Magpies, Friars duke it out in epic clash as two sides remain in race for last finals spot

Three big questions remain heading into the last round of the Division 2 Men’s home and away season – who will finish on top, who will finish fourth, and who will avoid the wooden spoon?

West Brunswick and Whitefriars played out a thriller at Whitefriars College Oval, with the Magpies holding off a late Friars charge to win by just two points. The Friars had it all to play for coming into the game – needing a win to keep their slim chance of playing finals alive – and had the better of their opponents early, taking an 11-point lead into quarter time courtesy of back-to-back goals from Liam Stanborough (who had four for the day). But the visitors got going in the second quarter, kicking four goals to one to hold an eight-point advantage at the main break.

The Magpies continued to push ahead with three of the first four goals in the second half, extending their lead to 22 points, before three goals in four minutes from the Friars got them back within four points. West Brunswick snuck one back on the death of three-quarter time and kicked the first of the final quarter, but there were still plenty of twists and turns to come. Three consecutive goals to the home side gave them the lead at the halfway mark of the final quarter, but shutdown back-turned-forward Tom Laity put the Magpies back in front with two quick goals of his own. Laity’s efforts meant the visitors were able to hold on for the remaining time and record a nail-biting two-point win.

“It was a cracking game. We were good in the contest but unfortunately couldn’t get over the line. We dropped off our pressure by about 10% in the second quarter and they took advantage of it,” said Whitefriars coach Lucas Matthews. Magpies coach Regan Tait agreed that both sides put up a good fight, saying his side struggled to contain Tim Angus, who finished with five goals. “He’s a fantastic forward – he presents really well and definitely gave our backline a bit of a headache,” Tait said of Angus.

South Melbourne Districts snuffed out Canterbury’s chances of playing finals with a hard-fought 22-point win at home. Both teams had five scoring shots in the first quarter, but the Cobras made the most of their chances early (4.1 to South Melbourne’s 1.4) and took a 15-point lead into the first break. The Bloods cut Canterbury’s lead to 10 points at half time and adjusted better to the wet conditions in the second half, after rain began to fall late in the second quarter. “For that hour period [during the rain], they were all over us,” said Canterbury coach Steve Brown. “We couldn’t move the footy the way we wanted, and it became a slower type of game. But South Melbourne were very good.”

Bloods coach Nick Abbott acknowledged that his side failed to take advantage of their early pressure, but felt his side showed a sense of maturity as the game went on. “In the past we would have gone into our shell because we hadn’t capitalised when we’ve had the opportunities. But we held true and knew that the pressure [we were applying] and what we were doing was working. We just needed to get reward for that effort.”

MHSOB kept their finals hopes alive with a 57-point win over St John’s at Melbourne High School, handing the visitors their eighth loss in the past nine games. Matthew Pereira had a day out up forward for MHSOB, finishing with seven goals, his fourth game this year kicking five or more goals. JOC’s coach Tim Edwards said his young side started well but were unable to capitalise on some of the opportunities they were presented with. “They play their ground well and ultimately got on top of us after half-time,” he said. Edwards praised the efforts of Daniel Clarke and Indiana Anderson in their second and third senior games for 2025, with Edwards deeming the former to have been best on for the JOC’s. St John’s had five individual goalscorers, including skipper Corey Ely and Bahaa Khoweiss.

Old Yarra Cobras crushed Hawthorn by 148 points at Koonung Reserve, kicking 25 goals to two in the largest win by any team in Division 2 Men’s this season. Ten Old Yarra players registered a goal in the one-sided affair, headlined by Jack Hall backing up last week’s six goal haul with seven and David Tokatliyan bagging a season-high six. Stephen Dicintio and James Smith kicked one each for Hawthorn.

Cobras coach Nathan Monaco was understandably pleased with the result but was more focused on improve aspects of his side’s game ahead of finals. Monaco highlighted the performance of third gamer Zach McLeod: “Zach played down back against Canterbury [last week] as it’s a tough midfield to break into, but this week we gave him Tom Bell’s role and he was among the best players for us, which is a great result,” Monaco said. Hawks coach Mark Murray conceded his side took a couple of steps back over the weekend and didn’t bring the effort and attitude he had seen in recent games. However, Murray was pleased by the performance of 18-year-old ruckman Jonathan Isner – who he described as having a standout game despite the heavy loss.

St Mary’s Salesian overcame a slow start to defeat Aquinas by 71 points at Aquinas College. The two teams kicked just three goals between them in the first quarter as the visitors took a four-point lead into quarter time. But the ladder leaders began to exert their dominance after the first break, kicking eight consecutive goals across the next two quarters to stretch their lead to 54 points before James McMahon registered his first for the day in the thirteenth minute of the third. McMahon, Aquinas’ only multiple goal scorer, kicked four second-half goals – including the last of the third quarter and the first two of the last.

Saints coach Clay Tait said Aquinas brought their contested game early and were able to get on top around the stoppages. But Tait was proud of how his players responded to the challenge during the quarter.  “Once we adjusted and lifted in that area, we took control of the game,” he said. Jacob McElroy was among St Mary’s best for the fourth consecutive week after finishing with six goals. McElroy (59 for the season) sits just one goal behind Old Yarra’s Jack Hall on the goalkicking table going into the last game of the season.

The final round of the home and away games features an enticing top four clash between West Brunswick and St Mary’s Salesian at Ransford Oval. A loss or a draw for the Saints could see them concede top spot on the ladder depending on other results, while the Magpies will remain in third on the ladder regardless of the outcome. Hawthorn host Aquinas in a game that will see the loser claim the wooden spoon and be relegated to Division 3 next season, while the winner will remain in Division 2 as only the bottom side will drop due to St John’s exiting the VAFA at the conclusion of the season.

Despite not qualifying for finals themselves, the JOC’s can still help shape the top four – a home victory against South Melbourne Districts would open the door for MHSOB to swoop in and claim fourth position should they emerge victorious in their clash with Old Yarra. Meanwhile, Canterbury and Whitefriars will be playing for pride when the Friars travel to the Canterbury Sports Ground, with both teams safe from dropping down a division but also unable to make finals. The Cobras will be out for revenge, with Whitefriars winning the Round 3 clash by just five points.