Tonners survive a scare, while Lions lift out of the drop zone

Just one game separates third and sixth after Round 11 of Premier Men’s action.

Ladder leaders Old Brighton saw off a stiff challenge to their 14-game winning streak at Brighton Beach Oval to ultimately squeeze past a plucky University Blues.

The Blues led by a kick at the first break before the Tonners rammed on 5 goals in 10 minutes early in the second term to lead by 19 points at the major change.

But credit to the visitors, who dug in and had the better of the third term, finding the only two goals to close within 10 points at the last break, before booting the opening two goals of the final quarter to hit the front for the first time since early in the second stanza.

The teams went goal-for-goal for the next 17 minutes, with scores level entering time-on as thoughts of a third consecutive draw to the Blues started to materialise.

But goals to Felix Flockart and Jamie Hope ultimately got the Tonners over the line for a 15^th straight victory at home. Old Brighton defending their one-game lead at the top of the table with a hard-fought 12-point win.

Hamish Dick booted 5 goals for the winners, while James Stewart kicked 5 for the Blues to sit second on the league goalkicking with 28.

Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “Another close one, the boys again showed plenty of fight and heart. Down to two on the bench for a fair portion of the game, we were able to spin the magnets and find some stops and some goals when we needed to.

“We had our hands full with their tall forwards, particularly after Max Benier injured his knee, and we were lucky they missed a couple of chances, but we were able to hold on in celebration of Max Lohan’s 100th.

“Hamish Dick was outstanding and looked dangerous each forward entry, Ben Pryor worked so hard and was super, winning a number of one-on-ones, while our mids gave us great drive all game.”

Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “Another tough contest that came right down to the wire. At the end of the day, a ten-minute period in the second quarter proved the difference, when Old Brighton capitalised on a lapse in our intensity and kicked 5 quick goals.

“To our credit, the boys were able to refocus, wrestle back some control and keep chipping away.

“A couple of missed moments in the middle of the final quarter, which would have given us some breathing room, cost us dearly. The Tonners executed their moments professionally, which enabled them to hold on.”

Old Scotch continued their resurgence with an impressive victory over Old Haileybury at Scotch College.

The Cardinals looked on from the outset, with an aggressive defence feeding an efficient attack that booted the first 3 goals to lead by 11 points at quarter-time, despite having fewer disposals and Inside 50s.

Scoring opened up from midway through the second term, with a combined 7 goals in 14 minutes as the game transformed into a shootout – the Cards delivering 5 of those 7 majors to lead by 16 points at the half.

Their start to the third term provided a timely reminder that, with the right personnel playing at their best, they are more than capable of troubling any team in the competition. They put the Bloods, who had won 6 of their last 7, to the sword, kicking 3 goals in 5 minutes (and the first four of the term) to effectively put the game to bed.

41 points down at the last break, the Bloods battled on but never looked like mounting a comeback. A couple of late goals made the final score a little more respectable for Old Haileybury, but it was Old Scotch’s day – 4 wins from 5 starts moving the reigning champs to within percentage of the Top 4.

Tyler Sellers booted 6 goals, while ruck Sam Grant was magnificent with 29 disposals (24 contested), 8 marks, 10 clearances, 7 Rebound 50s and a goal, while Olli Hotton was superb for the Bloods, racking up 40 touches (28 contested), 8 tackles, 12 clearances and 5 Inside 50s.

Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “It was a good four-quarter performance with an even contribution across the ground.

“Haileybury play a very good brand of footy, with their contest method being as good as we have come up against. Wardy has done a brilliant job as they are a hard team to play against.

“The performance of Sam Grant in the ruck against a high-quality opponent was outstanding, with elite work rate up and down the ground. Ryan Walsh had the task of nullifying Stefanakis and did a brilliant job, which was very important in the context of the match.

“We are starting to build some momentum and are looking forward to taking on Collegians this Saturday.”

Daniel Ward (Old Haileybury): “Disappointing day from our group. We never really got our game going, and credit goes to Gnatty and his group for not allowing us to.

“We turned the ball over at crucial times, and our disposal was very poor. It’s the first time out of the 11 games this year that I could question our effort and application to the task.

“I’m looking forward to the response versus Blacks next week.”

Old Xaverians have won 5 on the trot after snapping University Blacks’ 5-game streak at Melbourne Uni Oval.

Blacks bounced out of the blocks with the opening two goals, but the visitors kicked the next 5 to lead by 15 points at the half.

The Blacks have been known for their resilience and grit in recent times, and it was on display once again in the third term as they booted 2 of the first 3 goals to close within 7 points.

But Xavs, as they’ve done repeatedly throughout 2025, put the foot down to kick 3 goals in 3 minutes entering time-on to lead by 24 points at the final change.

Still the Blacks hung around, kicking 2 of the first 3 goals in the last term to get back within 18 points.

But it would be the Xavs finishing the stronger, booting the final 4 goals of the match to pull away to a definitive 43-point win that sees them kick two games clear in second position.

Dynamic midfield duo Sam Fisher and Marcus Stavrou wreaked havoc once again, combining for 68 disposals, 24 clearances, 11 tackles and 3 goals, while Sam McKenzie and Ayui Makieng were best for Uni Blacks, who dropped two spots from fourth to sixth in the mid-table logjam.

Dan Donati (Old Xavs): “A strong four-quarter performance from my boys. Blacks have fast become one of the hardest teams to play against, and their form coming in warranted that.

“It was one of those games that was good to watch from the outset. Hard, fast, skilful and both sides had their turn with the momentum. It was a tight contest for the majority of the day, and it wasn’t until late that we were able to get clear and go on with a really hard-fought, disciplined win.

“I thought both defences were outstanding, it was pretty even through the middle for most of the day, and our forwards, who always work hard, got some deserved reward late to help us kick away.

“We rate Blacks very highly, so this was a good win from my perspective.”

Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “We brought great effort and stayed in the game until the last 10 minutes or so, but did not quite have the energy of previous games and were unable to execute.

“Xavs are a very good team with some elite top-end talent, and we struggled to contain their ability to move the ball forward and score.

“We will look to bounce back with a massive effort next week.”

St Kevin’s returned to the Top 4, courtesy of a thumping win over an undermanned St Bernard’s at St Kevin’s College.

SKOB set the tone early with 12 shots to 3 in an opening term that saw them kick out to a 24-point lead at the first break.

But just as it appeared to be a comfortable afternoon at the college, the Snowdogs found their bite, stringing together 3 consecutive goals to reduce the half-time deficit to a more manageable 16 points.

St Kevin’s turned up the heat in the third term, dominating possession and territory. But their wasteful finishing (2.6 to 0.2) kept the Dogs in with an outside chance – the margin 32 points at the last break.

The final term was a replica of the third – SKOB dominating but not taking full-toll on the scoreboard. They racked up an incredible 19 Inside 50s to 1 in the final term (giving them 36 to 6 in the second half) but kicked 5.6 to no score.

In the end, it was a comprehensive 68-point win that could well have been a triple-figure demolition, but for SKOB’s inaccuracy (7.12 to 0.2 after half time).

Despite leaving some precious percentage on the table, the win was enough to launch St Kevin’s back into the Top 4, while the wounded Snowdogs are winless since Round 6 and stranded a game-and-a-half behind (and now only a game-and-a-half clear of the relegation zone).

Ruck Billy Coates led SKOB’s midfield fleet with 19 disposals, 46 hit-outs and 10 clearances, while Jack Mahony (30 disposals), Cam Hodges (29), Liam Gunson (26), Luke Winter (25) and Tom Ferguson (24) highlighted the depth of midfield quality that can stretch any team.

Matthew Watson battled hard for the Snowdogs at both ends, with 23 disposals, 9 marks, 5 Rebound 50s, 5 Inside 50s and a goal.

Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “Foundation Day is a special day for our football club as we return to the college for the one game a year. We also celebrated some premiership reunions, so we wanted our playing group to respect the day and deliver for our community.

“I was pleased with our game overall, in particular the second half, and thought our team defence was the best it has been for the year. We also started to see some really positive ball movement through that period.

“I thought Bernard’s had a real crack without some of their key players, and you couldn’t question their endeavour.

“I think that performance will give our group confidence in what our best footy can look like.”

Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “St Kevins used the ball really well, and although we were competitive at times in that first half, ultimately our ability to create goal-scoring opportunities is the challenge for us at the moment.

“Our second halves are a real concern; we all need to dig in and fight our way through this form slump.

“I’m really looking forward to see how we work through this period together.”

The final game of the weekend saw Collegians salute for the first time since Round 5 after they took care of De La Salle at Waverley Oval.

In a game that was widely regarded as being De La’s best opportunity yet for a breakthrough win, it was the Lions who seized the early initiative, kicking the only 3 goals of the opening term to lead by 21 points at the first change.

De La finally found the middle 7 minutes into the second term, but it was their only major of the quarter as Collegians added four more to hold a 38-point half-time lead.

A further three unanswered goals in the third term saw the game squarely in Collegians’ keeping, with De La held to a single goal by three-quarter time.

They would kick a couple of consolation goals in the final term, but it proved to be a very disappointing afternoon for the De La faithful as they were held to 3.7 – their lowest score since Round 17, 2019 (coincidentally also to Collegians).

The Lions posting a much-needed 70-point win that sees them leapfrog Uni Blues out of the relegation zone.

Jim Bazzani (29 disposals), Max Pinchbeck (27) and Luke Nelson (26) provided plenty of drive for Collegians, feeding Dylan Thomas (4 goals), Alex Lukic (3) and Will Pocknee (3).

Fraser Cameron and Rob Amendola battled hard once again for De La Salle, who will regroup and prepare to host another team in the relegation race – Uni Blues – next weekend.

Jordie McKenzie (Collegians): “It was great to get back on the winners’ list. We were able to start the game well, which was a massive focus for us. Our pressure and transition was good, but our biggest area of improvement was our offensive game, where we were able to keep more speed on the ball and give our forwards a chance.

“Jasper Davey played arguably his best game for the club. Bazzani and Walker were terrific all day. Dylan Thomas and Alex Lukic continued their strong seasons and have hopefully solidified their spot in the Vic team.

“Every game is critical for us at the moment, and next week against Scotch is no exception.”

Nick Hyland (De La Salle): “We were comprehensively outplayed by Collegians. Credit to Jordy and their playing group for the way they started the game and the level they maintained throughout the day.

“We just couldn’t get any part of our game going at any stage. Collegians controlled every aspect of the game and, had they converted their chances, it could have been a lot worse on the scoreboard.

“A really disappointing result and a step back in our development as a team. We had been heading in the right direction the last three weeks, but that was a step backward and not good enough.

“We need to regroup and re-energise ourselves in the lead up to Uni Blues at home next week.”

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 12

SATURDAY JULY 5 – 2pm:

St Kevin’s                 vs             Old Brighton                         Radio – VAFA.com.au & SEN app 1.45pm

De La Salle               vs             University Blues                   Kommunity TV double-header from 11.35am

Collegians                vs             Old Scotch                             VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm

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

University Blacks    vs             Old Haileybury