Two thrillers headline blockbuster Round 6 action

Two games decided by less than a kick have captivated audiences across the latest weekend of Holmesglen Under 19 Premier action, as a buffer between the top three sides and the rest of the competition begins to emerge.

Old Brighton have triumphed in an away victory over St Bedes/Mentone Tigers, after a destructive nine-goal final term ended the Tigers’ hopes of an upset victory.

The Tonners, who headed into the game undefeated, were stunned by a hard-working SBMT outfit, who were not letting their ladder position define their effort in the cold, drizzly conditions.

SBMT took a minor two-point lead at quarter time, albeit due to some help from Old Brighton’s goalkicking inaccuracy, but continued to hold their own up until the halftime break.

The Tonners had kicked 17 scoring shots (5.12) to 10 (5.5) but only held a slim seven-point advantage over the home side.

Old Brighton began to click into gear in the second half, finding form that demonstrated why they are the reigning premiers. The Tonners scored seven of the first eight scores in the third term to extend the margin out to 23 by three-quarter-time, before SBMT’s defence began to fall.

The Tonners would kick nine final quarter goals, including a patch of play that saw three consecutive goals to Tommy Keyte, turning the game from a competitive contest to a 65-point mauling.

The win keeps Old Brighton undefeated in 2025, while St Bedes/Mentone drop to 2-4 for the season.

Keyte (five goals) and Andrew Langworthy (four) were Old Brighton’s best, while SBMT’s Rhett Fernando was commendable.

A controlled effort from start to finish has seen St Kevin’s claim its fifth win of 2025 against De La Salle.

In the morning conditions the game began fairly scrappy, with De La holding a slim advantage at quarter-time, 1.2 (8) to 1.1 (7).

SKOB found their groove in the second term though, holding De La Salle goalless while kicking four more themselves, creating a handy buffer at the main break.

Their control on the contest remained in the second half, limiting De La to just another 20 points for the game while St Kevin’s raced towards the triple-figure mark.

SKOB fell short of the ton by eight points but secured a landslide victory by the final siren, claiming a 63-point win.

St Kevin’s’ Lucas May and Benjamin Palmer were impressive with four and three goals respectively, while Joshua Murray, Hugo Sheedy and Pat Russell were among De La Salle’s best.

Old Scotch have once again delivered a stirring final quarter comeback to cause heartbreak for the Uni Blues, defeating University by two points in eerily similar fashion to their encounter earlier this year.

The game was neck-and-neck for the first half, with the Uni Blues heading into the main break with just an eight-point lead. The Blues extended their lead to 15 by three-quarter-time, coincidentally the exact same lead they had against the Cardinals just three weeks ago before they succumbed to a nine-point defeat.

In the wet conditions the final quarter was more contested than the previous match, with the low-scoring affair seeing both sides barely squeeze past the 50-point mark on the scoreboard. In the end, Old Scotch made the most of their chances late to pull through for a classic two-point win, 51-53.

Uni Blues coach Steve Boakes said Old Scotch’s effectiveness in the weather was the difference by the final siren.

“In wet conditions Old Scotch were a bit more efficient with their ball use,” Boakes said.

“We need to be better for longer but again proved we are not far away from a quality outfit… Our backs led by (Lachlan) Gilligan, (William) Francis, and (Sam) Lindsay did well to contain Scotch’s quality small forwards for most of the match but in the end their ability to hit the scoreboard with accuracy was the difference.”

Two goals to Tom Farrer and Tommy Meggitt see the two rewarded as best on ground for the Cardinals.

In another cracking thriller, Caulfield Grammarians have upset Old Xaverians to level the playing field in the Under 19 Premier competition, with their three-point win placing all bottom-four teams in a heated relegation race, as all four sit with a 2-4 record.

The game was once again impacted by the wet weather forecast, making it yet another low scoring clash. Old Xavs began kicking ineffectively, scoring 0.4 in the first term, however Caulfield only managed one shot on goal to sneak a two-point lead at quarter-time.

The scoring rate improved in the second term, with both sides combining for seven goals and only two behinds. Xavs scored an extra goal in the period, reversing the Fields’ quarter-time advantage in their favour.

Both sides scrapped in the third term to keep the margin within one straight kick, but the Xavs seemingly found a way halfway through the last, leading by a game high 14 points. Caulfield Grammarians coach Cooper Rule said it was purely the players’ hunger and desperation at the contest to come back and steal victory.

“With less than half a quarter to play and down 14 points on their home deck in wet conditions, to claw back and come away with the win was a real credit to the way this group fights and scraps for one another,” Rule said.

“We were able to win the territory and stoppage battle in particular. A pretty special win highlighted by a massive final term from Eddie Gibb and Jude Fountain, supported by an outstanding all round team effort.”

Fountain kicked four of Caulfield’s eight, while Gibb was able to snag a major himself too. Ted Hansen was Old Xaverians’ best, while three goals by Gerard Forrest was the most of any red and black player.

In Round 7, De La Salle take on Old Brighton, while ladder-leaders Old Scotch host bottom-of-the-table Caulfield, although following Round 6’s upset win its clear it won’t be a gimme for the Cardinals.

Old Xaverians will look to rebound against St Kevin’s, while Uni Blues will look to improve their fourth-place buffer against St Bedes/Mentone, who are one win shy from replacing the Blues inside the finals position.