Pirates drop their first at home, Elsternwick record their first win

Round 9 produced some upsets across Division 1, however the greatest success story from the weekend would have to be Elsternwick winning their first game since being promoted from Division 2. The Wickers had come close on at least two occasions this season, but finally managed to string together a four quarter-game to claim the four points against Therry Penola.

Elsternwick flew home 49-point winners over Therry Penola at John Pascoe Fawkner Reserve.

The first quarter saw the Wickers bank a 1-point advantage as the Lions were let down by their inaccuracy in front of goal. It was in the second quarter where Elsternwick go their game on their terms, with a four goal to one display resulting in a 26-point lead at the main break, which could’ve been higher as the Wicks were this time let down by inaccuracy.

To Therry Penola’s credit, they didn’t drop their heads in the third quarter and continued to bring pressure and effort as both sides matched each other for goals scored, however it was ultimately Elsternwick who took the game away and were hungrier in the final quarter as they comfortably put the game away to claim their long-awaited first win of 2025.

Daniel Marchese was instrumental up forward for Elsternwick with six goals to his name to take his tally this season to 22 goals.

Old Peninsula have made Harry MacDonald Oval their fortress in 2025, going undefeated with an average winning margin of 52 points. The trip down to Mount Eliza has become a road-trip that many teams feared. However, this changed in Round 9 as the Pirates lost their first home game to a dominant Kew side in a 76-point thrashing.

The first term was a close one with only 2-points separating the two sides. It was Kew who had the momentum in the second quarter, capitalising on opportunities inside 50 into scoreboard success as the Bears found themselves with a 24-point lead at half-time.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, they simply could not keep up with a well-skilled Kew side as the home team only found the goals three more times for the rest of the day compared to Kew’s twelve majors.

The goals were shared around for the victorious Kew side with James Seaton-Nichol banking four, whilst Sam Heaton and Dylan Jardine each contributed three majors.

This game has massive ladder ramifications with Old Peninsula leaving themselves vulnerable to dropping out of the top two, with Kew now just one game behind them and with a greater percentage.

After a slow start to their 2025 campaign, the Monash Blues are beginning to find their feet and have recorded their third consecutive victory, defeating Oakleigh by 6 points.

Oakleigh controlled the first half nicely to build up a 29-point lead at half-time. Whilst it was certainly not game over, it was a comfortable lead to take into the main break, nonetheless.

Monash began to get more of a look in during the third quarter, out-scoring Oakleigh, and with their deficit reduced to 23 points at three-quarter time, it certainly left onlookers wondering whether an upset was on the cards.

A thrilling final quarter saw Monash kick the first four goals to lead by just 1 point at two thirds into the quarter. Whilst Oakleigh responded swiftly with the following goal, it was Monash who successfully put the game away with two more majors to get them over the line.

Monash captain Mitchell King had a good outing with four goals to his name, ably supported by Will Snookes with three majors of his own.

The Preston Bullants defeated UHS-VU by 23 points to record their sixth win of the season.

The Bullants had a dream first quarter in which they kept UHS-VU scoreless and were rewarded with a 26-point lead at quarter-time. The Vultures flipped this around in the second quarter as a remarkable turn of events saw them keep Preston scoreless and reduce their deficit to 9-points at half-time.

Preston found their way back in throughout the third quarter, sharing the goals around to be leading by 22-points at three-quarter time.

With a margin like this, the game was certainly still in the balance going into the final quarter, however it was ultimately the Bullants who prevailed. Two early goals in the fourth to Caspian Furman and Ben Saccone provided Preston with a large enough buffer that proved to be too much for the Vultures to overcome.

Ormond have continued their undefeated run with a 26-point victory over Brunswick.

The opening stages of the game were evenly poised with Ormond securing a 1-point lead at quarter-time, however this quickly changed in the second term as the Monders had more moments of success than Brunswick to lead by 20-points at the main break.

Brunswick bounced back well in the third term to win that quarter and be trailing by a gettable 14-points at three quarter-time, but it was Ormond who proved why they are the team to beat, successfully putting this game away in its late stages.

In his second senior game of the season, James Werbik impressed with four majors for the Monders, amongst the best players which also included Aaron Taylor and Jeremy Simon.

This win leaves Ormond two games clear in top spot whilst Brunswick finish the round in sixth.

The action continues in Round 10, starting with a must watch game between Oakleigh and Preston. The Bullants may be one game clear of the Krushers but it’s safe to say Oakleigh will be hungry for the win after a disappointing loss to Monash. If key forward Luke Ashen can get on a roll, then he’ll be hard to stop.

The rest of the round sees the Monash Blues, on a three-game winning streak, come up against Old Peninsula, Ormond are set to host Elsternwick, Therry Penola welcome  Brunswick to JP Fawkner Reserve, and UHS-VU travel to face Kew.