William Buck Premier Men’s Round 14 Preview

Round 14 is headlined by the league leaders hosting the reigning premiers. Here’s a closer look at another action-packed weekend.

OLD XAVERIANS vs OLD SCOTCH (Saturday 2.20pm – Toorak Park)

Old Scotch’s premiership defence reaches a critical crossroads as they face the white-hot Xavs at Toorak Park.

The Cardinals enter the weekend two games off Top 4 pace and will face an uphill battle to make the September action if they can’t halt the Xavs’ winning streak.

Xavs got hold of the Cardinals in Round 4, dishing out an 81-point hammering based on ruthless efficiency. They only had 16 more disposals and 8 more Inside 50s that day, yet slammed on 19 goals to 6, with Stirling Phipps-Parsons wreaking havoc to finish with 6 goals.

The league leaders have only lost once since – to the Tonners in Round 6 – arriving at Round 14 on a 7-game winning streak by a whopping average margin of 52 points. Ranked #1 in Attack and #2 in Defence, they have strength and experience on every line.

But so do the Cardinals, who roll into Toorak Park having lost back-to-back games on either side of the bye (to Collegians and Old Brighton). They hung with the Tonners for three quarters but were ultimately overpowered.

Can they go harder for longer against Xavs?

The numbers suggest they are evenly matched for total Disposals, Contested Possessions and Intercept Possessions. Xavs will be looking to exploit a slight edge around the stoppages, and with their marking power Inside 50.

The time is now for the 2024 premiers. Can they bring down the league-leaders and remain within striking distance of the Top 4? Or will Xavs rack up an eighth straight win and potentially scuttle the Cards’ premiership defence?

Find out with our VAFA TV live-stream on VAFA.com.au from 2.15pm Saturday!

OLD BRIGHTON vs ST BERNARD’S (Saturday 2pm – Brighton Beach Oval)

Meanwhile, the Tonners will be fighting to keep their Fortress Brighton winning streak alive when they host the Snowdogs. Last year’s minor premiers have won 15 straight at home since Round 17, 2023 – including six this year by an average winning margin of 49 points.

They dropped a couple on the road across the mid-season period as they battled to cover absences due to the Tullamarine Flu, but their depth will continue to improve over the coming weeks as those returning from their European vacation work to get back up-to-speed and fight to regain their position in the senior side.

Selection pressure is on at Brighton Beach Oval and those currently in the team will be desperate to retain their spot as regulars return from overseas. Possession is 9/10s of the law and coach Marcel Bruin has been open about his scepticism regarding players being able to come back from overseas and get up-to-speed quickly.

The Snowdogs will not only be buoyed by their first win since Round 6, but also by how it was achieved. 35 points down at quarter-time after kicking into the wind early, they grinded their way back into the game against De La Salle and didn’t hit the lead until the 31-minute mark of the final term.

That sort of resilience and grit is exactly what coach Steve Alessio is looking for, and they’ll need plenty more of it against the relentless Tonners at Brighton.

Last week’s win has brought the Dogs some much-needed breathing room in the race to avoid relegation. They enter Round 14 a game-and-a-half ahead of the 9^th placed Blues, so they can view this week’s challenge as a free swing of sorts.

Can the Dogs attack this game with freedom, hang in, play the percentages, keep things relatively tight, and then have a crack late? Another victory would not only secure their survival in Premier Men’s but also keep their faint finals hopes alive.

The Tonners hold a strong advantage with one hand on the double chance, as they now sit 3 games clear of St Kevin’s and Old Haileybury. For them, it’s about fine-tuning for September by perfecting their systems and settling on their best line-up.

Enjoy this clash LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm!

UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs DE LA SALLE (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne Uni Oval)

The mid-year revival of Uni Blacks has been one of the stories of the season in Premier Men’s.

Having lost 4 of their first 5 to be discussed in relegation terms, the Blacks suddenly found their mojo and have been superb ever since, winning 6 of their last 8, including victories over St Kevin’s and Old Brighton.

They fell short in back-to-back challenges against the Xavs and Bloods, but rebounded last week by ultimately seeing off a plucky Collegians outfit.

That victory elevated them to fifth spot, one game behind St Kevin’s and Old Haileybury, with a mixed run home that will see them face St Kevin’s and Old Xavs, plus a few teams below them – De La, the Blues and Cardinals.

So if they are to make up ground and qualify for their first top-flight finals series since 2016, they will at the very least need to bank the points from those last three teams, starting this weekend.

But this might just be the worst weekend to have faced De La Salle all season, given they are coming off their best performance in leading the Snowdogs until the 31-minute mark of the last quarter.

That eventual loss would have been crushing for De La, but it might also be galvanising – they know they’re good enough to compete, but now they’re even hungrier for the win that narrowly slipped through their fingers.

Coach Nick Hyland was proud of his team’s performance.

“I thought we were really strong in all facets of the game. I also thought our cohesion and willingness to support each other were the best they’ve been all year.”

VAFA Media expert Matthew Donald has a feeling that De La will rise up and pinch at least one win in the run home.

Could it be this weekend at Melbourne Uni, or will the Blacks take another step towards their first Premier Men’s final since 2016?

Find out 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 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 COLLEGIANS (Saturday 2 pm – TH King Oval)

Two great rivals clash at TH King, with very different agendas.

St Kevin’s are squarely in the finals hunt once again, sitting equal third alongside the Bloods and one game clear of the Blacks, who are on the outside looking in.

From a current ladder perspective, they have the easiest run home of all the finals contenders, but that doesn’t guarantee anything. And you can mount a case that the Lions are a lot more dangerous than their 4-8-1 record suggests, given their three single-digit losses and a draw this season.

One of those narrow defeats came the last time they met SKOB (in Round 6 at Harry Trott). That turned out to be a 7-point thriller after the Lions led by 13 points at half-time before SKOB ultimately prevailed in a tight and tense 2 goal-to-1 final term. So, Anthony Lynch’s men will know that they can’t afford to take Collegians lightly.

He was delighted with his team’s performance last week against the Blues, describing their first sixty minutes as “probably our best half of footy for the season,” and they feel like a team on an upward form line, having won 4 of their last 5, with the only blemish a 32-point loss to Xavs.

Their win over Old Brighton in their last home game (in Round 12 before the bye) stamped their credentials as a legitimate contender and they will be keen to bank another four points to ensure they remain clear of the chasing pack.

Collegians, on the other hand, are in the unusual position of fighting for Premier Men’s survival. They’ve been in the top flight continuously since 2007, but their string of narrow losses has left them vulnerable in 2025.

They currently sit half-a-game ahead of Uni Blues, with a mixed run home that will see the face the Top 3 teams plus the Snowdogs and De La Salle. Win those last two, and they should be safe, but if they can swing for the fences and come up with an upset win over SKOB, Xavs or Old Brighton, they will take a giant step towards safety.

Could that upset come this weekend?

SKOB have won all 3 clashes against Collegians since they were humbled by them in the 2023 Grand Final and will be warm favourites to make it four in a row. But if Round 6 taught us anything, it’s don’t underestimate the Lions.

OLD HAILEYBURY vs UNIVERSITY BLUES (Saturday 2pm – Princes Park)

The final game of the round features two teams keen to atone for disappointing Round 13 performances.

The Bloods were overpowered by Xavs straight out of the blocks last week, conceding the first 9 goals of the contest before eventually managing to stabilise the situation somewhat. But the damage had been well and truly done, and a humbling defeat was the result.

We now watch with interest to see how Old Haileybury respond to their largest top-flight defeat (86 points) since Round 4, 2023.

Will they turn on a dazzling performance against the Blues, or will they slip up in a game that has ‘banana peel’ written all over it?

Despite their lowly ladder position, the Blues remain dangerous. If not for their three narrow losses and back-to-back draws, they might be in the finals race themselves.

But woulda-shoulda-coulda, and coach Matt Smith has been around footy long enough to know that narrow losses are worth the same as heavy ones – 0 premiership points.

He didn’t mince words in describing last week’s 52-point loss to SKOB as “a really disappointing performance across the board.”

He and his team know they are up against it in the race for survival. Their last 5 matches are all against Top 6 teams, so if they are to leapfrog Collegians or St Bernard’s, they are going to need to pull off at least one or two upset wins.

They led the Bloods until time-on of the final term in Round 6, so they know they are capable of stretching their more fancied opponent. Dynamo small forward Andreas Stefanakis was the difference that day, booting 4 goals. And while he returns from suspension this week, he hasn’t played since July 5.

It’s a huge game for both teams. A Bloods win (particularly if it’s a decisive one) will right their ship and protect their position in the Top 4. A Blues win might see them leapfrog Collegians out of the drop zone.

Expect to see two desperate teams going full-throttle at Princes Park!

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 14

SATURDAY AUGUST 2 – 2pm:

University Blacks       vs             De La Salle                  VAFA.com.au & SEN app – 1.45pm

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

St Kevin’s                    vs             Collegians

Old Haileybury           vs             University Blues                  

Old Xaverians            vs             Old Scotch (2.20pm)   VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 2.15pm      

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV

Amateur Footballer Record – Week 15