Round 1 William Buck Premier Men’s Preview

After a long summer of anticipation following one of the greatest Premier Men’s seasons in VAFA history, it’s finally time to bounce the ball in 2025.

If you ask the experts and the coaches, this next edition is likely to be every bit as competitive and exciting as 2024.

And we kick it off with some mouth-watering Round 1 match-ups:

OLD SCOTCH vs ST KEVIN’s (Camberwell Sportsground)

The Cardinals will unfurl their premiership flag ahead of taking on SKOB, a team that was within a kick of their sixth consecutive Grand Final.

Old Scotch timed their run to perfection in 2024, winning 12 of their last 14 matches to collect their second top-flight premiership in 90 years.

VFL scouts took notice and subsequently signed a whopping 15 Cardinals to VFL lists this season and this has become the ‘Great Unknown’ heading into 2025 – how many top-line Cards will be busy with VFL duties week-to-week?

Fortunately, they boast exceptional depth; some youngsters will surely thrive with greater opportunities.

2024 was a tribute to SKOB’s resilience and emotional strength. They were 10-2 after Round 12 when club favourite Michael Pisker suffered a horrific career-ending injury, which rocked the playing group to its foundations.

They would win just 2 of their final 8 games, yet still came within a kick of making the Grand Final after just falling short on Second Semi Final day.

2025 is a fresh start for a recharged SKOB to load up and go again. And what better way to make a statement than by knocking off the reigning champs on their own home turf first up?

Old Scotch will be just as motivated to launch their defence on a powerful note. What a game to open the season!

Watch the Reserves-Seniors double-header LIVE STREAMING on VAFA.com.au from 11.35am Saturday, simulcast with our award-winning VAFA SEN Match of the Day radio coverage from 1.45pm.

OLD XAVERIANS vs DE LA SALLE (Toorak Park)

Old Xavs have recruited strongly following a promising 2024 campaign that saw them narrowly miss the finals in the dying stages of the season and are a popular tip to return to the finals, potentially winning it all for the first time since 2016.

They kick off their season with the grand re-opening of a spectacularly renovated Toorak Park and will be keen to celebrate the occasion in style.

De La are back in the top-flight for the first time since 2019 and coach Nick Hyland is confident their patient build has provided them with the necessary foundation to stay there.

Consistency was the challenge for Old Xavs in 2024 – can they bring their best first up or will De La Salle mark their return to the top tier by spoiling Xavs’ party?

Watch the Reserves-Seniors double-header LIVE STREAMING on KommunityTV from 11.35am Saturday.

OLD BRIGHTON vs UNIVERSITY BLACKS (Brighton Beach Oval)

Old Brighton set the pace all season to claim the 2024 minor premiership by three-and-a-half games, before ultimately falling short on Grand Final Day.

Coach Marcel Bruin says 2025 isn’t about redemption; it’s about their longer-term quest for sustained success, which means continuous improvement, and that’s their focus.

Like Old Scotch, VFL recruiters have targeted the Tonners, with 10 players signed up to ply their trade at the next level. We wait to see the impact that has on their best available line-up week-to-week.

Uni Blacks have been slow starters the past two seasons before rattling home with a full head of steam in the back half of the year.

But they can ill afford a slow start this year, given the Tonners turned Brighton Beach Oval into a fortress last season, winning all 9 matches at home.

What a start it would be if Blacks could find a way against a team that many believe is ready to right the wrongs of 2024 and lift the silverware for the first time at the top level.

UNIVERSITY BLUES vs ST BERNARD’S (Melbourne University Oval)

At their best, Uni Blues were irresistible in 2024, but unfortunately their best deserted them in the second half of the season. They sat 6-3 after 9 rounds when gun forward James Stewart went down with a serious hamstring injury that sidelined him for six weeks. The Blues won just one more game for the entire season.

With a new coach in Matt Smith, the Blues are ready for the fresh start the new season provides and if they can fly out of the blocks and maintain their form and momentum, they loom as a team to watch.

St Bernard’s look to be a young team on the rise. They overcame a brutal injury list to give a great account of themselves in their first season back in Premier Men’s and coach Steve Alessio is excited by the young group at his disposal, which now includes his nephew – former Carlton AFL player Matthew Watson, who will provide them with a big, strong target Inside 50.

But the Snowdogs travelled about as well as a bowl of minestrone on a motorbike in 2024, losing all 9 games away from the Snake Pit.

Can they snap that trend straight up against the Blues at one of trickier away venues in the competition?

OLD HAILEYBURY vs COLLEGIANS (Princes Park)

The weekend’s final game might be its most intriguing as 2024 Premier B champions Old Haileybury return to Premier Men’s by hosting 2023 champions Collegians.

The Bloods agonisingly missed remaining in the top-flight by just 1.62% at the end of 2023 and, after a dominant Premier B season, are much better prepared to cope with the demands of Premier Men’s footy.

Collegians endured a challenging premiership defence in 2024. Crippled by injuries, they fought gallantly to scrape into September in a thrilling final round but had nothing more to give by the time they got there.

Coach Jordie McKenzie enters his second season in charge and will have spent the summer adding layers to the Lions’ gameplan.

Where do both these teams sit in the overall pecking order? We’ll get our first indication this weekend when they size each other up at Princes Park.

VAFA MEDIA LIVE COVERAGE – ROUND 1

SATURDAY APRIL 5:

SEN MATCH OF THE DAY – Old Scotch vs St Kevin’s             

11.35am – Reserves (VAFA.com.au live stream)

1.45pm – Seniors: VAFA.com.au (live stream) & SEN app (audio)

KOMMUNITY TV DOUBLE HEADER – Old Xaverians vs De La Salle

11.35am – Reserves

1.45pm – Seniors