was always going to be an uphill battle to advance deep into the Final Series, however, the Vultures will be pleased with their efforts, particularly after defeating the higher-placed AJAX in last week’s elimination finals. With a high-profile list, they may be disappointed not to have taken it all the way to a Grand Final, but overall, there is not too much to be disappointed about in what was a successful season. Parkdale’s strength up forward was a defining characteristic of their 2024 season, as Mitch Brown finishes the season with an incredible 87 goals. Special mentions to Jai Elcock and Kai Day with 31 and 26 goals, respectively.

The Parkdale Vultures have another chance at glory when their Premier C Reserves side comes up against AJAX in the Grand Final this Saturday.

All eyes turn to the Premier C Men’s Grand Final between Old Carey and the Hampton Rovers, to be played on Saturday afternoon at Trevor Barker Beach Oval. Old Carey earnt the week off after defeating the Rovers in the double-chance final, however are somewhat disadvantaged in that this game will be played on the ground the Rovers called home in 2024.

The Rovers will certainly be hungry to level up the tally given Old Carey have beaten them on two of the three occasions these sides have met this year. However, Old Carey will be fresh after enjoying a week off and will be looking to prove why they finished as minor premiers in the home and away season. Nonetheless, both sides have well and truly earnt a promotion to Premier B, but will be keen to acquire the final piece of the puzzle in 2024 through claiming some silverware in Premier C.