OGs still in the hunt, Fields into third

Old Geelong could have the trickiest finish to the home and away season in Premier B Men’s, but they’ve started that run home on the right foot, accounting for Williamstown CYMS at Como Park.

On a still, sunny afternoon, it was CYs forward pair Zach Provest and Ayden McCarroll that stood out early – the Big V-nominated Provest on return from suspension, McCarroll, at 209 centimetres tall, proving particularly difficult to much up with.

The CYs led it by three straight goals early in the third term – but in what proved to be the critical period of the game Old Geelong sent through five goals in a row in a tick over 12 minutes of footy, taking an advantage into the final break. 

Ultimately Mickey Nicholls kicked what would be the final goal of the game to give the OGs a buffer into time-on, the home side holding fast at the finish to run out 12.11 (83) to 11.6 (72) winners.

“It (the win) was vital,” said OGs coach Nick Dixon.

“You lose that, it’d be really hard to make finals – and the boys knew that, and that certainly helped us get up for the game. We just need to keep winning, keep putting in good performances – we know we don’t have much room for error in such a tight competition.

“We’re going to see how good we are, with a really healthy squad at the moment. Everyone’s really keen to see where we’re at, and see if we can mix it with the big boys.”

The OGs play both top two sides – Old Trinity and Old Ivanhoe – in the next fortnight, before rounding out the year with finals aspirants Old Carey and Old Camberwell. At 8-6 and in fifth position, they’re now equal on points with the CYs, who have dropped their last two.

On return for his first game since Round Seven following a sizeable European jaunt, Harry Kol – also the housemate on his coach – slotted in nicely beside the likes of Tim Jones (30 disposals), Archie Lazzaro (29) and Jack Sheridan (12 disposals and 52 hitouts), all prominent in a game the OGs would record 11 more clearances and 27 more contested possessions in. 

“He’s such a unique player – he or Billy Murphy (of Old Ivanhoe) are the quickest players in the comp,” said Dixon of Kol.

“He gives us a real point of difference on the outside with his speed.”

In an 11-point game, the OGs won the inside 50s battle by a landslide 61-36, a stat  Williamstown CYMS coach Con Terzoglou labelled as “mind-boggling” on Monday evening.

From 36 inside 50s, the CYs’ talls were remarkably efficient, snaring 11 marks inside the arc from limited opportunity – Provest accounting for five of those, leading all-comers on the ground.

But in a third term OGs midfield onslaught, the CYs were simply denied territory and the football as Lazzaro, Sheridan, Kol, Jones and Jimmy Adams kicked it up a gear for the OGs.

“I’ll wear responsibility for this – I was probably caught napping a little bit, because they (the OGs) weren’t kicking their goals consistently through the quarter,” Terzoglou said.

“It turned slowly – by the time I realised we had a problem, we’re in the middle of these 13 minutes of absolute domination. They were fantastic through contested and stoppage ball.”

Provest finished with five goals and Will Bokma had 37 disposals and 10 clearances.

The hits keep coming for the CYs with Caulfield Grammarians this weekend, Paul Satterley’s men in ripping touch with four wins in a row spanning back to the last weekend of June.

The Fields leapt from fourth to third in a comeback win over Old Carey, kicking all three goals in the final quarter to win 9.16 (70) to 8.12 (60). 

“I thought they were the better team for three quarters … we were just a bit flat on the day,” said Fields coach Paul Satterley, who has the Wellers, Rovers and Ts following the CYs in the run home

“It was a pretty uninspiring game – a turnover game, end-to-end stuff, we probably wanted it more contested. It felt like both sides were able to go end-to-end without much pressure.”

Strangely enough, Satterley’s side kicked seven of its nine goals into the famed Glen Huntly Park breeze – not blowing quite as strongly last Saturday, but still with a say in proceedings.

The scoreline continues a line of defensive form that indicates the Fields’ defensive prowess: only once since Round Five has Satterley’s team conceded a score of more than 70, and in that game, Round 11 against Fitzroy, the Fields ran out winners regardless.

At the weekend, that defensive ability allowed the Fields to stay close through three quarters of poorer football, and in the final term, they pounced.

Chief interceptor Oscar Roberts (31 disposals, eight intercept mark) controlled the skies all afternoon long while Dylan Ting, described as a “unicorn” by his coach for his ability in the air and at ground level, was terrific with three goals, bringing his total to 11 over his last four games.

Senior debutant Kayne Watt, who has played 12 games for the Sandringham Dragons this year, kicked two goals and was impressive. Watt is measured at a tick under two metres tall, but may have grown recently – Satterley puts the 18-year-old at 205 centimetres.

A win this week would put the Fields two games clear inside the top four, and Satterley’s well aware of the significance of the trip to the Fearon Reserve.

“We’re really keen to play WIlliamstown. We were a bit stung – one of our boys got reported when we played them, a bit of niggle … for a whole host of reasons, we’re keen as mustard for this, and the boys were straight into (preparation) post-game”.

Old Carey’s Luke Kelvie continued his strong season with 27 disposals and 10 marks, and Mitch Wooffindin (32 disposals) and Will Green (24) featured heavily in the loss.

The Panthers are seventh, but are only a win and percentage outside of the top four in what’s been an impressive graduate year after winning last year’s Premier C flag, and will play the Hampton Rovers in a 2024 Grand Final rematch this weekend, who fell to Fitzroy for the second time this season.

It’s the Roys’ second win in a difficult year after relegation from William Buck Premier – one of the bright spots is young gun Louis Hodder, who snared seven goals in the 17.20 (122) to 8.8 (56) win.

Hodder, who also punted seven in Round Five against the Rovers, was prominent for the Big V Under 19s squad in its win over the Bendigo Football Netball League last month and already has an Anytime Fitness Rising Star nomination to his name.

“Really pleased for the group to get a reward for all of their hard work this year,” said Fitzroy coach Travis Ronaldson, able to reward premiership captain Julian Turner with a win in his 200th game.

“We set the game up early with some good work around the stoppages and were able to convert that into marks inside 50.”

The Roys kicked six goals to none in the second term to take a 50-point lead into half time, with Big V defender Darcy Lowrie highlighted for his work off half back.

The winning margin came in late, Hampton kicking three of the four final-quarter goals and Christian Carnovale tireless, the Rovers champion finishing with 33 disposals and eight tackles.

Fitzroy faces a stiff challenge in Round 15, set with a date with Old Ivanhoe off the back of its fifth win in a row.

At home against Old Camberwell in what was a rematch of the 2023 Premier C Grand Final, the Hoers unveiled former Blue David Cuningham for his first game of the year, arriving through a connection with former Carlton teammate and star Hoer ruck Alex Mirkov, as coach Jarrod Gieschen explained.

“At the start of the year (David) rang me to see if he could nominate us as his back up club as it was required with Footscray,” Gieschen said.

“They are in a position where there are limited VFL only spots on the list so he got the opportunity to play with us on Saturday. He’s a great person and fitted in really well.

“The first tap of the game went straight down his throat – it was like he and Alex never stopped playing together. He enjoyed playing with our group and kicked a crucial goal in the third quarter and contributed all day as you’d expect.”

The first kick of the day went from the boot of Cuningham and straight to Lucas Agrotis, who duly saluted. The Hoers would carry that momentum on, kicking four of the first five goals of the game and looking ominous before they were hauled back in by the Wellers.

After a three-goals-to-one second term, Neil Connell’s men went into half time trailing by just three points. The Hoers would wrest back momentum early in the third with three goals in a row – and again the Wellers responded, cutting the lead back down to four points by the ten-minute mark of the final quarter.

“They just kept coming at us all day – credit to them,” said Giechen.

“They are a highly competitive group, and we’ve had great matches with them over the entire eight years I’ve been coaching.”

Late goals through Mirkov and Charlie Naish were enough for the Hoers to seal victory, 10.7 (67) to 8.11 (59) winners to remain atop the ladder, one game and just over 4% clear of Old Trinity.

Old Camberwell meanwhile sit in sixth place, one game and percentage outside of the top four, with a final run of Old Melburnians, Caulfield Grammarians, Old Geelong and Williamstown CYMS.

“The pressure and intensity at the start of the game was finals-like,” said coach Neil Connell.  

“Kicking 1.5 in the third, with three hitting the post, eventually cost us the game. Old Ivanhoe’s pressure and hard running from the back half was first-rate.

“The most pleasing part was our ability to keep trying to play our way, and our ability to shift the momentum back in our favour.”

Dangerous forwards Harry Laukens and Liam Thomas were well held by Hoers pair Elliot Nicoll and Tom Rattray-Wood, Tyson Beechey and Robert West leading the way for the Wellers with two goals each.

The Old Melburnians’ post-season case looks a difficult one to mount with four games remaining after a nine-point loss to Old Trinity at Elsternwick Park.

In eighth at 6-8, the OMs remarkably have Premier B’s third-greatest percentage at 119.4%, but have lost their last three games by a combined margin of 31 points. This was their sixth game of 2025 decided by 13 points or fewer: in those games, Nathan Brown’s team is 0-6.

Still, the OMs are two wins outside of the four, would jump every finals aspirant on current percentage, and have both soon-to-be-relegated teams to play in the last month of the home-and-away season – don’t rule out another twist in what’s been an unpredictable season in Premier B.

With talls Ed Shard, Boston Dowling and Tom Ferrier out of the team, Ts coach Donald McDonald brought back talismanic man Harry Thompson for his first senior game of 2025 – Ed Weatherson also making his much-anticipated return to senior football after a long-term shoulder injury.

The Ts led at every break, survived lunges late in the third and fourth quarters from the OMs and “found a way to win,” 11.13 (79) to 10.10 (70) to remain two games clear inside the top two.

Expect Dowling and Ferrier to return shortly for the green and gold, but the news is worse for Sam Barendregt, who suffered a broken wrist early in the piece. It’s a wait-and-see for Hugh and Charlie Beasley’s availability. 

Hugo McGlashan (25 disposals and two goals), Ollie Scott (24 and two) and Christos Manoussakis (32 and one) led the way, while Adam Richardson booted four goals for the OMs.

“They thoroughly deserved to win – their midfield was too good for ours in the end, and gave them a few more looks than us. We also let ourselves down with a little bit of connection inside 50,” said OMs coach Nathan Brown.

“Super proud of our boys, and we’re a young group. They fought it out right to the end … all of the under 19s that have come through have been super impressive”.

There are some similarities between his side and the Ts that Brown spotted, with the OMs out to emulate the Ts’ build to a top-flight return. 

“Speaking to (Old Trinity coach) Donald McDonald, I likened us to when they came down a couple of years ago. They didn’t play finals in the first year they came down from A Grade, but it’s that group now who are pushing to finish top two.

“The hard bit is holding them all together – retention.”

The Ts take on Old Geelong at home this weekend while the OMs simply must take a win on the road against the Wellers to keep their slim finals window wedged ajar.

The CYs and Fields, Rovers and Panthers, and Hoers and Roys round out Round 15.