VAFA William Buck Premier Men’s Round 9 Preview

William Buck Premier Men’s returns from the bye with a bang, headlined by the next chapter in a storied rivalry.

ST KEVIN’S vs OLD SCOTCH (Saturday 2pm – TH King Oval)

The match of the round will be for huge stakes, with the winner to go a game clear of the loser inside the Top 4.

These two teams met on Preliminary Final Day 2024, with the Cardinals ending SKOB’s dream of a sixth straight Grand Final with a withering 7-goal-to-1 final term delivering a 44-point win.

They met again in Round 1, with Old Scotch leading comfortably all afternoon before SKOB stormed home to close the final margin to 14 points in a game that was considerably more one-sided than that.

Fast forward to Round 9 and these two teams enter on vastly different form lines.

St Kevin’s arrive determined to atone for tight back-to-back losses – a 12-point defeat at the hands of Old Haileybury at TH King, followed by a 6-point heartbreaker after the Blacks booted 3 late goals to steal an all-timer.

Old Scotch, on the other hand, will roll into enemy territory on a 2-game winning streak that has ignited a premiership defence that looked to be at risk of stalling. The reigning champs obliterated St Bernard’s, then came from nowhere as James Tarrant booted 5 goals in 13 minutes to catapult the Cards past the Blues in an unforgettable final term.

Mark Gnatt’s men will head to the opening bounce at TH King on a 3-game streak against SKOB, which includes an eye-catching 8-goal win on St Kevin’s turf in Round 15 last season – a performance that franked their premiership credentials.

The Cardinals are ranked #4 in Attack on the back of 20 and 15 goals from their last 2 starts. Can they repeat that dose against SKOB’s 3^rd ranked Defence that hasn’t conceded 15 goals in a game in their last 13 starts? The last team to kick 15 against them? Yep, you guessed it – Old Scotch at TH King.

Five of SKOB’s eight matches have been decided by 12 points or less. The Cards have only played one tight game all season – a 5-point loss to the Blacks in Round 6.

This will be a statement win for whichever team collects the 4 points.

Don’t miss this critical clash, live streaming from 1.45pm on VAFA.com.au, simulcast with VAFA Media’s award-winning radio coverage on the SEN app.

And if you’re heading to the game – TAKE YOUR HEADPHONES – and enjoy our commentary in REAL-TIME through your phone via the VAFA’s SEN Stadium technology!

ST BERNARD’S vs UNIVERSITY BLUES (Saturday 2pm – Snake Pit)

Another game with enormous stakes will play out at St Bernard’s College, as the 6^th placed Snowdogs (4-4) host the 8^th placed Blues (2-6). The hosts must win to remain on Top 4 pace, while the Blues risk falling a game off the pace in the race to avoid relegation.

Just like the SKOB-Cards game, the ladder and the lead-in form don’t necessarily correlate.

St Bernard’s enter two games clear of the Blues but are on a 2-game losing streak after a hammering from Old Scotch was followed by a gritty 2-goal loss to the Bloods at Princes Park.

Remarkably, the Dogs are yet to win at home this season. Granted, those defeats have been at the hands of three quality teams – Old Brighton (54pts Rd.3), Old Xavs (35pts Rd.5) and Old Scotch (80pts Rd.7).

So now is the time for them to stand up and post a win in front of their St Bernard’s faithful against a team the ladder suggests they should take care of.

But, as mentioned above, the ladder can be deceptive, and the Blues are a much better team than 2-6 suggests.

They arrive at the Snake Pit on a 4-game losing streak, but they have led three handy teams at three-quarter time in their past 3 starts. Unfortunately for Matt Smith’s men, they have let all three games slip through their fingers.

Which brings us to the last time these two teams met.

It was the opening round at Melbourne Uni, and the Blues actually led when the final siren sounded, only for Snowdog Joey Agresta to go back and steal a 1-point win with a clutch goal after the siren.

The Blues could conceivably be 6-2 rather than 2-6, but the reality is that they aren’t.

Can they overcome their shaky final terms and continue the Snowdogs run of outs at home?

Or will St Bernard’s consolidate and remain on Top 4 pace?

Find out on our Kommunity TV live stream double-header – it’s the Reserves from 11.35am Saturday, followed by the Senior clash from 1.45pm.

DE LA SALLE vs OLD XAVERIANS (Saturday 2pm – Waverley Oval)

Old Xaverians sit second on the ladder, and most of the major statistical categories suggest that they ARE the clear standout behind Old Brighton in the race for the double chance.

They head to Waverley for the first time in six years, having won 5 of their last 6 starts and the supreme confidence that comes from having belted De La Salle by 129 points in the opening round this season.

De La are finding their return to Premier Men’s for the first time in six years to be a steep challenge.

Yet to win a game (and with an average losing margin of 61 points), Nick Hyland’s men continue to focus on week-to-week development and improvement in the hope that, at some stage, their patches of clarity and dominance can deliver the preferred result on the scoreboard.

They were humiliated by Xavs in their opening-round return to the top-flight and will be hell-bent on showing how much they’ve improved in their seven starts since.

However, Dan Donati’s line-up is proving a hard nut to crack, with a star-studded midfield supporting a solid defence and feeding a potent attack that boasts multiple avenues to goal.

They have all the necessary weapons to mount a premiership assault, and this week add triple All-Australian and premiership Swan Josh Kennedy to their ranks!

Xavs have been ruthless in disposing of teams once they take control of a game.

But for all of that, the reality is that their last 3 starts have delivered a heavy loss (61pts to Old Brighton) and a narrow win (coming from behind to beat the Blues).

De La can take heart from that Blues performance in Round 7. They showed that you can hang in there against Xavs and take them out of their comfort zone.

But to do that, the hosts are going to need to convert the periods of the game when they do find themselves with momentum into score. They have shown themselves capable of stretching teams but haven’t been able to score heavily enough when in control.

Is this the afternoon when all their little gains deliver a hard-earned 4 points, or will Xavs keep rolling and retain their grip on second spot?

Catch the action LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm Saturday.

COLLEGIANS vs OLD HAILEYBURY (Saturday 2pm – Harry Trott Oval)

Harry Trott Oval has been a fortress for Collegians over the years, but in 2025, the Lions are 0-4 at home.

Three of those four defeats have been agonisingly tight ones (5pts Blues, 7pts St Bernard’s & 7pts SKOB) – 3 results that could otherwise have Jordie McKenzie’s men inside the Top 4, as opposed to the relegation zone where they currently find themselves.

Their cause won’t be helped by the overseas departure of Nathan Boucher for the rest of the season and a nasty-looking hamstring injury to Will Mayhood.

Nor will it be helped by the recent form of Old Haileybury, who arrive at Round 9 with an impressive 6-2 record, making a fine fist of their return to the top-flight.

Old Brighton aside, Daniel Ward’s men are as in-form as any team in the competition, riding a 5-game winning streak. But it’s how they are winning that is catching the eye.

The Bloods have been forced to fight for their victories, coming from behind to defeat the Blues, then holding their nerve late to see off St Kevin’s and St Bernard’s. They are showing the necessary composure that can carry them into a finals series by turning tight games into wins.

And, as mentioned earlier, this has been the specific area where the Lions have fallen short this season.  

The time has come for the 2023 Premier Men’s champions to spark their season with a win over the 2024 Premier B champions.

Can they make a statement and collect 4 precious premiership points in the race to avoid relegation, or will the Bloods continue their winning ways in the race for the double chance?

UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs OLD BRIGHTON (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne University Oval)

Can the Tonners put together the perfect season?

That’s the question that will start being asked if they hit the midway mark of the campaign with a perfect record.

But to get there, they must safely navigate a potential ‘banana peel’ game this weekend against the competition’s quiet achievers – the Uni Blacks, who have compiled a 3-game winning streak that has included two absolute nailbiters and a comfortable win over De La Salle.

Having lost 4 of their first 5, Dale Bower’s men fell over the line against a fast-finishing Old Scotch in Round 6, but it was a victory based on a scintillating 8-goal-to-1 opening half that made the competition sit up and take notice.

They carried that form into a handsome 70-point victory over De La, and then came back from the dead to boot 3 goals in the last 4 minutes of the game to steal an unforgettable win over St Kevin’s last start.

It was a victory based on never-say-die attitude – the same mindset they will need to bring against the Tonners, who have swept all before them so far in 2025.

Last year’s minor premiers have repeatedly said that this season is NOT about redemption after last year’s September disappointment. But they are playing with a brand of steely determination that smacks of a team fully committed to taking care of unfinished business.

With an average winning margin of 56 points, they have only been stretched once this season – by St Kevin’s in Round 4, who led them at the final change before the Tonners climbed over them late to win by 7 points.

Since then, they’ve posted wins of 45, 61, 51 and 86 points. Given they roasted the Blacks by 96 points in the opening round, they will enter as unbackable favourites.

But then again – SKOB were unbackable favourites at the 31-minute mark of the last quarter in Round 8… and someone forgot to tell the Blacks.

Can they pull off the upset of the year and post a fourth straight win? Or will the Tonners hit the halfway mark with their perfect record intact?

Amateur Footballer Record – Week 9

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 9 

SATURDAY JUNE 14 – 2pm:

St Kevin’s                     vs             Old Scotch                 VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM & SEN app – 1.45pm

St Bernard’s                 vs             University Blues         Kommunity TV DOUBLE-HEADER – 11.35am

De La Salle                   vs             Old Xaverians             VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm

Collegians                    vs             Old Haileybury

University Blacks        vs             Old Brighton

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV