VAFA William Buck Premier Men’s Round 11 Preview

There are pivotal matches everywhere you look in an action-packed Round 11 of Premier Men’s!

OLD SCOTCH vs OLD HAILEYBURY (Saturday 2pm – Scotch College)

The 2024 Premier B champions test themselves against the 2024 Premier Men’s champions for the first time this season, and it’s the reigning top-flight champs who will be most desperate for the four points on offer.

The Cardinals have endured a stop-start campaign that saw them drop four in a row from Rounds 3 to 6, placing their title defence in early jeopardy. However, they have rallied in recent weeks to enter this crunch game having won 3 of their last 4 to close within a game of the Top 4.

The Bloods have returned to Premier Men’s with a vengeance in 2025 and enter Round 11 in outright third, one game behind second and one game ahead of fourth.

Sitting at 7-3, those 3 losses have been to the two teams ahead of them: Old Brighton (47 points Rd.2 & 1 point last week) and Old Xavs (7 points Rd.3).

But they haven’t yet faced the Cards – a team they defeated by 10 points the last time they met (Rd.10, 2023).

Much has changed since then – Old Haileybury were relegated, only to win Premier B last year and rise back up into the premiership mix. Old Scotch were eliminated in the 2023 First Semi, then stormed home to win their first top-flight flag in 46 years before struggling to keep in touch with the pace-setters in 2025.

Now their paths cross again.

Both are in good form, and both are capable of challenging for the title IF they can rack up enough wins to qualify for September.

Both win plenty of the ball (Old Scotch #3 Disposals vs OH #4). The Bloods tend to win more contested footy and ground balls, while the Cards lead the comp in Uncontested Marks & Intercept Marks.

Old Haileybury applies more pressure and generates more Inside 50s – in fact, the Bloods lead the comp for Inside 50 differential, but the Cards lead the comp for Defensive 50 exits.

Old Scotch rely on Disposal Efficiency to make the most of their chances. Indeed, these are the two most accurate teams around goal, so both defences will need to be on high alert, with leading goalkicker Andreas Stefanakis & Harrison Jones at one end, and the James Tarrant/Will Clark combo punch at the other.

It’s a fascinating match-up that promises so much – catch the action LIVE STREAMING from 1.45pm Saturday on VAFA.com.au, simulcast with our award-winning SEN Match of the Day coverage on the SEN app.

And if you’re going to the game – TAKE YOUR EARBUDS OR HEADPHONES – and log into the SEN app on your phone for REAL-TIME COMMENTARY while you’re watching the game via VAFA SEN STADIUM technology!

ST KEVIN’S vs ST BERNARD’S (Saturday 2pm – St Kevin’s College)

Given the Top 3 have currently cleared out on the field, SKOB & the Snowdogs both find themselves on the outside looking in on the battle for fourth position. Come season’s end, we may well look back at this clash as having been vital in the race for September.

It’s been a rollercoaster season so far for St Kevin’s. They secured 4 wins out of 5 from Rounds 2-6 but have lost 3 of their last 4 games, slipping one game behind the Top 4 pace.

St Bernard’s have been more consistently inconsistent – winning on the road but falling short at home. They also enter Round 11 having lost three of their last four, sitting a game and a half off finals pace.

It’s time for the Snowdogs to claim a scalp, given that their four wins this season have been against the Bottom 3 teams plus the Blacks, when they were struggling early.

A win on SKOB’s special day playing at the College would give them an enormous confidence boost as they fight for their season against the likes of Old Xavs and Old Brighton in the next few weeks.

However, SKOB will be buoyed by playing at the school, and given that the four teams directly around them on the ladder are playing each other this weekend (Blacks-Xavs and Cards-Bloods), this is a great opportunity for them to potentially launch themselves back into the Top 4 by Saturday night.

The worst-case scenario? They end up two games off the pace with seven to play and a tricky run home that includes three of the current top four teams.

Where do these two teams sit in the overall scheme of things?

Find out in this critical clash, live streaming from 1.55pm on VAFA.com.au!

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

The two hottest teams in the competition put their winning streaks on the line at Melbourne Uni.

The Blacks’ mid-season revival has been one of the stories of the year after they turned a sluggish start – that saw them lose 4 of their first 5 – into a 5-game winning streak that includes victories over Old Scotch, St Kevin’s, Old Brighton and St Bernard’s.

It has been a remarkable turnaround punctuated by their ability to win the close ones, defeating the Cards by 5 points, SKOB by 6 points, and Old Brighton by 3 points during this winning run.

Now they face another red-hot team – Old Xavs – who are riding a 4-game winning streak (and 7 wins from their past 8 starts).

Unlike Blacks, Xavs have been monstering teams, boasting an impressive average winning margin of 51 points. Ranked #2 for Attack & Defence, they have been getting the job done at both ends, aided by a powerful midfield engine that works hard in both directions.

Both teams are riding high on confidence – Blacks with the belief that they can outlast teams and find a way, while Xavs know they have the firepower to punish teams if and when their intensity wanes.

The numbers suggest that Xavs might control possession via clearance dominance, but don’t underestimate Blacks’ intercept game and their ability to pounce on loose ball gets in general play.

Xavs are ranked #2 for Uncontested Marks, so Dale Bower will be imploring his charges to break up those uncontested possession chains before they end up in a mark Inside 50 (Xavs #1 for those). Pressure has been an area of strength for Blacks this season, and they’ll need to bring it again here.

Can Blacks be tidy enough with the ball and then take their chances around goal? They’re ranked second last for Goal Accuracy and have kicked more behinds than goals in all 4 of their losses this season. They’ve got to make their shots count to put Xavs under pressure.

Which team will keep its winning streak alive? 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.

OLD BRIGHTON vs UNIVERSITY BLUES (Saturday 2pm – Brighton Beach Oval)

We keep saying it, but that’s because it’s true – the Uni Blues are better than their 2-6-2 record suggests.

They have led at three-quarter-time in 4 of their last 5 matches but haven’t won any of them, with the last two matches finishing in agonising draws.

This leaves their two victories being against the only two teams below them – Collegians and De La Salle (and that Collegians win was by 5 points back in Round 2).

Is this the afternoon when the Blues put four decent quarters together and make a statement by collecting 4 points that kick them clear of the drop zone?

The Tonners will have other ideas, but their perfect 8-0 start has been shaken by the dreaded Tullamarine Flu, which, like most teams, has seen several key movers head to Europe for a summer holiday.

A 3-point loss to the Blacks was followed by a nail-biting 1-point win over the Bloods last week, suggesting that, for the first time this season, other sides will start to see Old Brighton as ‘gettable’ right now.

But ‘getting’ the Tonners at Brighton Beach Oval is no small feat, given they’ve won their past 14 games at Fortress Brighton in a streak that stretches back to Round 17 of 2023.

Blessed with talent and experience on every line, they are a well-balanced combination that knows how to win. Led by the likes of Harry Hill, Tom Burnell, Tom Fisher and the Flockart brothers, they are always in the game, and if you lose concentration or intensity for a moment, they will punish you.

But the Blues have some stars of their own. Only one player has had more of the football than Harry Hill this season – and that’s Darcy Chirgwin. Averaging 32 disposals a game, Chirgwin has been a powerhouse in the middle for the Blues. Seeing those two go at it this week is reason enough to watch this game in itself.

Throw in veteran defenders Marty Gleeson and Cam O’Shea down back, then factor in potential game-winner James Stewart up forward (28 goals), and the Blues are capable of troubling anyone when they’re on.

Can they turn one on this week and snap the Tonners’ winning streak at home?

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

The final game of the weekend is a critical one in the race to avoid relegation as the bottom 2 teams meet at Waverley Oval.

With De La yet to win a game, Collegians are currently in a 2-way battle against the Blues to avoid the other relegation spot.

They enter Round 11 half a game behind them after their thrilling draw last weekend. But, if the Lions can account for De La and the Blues happen to fall to Old Brighton, the 2023 premiers will leapfrog the Blues out of the drop zone.

However, while De La is yet to collect a win, their form over the past two weeks suggests that the breakthrough isn’t far away. They genuinely stretched Old Xavs and Old Scotch, both of whom took until the final quarter to crack the game open, and Nick Hyland’s men are steadily building towards those precious premiership points.

Collegians’ season has been a story of ‘almost,’ with 3 losses by 7 points or less, plus a draw. Winless since Round 5, they haven’t been able to find a way in the close ones, despite being far more competitive than their win-loss record suggests.

They will face De La again in the final round, but in the meantime, will need to navigate a very difficult road against 6 of the Top 7 teams. So, the points on offer here are absolutely vital, and they simply have to find a way.

De La will enter this game as confident as they’ve been all season.

Can they get their tails up and maintain the rage for long enough to secure the win, or will Collegians do what has to be done to move a step further away from relegation?

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 11 

SATURDAY JUNE 28 – 2pm:

Old Scotch            vs             Old Haileybury         VAFA.com.au live stream & SEN app – 1.45pm

University Blacks  vs             Old Xaverians           Kommunity TV double-header from 11.35am

St Kevin’s               vs             St Bernard’s              VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm

Old Brighton          vs             University Blues

De La Salle             vs             Collegians

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV

Amateur Footballer Record – Week 11