Top three continue to dominate but many dominoes yet to fall in place

Round 15 of Division 1 Men’s saw the top three sides further stake their claim on that part of the ladder with dominant victories, whilst a two game buffer between fourth and fifth provides fourth-placed Preston with some breathing room for now.

A see-sawing battle in Mount Eliza saw Old Peninsula come up trumps, defeating the Preston Bullants by 27 points. Going into this top-four contest, the Pirates were looking to consolidate their top two spot whilst the Bullants too have potential to climb up the ladder.

The Pirates have made Harry MacDonald Oval their fortress this season and the first quarter certainly delivered on that contention, with the home side taking a 19-point lead into the first change. The tables turned in the second quarter as Preston took advantage and moved the footy around the ground with success, in a dominant six-goal display to be leading by 16 points at the main break.

Two quick goals at the start of the third got the Pirates back within reach but the Bullants fired back with two goals of their own. However, it was Old Peninsula who were more successful from thereon in, kicking nine of the next eleven majors to cruise home and lock away their top two spot for another week.

Luke Green, Jayden Carroll and Alex Johnston were amongst the best players for Preston, and Old Peninsula’s Big V representative Bailey Payze had another terrific game with four majors to his name.

Kew boosted their percentage in a crushing 59-point defeat of Therry Penola.

There was plenty on the line for both sides going into this match. A win for Kew would keep them in touch with second-placed Old Peninsula, whilst a win for Therry Penola would work favorably towards their efforts to leave the relegation zone.

Both sides had their moments in the first quarter which saw the Bears bank a narrow lead, helped by some inaccuracy in front of goal for the Lions. The high-scoring continued in the second quarter with both sides finding the big sticks on multiple occasions, but Kew seemed to be a pace ahead, leading by 22-points at the main break.

It was the third quarter where the narrative quickly turned as the Bears put their foot on the accelerator, both finding goals and working hard across all lines to limit scoring opportunities for the Lions to build their lead to a mammoth 45-points at three quarter time.

Despite a high-scoring, attacking final quarter on both sides, the deficit was too much for Therry Penola to overcome as Kew enjoyed a seven-goal final term to comfortably get over the line and get back on the winners list.

On a disappointing day for Therry Penola, Patrick Carracher’s performance was one to remember with seven goals to his name, whilst Kew’s Regan Smith and Ned Waters recorded four majors each.

Ormond made it fifteen on the trot with a 31-point victory over Oakleigh.

The Monders piled on the pain early with three quick goals before returning Krusher, Luke Ashen, found his way on the scorecard with Oakleigh’s first goal going his way. Ormond led by 21 points at quarter-time, before a lower-scoring, defensive second quarter saw just the three goals scored, but Ormond nonetheless remained ahead to lead by 28 points at half-time.

The third quarter was a story of two halves as Ormond came out firing with the first four goals to lead by a damaging 54-points. To Oakleigh’s credit, they didn’t drop their heads and stayed mentally focused to kick the next few goals and bring their deficit back to a workable 32 points at three-quarter time.

An intriguing final quarter saw no goals, but thirteen behinds kicked as both sides had plenty of opportunities inside 50 but failed to convert. This sewed up the victory for Ormond who continue their undefeated run and guaranteed themselves a top two finish.

Luke Ashen’s return for Oakleigh saw him walk away with three majors, whilst Ormond vice-captain Jackson Hille impressed with four goals.

The Monash Blues have significantly boosted their chances of staying in Division 1 with a 76-point defeat of Brunswick.

With neither of these teams set to make finals, this game may have presented as a

dead-rubber, but there were plenty of storylines existing for both clubs, particularly Monash looking to avoid relegation and Brunswick looking to build some consistency after dropping three of their previous four games.

An incredible display throughout the first half saw the Blues virtually silence the home side, leading fourteen goals to two at half time as Monash’s skill execution and efforts across all areas of the ground were rewarded.

Whilst the scoring for Monash somewhat stagnated throughout the second half, they were ultimately the better side on the team as Brunswick’s inaccuracy in front of goal was one of the factors that cost them dearly.

Monash captain Mitchell King was a standout with five goals to take his tally this season to thirty-two majors, whilst Jackson Browne, Fletcher Banfield and Ben Wilson were amongst the best on ground for Brunswick.

UHS-VU continued their late season run of form with a 42-point victory over Elsternwick.

As is often the case at Elsternwick Park, the first quarter was very competitive with momentum swinging between both sides. This changed in the second quarter, however, as the Vultures found opportunities inside 50 and extended their lead to 28-points at the main break.

The Wicks quickly responded with three goals out of half-time, and by three quarter-time, their deficit had reduced to 18-points, but an attacking final quarter from the Vultures ensured victory as they claimed their sixth win of 2025.

For the second week in a row, Elsternwick’s Daniel Marchese had a terrific individual performance with another bag of five goals to his name, whilst UHS’s Brandon Jackson was also a standout up forward with four goals going his way.

All eyes turn to Round 16 where many pieces of the puzzle that is the Division 1 ladder will continue to be arranged.

Therry Penola (9th) host Oakleigh (5th) in a must win game for the Krushers should they wish to play finals, Old Peninsula (2nd) meet Elsternwick (10th), Kew (3rd) match up with Brunswick (6th), the Preston Bullants (4th) will be looking to cause Ormond’s (1st) first loss of the season as they push to move up the ladder, and two sides coming off wins will face off in the Monash Blues (8th) and UHS-VU (7th).