William Buck Premier Men’s Round 12 Preview

The most thrilling modern-day rivalry in William Buck Premier Men’s headlines a critical pre-bye Round 12. Here’s a preview.

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

These two great foes write another chapter, and if recent history is any guide, we should expect a thriller. Here’s their mind-blowing record over the past 6 years:

• Rd.15, 2019                Old Brighton by 4pts   (Brighton Beach Oval)
• Rd.2, 2021                   St Kevin’s by 3                 (BBO)
• Rd.14, 2021                Old Brighton by 3           (TH King)
• Rd.8, 2022                   Old Brighton by 3           (BBO)
• Rd.17, 2022                St Kevin’s by 77              (THK)
• GF 2022                        St Kevin’s by 22              (Trevor Barker Oval)
• Rd.6, 2023                   Old Brighton by 7           (THK)
• Rd.12, 2023                St Kevin’s by 3                 (BBO)
• Rd.8, 2024                   St Kevin’s by 2                 (THK)
• Rd.18, 2024                Old Brighton by 1           (BBO)
• 2SF 2024                      Old Brighton by 6           (EP)
• Rd.4, 2025                   Old Brighton by 7           (BBO)

10 of their last 12 matches have been decided by single-digit margins, with 8 of those by a goal or less!

The Tonners lead the head-to-head 7-5 after prevailing in two thrillers late last season, and another in Round 4 after Old Brighton fought back from 13 points down at the final change.

Entering this game, there’s every reason to believe they are well-matched once again.

Old Brighton have been the pacesetters all season, but have been brought back to the field somewhat by a nasty case of the ‘Tullamarine Flu’ as players headed to Europe for a holiday.

They have looked their most vulnerable over the last three weeks – dropping a 3-point thriller to the Blacks, then scraping home by a point over the Bloods, before eking out a tight win over the Blues after falling behind in the final term.

SKOB have been up-and-down for much of the season, and their recent weeks have been no exception – a 6-point loss to Blacks, 11-point win over the Cards, 32-point loss to Xavs and a commanding 68-point win over the wounded Snowdogs to leap back into the Top 4.

One thing is for certain – they need to tidy up their finishing and take their chances if they are to get over the Tonners. In recent weeks, they’ve kicked 11.16, 8.13 and a whopping 13.25. They will surely not be able to afford that inaccuracy against the #1 Defence in the competition.

It promises to be one of the games of the season, with the Top 2 and Top 4 races to be impacted.

Enjoy our award-winning SEN Match of the Day coverage from 1.45pm on VAFA.com.au or 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!

OLD XAVERIANS vs ST BERNARD’S (Saturday 2pm – Toorak Park)

St Bernard’s have been ‘ahead of the curve’ for most of the season after winning 3 of their first 4 matches.

However, injuries have taken their toll, and with just one win from their past seven starts, not only have they dropped out of the top four and fallen off the pace, but they have also suddenly found themselves looking over their shoulder as they are drawn back into the relegation race, just one and a half games above the drop zone.

So, their season arrives at a crossroads this weekend. Defeat a red-hot Xavs on their own home deck and suddenly the Snowdogs are back in the Top 4 fight.

But lose and the Snowdogs may need to find at least a couple more wins on the run home, which includes matches against the Xavs and Tonners, then the Cards, Bloods and SKOB in the final three rounds.

Xavs have been impressively consistent this season, with only one poor performance from their first 11 (when the Tonners belted them by 10 goals in Round 6). Not only have they been winning, but they’ve shown a ruthless streak to put teams to the sword once they break them.

Despite losing a couple of prime-movers to the Tulla Flu, they have the depth to cover those absences, and enter on a 5-game winning streak by an average of 40 points and having won 8 of their last 9.

They will head to the opening bounce as hot favourites, but the Snowdogs’ best form this season has been on the road. Can the ‘Road Dogs’ rediscover their bite and reignite their season?

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

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

A cursory glance at the ladder would suggest a relatively comfortable afternoon coming up for the 5^th-placed Cardinals against the 8^th-placed Lions.

But that would ignore the remarkable recent dominance that Collegians have held over Old Scotch.

The Lions have been the Cards’ nemesis over the past decade, winning an incredible 11 of their last 12 meetings, including a stirring 38-point victory at Camberwell in Round 3.

But, just like the Snowdogs, home has not been a happy hunting ground for Collegians in 2025 – they are winless at Harry Trott from 5 starts.

They return home this weekend with some confidence gained by a 70-point victory over the winless De La Salle – their first W since Round 5, and one which lifted them out of the relegation zone by half-a-game.

But given the Blues will start favourites against De La this week, the Lions could find themselves back in the drop zone by Saturday evening unless they can continue their remarkable mesmerisation of the Cardinals.

Old Scotch’s premiership defence has already been a wild ride, largely dictated by the availability of their sizable VFL contingent.

The Cards won 2, lost 4, then won 4 of their past 5 to climb back onto Top 4 pace and keep their back-to-back hopes alive.

Their greatest ability will be availability in the latter part of the season. When enough of their VFL stars play, they are as good as any team in the competition. But, like any club, ongoing changes to their line-up are unsettling and make them vulnerable.

So, every opposition coach must hope for the best and plan for the worst. Last week, Daniel Ward would have been delighted to learn that James Tarrant wasn’t played. But less excited by the prospect of fellow VFL gun Tyler Sellers taking his place at full-forward.

Coach Mark Gnatt will take nothing for granted when it comes to Collegians. For two consecutive years, the Lions have been 0-2 when facing the 2-0 Cards in Round 3. Both times, the 2023 champs grew another leg and rolled Old Scotch. Just when you think they can’t, they do.

Can Jordie McKenzie’s men get up for another clash against their great rival or will the Cardinals strengthen their Top 4 chances while also landing a relegation blow on the Lions?

Settle in for a spirited clash, streaming LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm Saturday!

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

Last week, the cellar-dwelling De La Salle appeared primed to pull off a breakthrough win against the 9^th placed team.

The Lions snuffed out those hopes early on the way to De La’s most disappointing loss of the season.

This week, De La get another shot at a ninth-ranked team when they host Uni Blues, who slipped back into the drop zone after the Lions’ win and their gallant loss to Old Brighton.

We keep harping on about the Blues being much better than their 2-7-2 record suggests, and that’s true. But irrespective of merit, the time has come for Matt Smith’s team to turn the corner and convert competitive performances into wins or risk becoming a harsh relegation story come season’s end.

The Blues are ranked #7 Attack and #7 Defence – better numbers than you’d expect from a relegation team. However, the harsh reality is that they haven’t won a game since Round 4, with 5 losses and 2 draws since they last defeated De La Salle by 5 goals at Melbourne Uni Oval.

They trailed at the first two changes that day before getting on top after half-time. This time around, Matt Smith will be hoping his team can handle business the way Collegians did in the same position last week – strike hard early, open up a lead and take control of the game.

De La coach Nick Hyland will be looking for a response from his charges, and the longer they can hang in, the greater their belief will grow.

He described last week’s 70-point loss as a “step back in 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.”

It’s been a long, arduous campaign for De La in their first season back in the top flight. But they’ve been competitive in patches most weeks. Their challenge has been controlling games for long enough and taking advantage on the scoreboard when they are on top.

Is this the week they put it all together and shock the competition’s most enigmatic team? Or will the Blues roll into Waverley, roll up their sleeves and bank four critical premiership points?

Find out on our Kommunity TV double-header live-stream – Reserves into Seniors – from 11.35am Saturday!

UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs OLD HAILEYBURY (Sunday 2pm – Melbourne University Oval)

Round 12 concludes with a rare SUNDAY fixture, as two teams in a similar circumstance lock horns at Melbourne Uni.

Both the Blacks and Bloods charged into Round 11 with plenty of momentum, only to have that jolted by a disappointing performance against a fellow challenger.

The Blacks saw their 5-game winning streak halted by a red-hot Old Xavs, who went harder for longer, eventually breaking the game open with the final 4 goals of the game to post a 43-point win in a game that was actually closer than that.

While the Bloods hung around for a half against the Cards, before being effectively put away in the third term, as the reigning champs handed Old Haileybury back-to-back losses following a 6-game winning streak.

So, the challenge for both these teams this weekend is to get back on the winners’ list before a minor hiccup starts to become a potentially costly losing streak.

The Bloods will enter the weekend a game clear in third spot, but a loss here could see them slip out of the Top 4, while a loss to the Blacks could see them slide a game off Top 4 pace.

This is the Blacks’ annual Sunday game, and they will be keen to lift for the occasion. It will be Old Haileybury’s first Sunday game since their barnstorming Second Semi Final and Grand Final performances of 2024.

Which team will regain some all-important momentum entering the double bye?  

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

SUNDAY JULY 6 – 2pm:

University Blacks                vs             Old Haileybury

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV

Amateur Footballer Record – Week 12