Gap between top four and the rest grows as St Kevin’s further premiership credentials

The buffer between the top four and the rest of the Holmesglen Under 19 competition has continued to grow following Round 8.

Old Brighton have continued their undefeated start to the year with a 37-point victory over Old Xaverians, thanks to a second-half scoring burst.

The Tonners led by 10 points at the quarter-time break, then just five at halftime, as Xavs found a way to remain in touch with a late goal in the second term.

Old Brighton blitzed the score sheet in the third quarter however, piling on seven straight scores, but slight inaccuracy plus another red-time goal from the Xavs kept the margin within striking distance of 21 points.

The Tonners scrapped a further eight points to start the final quarter before Old Xaverians responded again, however it was the last meaningful goal of the game for the red and black, as Old Brighton went on to score three of the last four majors to claim their seventh victory of 2025.

Charlie Richardson was best on for the Tonners as Andrew Langworthy maintained his spot in second of the leading goalkickers with a haul of three.

The loss now sits Old Xaverians on the bottom of the ladder after suffering their fourth consecutive defeat.

De La Salle have jumped to fifth on the table after a hard-fought second half saw them overcome a valiant St Bedes/Mentone Tigers outfit.

De La began with a hot start, booting the first 21 points, before the Tigers charged with  a wet sail to finish the first quarter to reduce the margin back to five.

SBMT continued their momentum into the second term , extending their lead initially out to 11 points before De La Salle hit back, but the Tigers continued to roll on to a 17-point advantage.

However, two goals in the final 90 seconds of the half brought De La roaring back to life and made the halftime margin just five points again, although this time it was in SBMT’s favour.

It was at halftime where De La Salle coach Nick Walsh decided to make deliberate changes to get the game back on his side’s terms.

“It was a competitive game. St Bedes/Mentone had the better of us in the first half,” Walsh said.

“We changed a few things up in the second half and swung momentum back our way.”

It worked a treat, as De La went on to kick a staggeringly accurate 10.1, six of those goals coming in a final quarter barrage. It wasn’t without a challenge, as SBMT even increased their halftime advantage to 10 points at three-quarter-time, but were held to just nine points in the final term as De La ran over the top to win by 17.

Emmanuel Ganas was best on for De La Salle as Mack Higginbotham slotted a game-high five goals. Jai Pugsley and Oliver Moodie punted four each to earn votes in the best for the Tigers.

St Kevin’s have increased the gulf between premiership contenders after dismantling the previously 6-1 Old Scotch.

The Cardinals were coming off a shock loss to Caulfield Grammarians in Round 7, with this week providing a genuine challenge for a rebound victory.

However, St Kevin’s capitalised on Old Scotch’s form slump, extending their lead out to 42 by halftime. The Cardinals were able to curtail some of SKOBS’ first-half efforts in the third quarter, but St Kevin’s matched the response, resulting in a 67-point victory that has only furthered their premiership credentials.

St Kevin’s coach Paul Greenham said he approached the game as a challenge to separate his side from the rest of the pack.

“I sold it as an early season eight-point game,” Greenham said.

“We set ourselves for a big challenge as Old Scotch were a bit of an unknown to us as we had no real gauge to go by due to the competition changeups. We saw it as an opportunity to separate ourselves from the lower part of the top four.”

With multiple players set to miss game time across the coming weeks for overseas holidays, Greenham stressed the importance of securing a win against quality opposition.

“Banking wins now was of huge importance,” Greenham said.

“The game was played on our terms for the first half which was pleasing. We were able to win at the contest then move the ball freely forward which gave us good looks at goals. Old Scotch adjusted in the third term, however by then the damage had been done on the scoreboard.”

Greenham commended defenders Ged Saunders, Matthew Redenbach, and Dom Portelli for their stingy displays, while Old Scotch’s Matthew Mayes was best-on for the Cardinals yet again, recording votes in all eight encounters this season.

St Kevin’s now holds top spot with a strong percentage, as Old Scotch now sit a game behind the top two with a win-loss record of 6-2.

The University Blues have increased the buffer between the top four finals spots and those who will miss out on September action after a 30-point win against Caulfield Grammarians.

Coming off three wins in the last four weeks, the Fields were not to be taken lightly against the Blues, who made sure of maintaining a four-quarter effort.

The Fields remained in touch, trailing by just 13 at quarter-time, but as the game wore on the Blues began to slip away. By three-quarter-time the lead had ballooned out to nearly 50 points, but Caulfield’s ability to fight, as seen many times this year, ensured the final result was not a blowout.

However, University’s win now means there is a two-game gap between fourth and fifth on the table, indicating there may have to be a stunning form slump or rise for the current top four sides to relinquish their position inside of finals calculations.

Looking ahead, all eight sides will take a bye across the King’s Birthday long weekend, with the competition set to resume on Saturday, June 14.