William Buck Premier Men’s Round 13 Preview

VAFA William Buck Premier Men’s roars back to life with a 2024 Grand Final rematch. Here’s a closer look at Round 13.

OLD SCOTCH vs OLD BRIGHTON (Saturday 2pm – Camberwell Sportsground)

The stakes continue to rise as the weeks tick by, and this game will directly impact both the Top 2 and Top 4 races.

Old Brighton has been hit hard by the Tullamarine Flu over the past four rounds, losing to Uni Blacks in Round 9 and St Kevin’s in Round 12. Their most recent defeat (by 27 points) was the Tonners’ largest since the final round of 2023 and cost them top spot on the ladder.

They have lost the dynamic duo of Max Benier and Sam Flockart to ACL injuries, but will start to regain some core players as they return from overseas.

The Cardinals have dominated the recent head-to-head between these teams, winning 6 of their last 8 clashes, including a stunning performance on Grand Final Day 2024.

The Tonners comfortably beat the Cards by 45 points in Round 5, but Old Scotch has shown some promising signs lately, including a strong 39-point win over the Bloods, before a surprising 2-goal loss to their nemesis, Collegians.

A loss here could see the reigning premiers slip two games off Top 4 pace. But an Old Brighton loss could allow the Bloods to re-enter the race for the double chance.

Enjoy our live-stream with our award-winning SEN Match of the Day commentary from 1.45pm on VAFA.com.au & the SEN app.

And if you’re going to the game – TAKE YOUR EARPHONES – 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 HAILEYBURY vs OLD XAVERIANS (Saturday 2pm – Princes Park)

It’s a Top 3 blockbuster as the new league-leaders Old Xavs visit the Bloods at Princes Park.

Xavs arrive on a 6-game winning streak with a thumping average margin of 47 points.

But both teams will clearly remember their Round 3 clash when the Bloods played Xavs off the park in the first half to lead by 28 points at the major break, before Xavs came storming home to hit the front for the first time at the 28-minute mark of the final term.

That performance will give the Bloods great belief, given they will feel themselves to be a much stronger combination than they were in April.

However, Old Xavs will feel the same way about their own development, which sets up a fascinating clash that impacts the race for the double chance and the Top 4.

Will the league leaders continue to dominate the midfield and feed their multiple scoring options? Or can the Bloods break up Xavs’ uncontested possession chains and put themselves firmly into the Top 2 conversation?

Settle in for this massive clash, live streaming from 1.55pm on VAFA.com.au

COLLEGIANS vs UNIVERSITY BLACKS (Saturday 2pm – Harry Trott Oval)

Did the double-bye come at a good or bad time for Collegians?

The Lions had shaken off a 4-game losing streak to draw with the Blues, then posted back-to-back wins over De La Salle and Old Scotch to elevate themselves half-a-game out of the drop zone.

Now they host the unpredictable Uni Blacks, who won five in a row before dropping back-to-back games against the Xavs and Bloods, entering the double-bye one game off Top 4 pace in 6^th position.

Can the Blacks benefit from a mid-season reset and rally for a late charge at September? They face Collegians, De La Salle, and Uni Blues in the upcoming month. They will need to bank points from these matches, then focus on upsetting St Kevin’s (again), Old Scotch (again), and Old Xavs.

But if the Lions can secure consecutive wins at home for the first time this season, they will make a significant move away from relegation and find themselves just half a game behind the Blacks in the middle of the table.

Interestingly, Blacks have not beaten Collegians since 2016. The Lions have won the last 7 contests, including the five since Blacks returned to the top flight in 2023, with the most recent being a 27-point victory at Melbourne Uni in Round 5.

This is the sort of game that the Blacks must win if they are to play finals.

This is the sort of game that the Lions must win if they are to ensure their safety in Premier Men’s.

It promises to be a revealing (and consequential) afternoon by the lake!

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

UNIVERSITY BLUES vs ST KEVIN’S (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne University Oval)

2025 has been a strange season for the Uni Blues so far. The only team they’ve beaten since Round 2 is the winless De La Salle, but – thanks to back-to-back draws against St Bernard’s and Collegians – they’re still very much in the hunt to avoid relegation. 

They’ve played some genuinely good footy and proved they can challenge the top teams in the competition, but have repeatedly fallen short late in games, which sees them in the drop zone with six games to play.

This weekend, they face a crucial match that, if other results go against them, could leave them a game and a half behind the 8^th-placed team and in greater danger of relegation. But if they bring their best footy and other results go their way, they could be clear of the drop zone by Saturday night. Those are the high stakes on the table for the Blues.

There’s plenty on the line for SKOB as well. Should they win this game, and the Cards and Blacks both lose, they will be two games clear inside the Top 4. But drop it, and they could be out of the Four by Saturday night.

St Kevin’s are coming off a strong win over Old Brighton and will start favourites here, but they’ll be aware of the risk if the Blues’ top players take control.

Will SKOB bank the points and defend their grip on fourth spot or will Uni Blues take a significant step toward survival?

ST BERNARD’S vs DE LA SALLE (Saturday 2pm – St Bernards College)

Round 13 concludes with a must-win game for the Snowdogs, who are yet to win a game at home this season.

Winless since their visit to De La in Round 6, St Bernard’s face a tricky run home and must find a way to collect the 4 points against De La once again, given they face 4 of the Top 5 teams in the run home, including a challenging final three weeks against Old Scotch, Old Haileybury and St Kevin’s.

If they can win their next two home games against De La & Collegians, that just might be enough to get them to safety. But if they don’t, they will almost certainly need to knock off a couple of the competition’s big guns to survive in the top-flight.

The double-bye came at a good time for the Dogs, who have been able to refresh and reset after a gruelling campaign that has come at a cost.

But the same can be said for De La Salle, who were showing some positive signs of growth before hitting the wall and copping a couple of spankings from Collegians and the Blues.

After a fortnight to regroup, expect them to come out with renewed vigour and an appetite to make a statement in the final six weeks of the season.

Will that statement come at the expense of the Snowdogs or will Steve Alessio’s men finally give their passionate fans something to celebrate at the Snake Pit in 2025?

Amateur Footballer Record – Week 14

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 13 

SATURDAY JULY 26 – 2pm:

Old Scotch              vs             Old Brighton                VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM & SEN app – 1.45pm
Old Haileybury       vs             Old Xaverians               VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm
Collegians               vs             University Blacks         Kommunity TV double-header from 11.35am
University Blues     vs             St Kevin’s
St Bernard’s            vs             De La Salle

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV