Old Yarra steal top spot back after dramatic last day

An upset win to West Brunswick sees the Old Yarra Cobras leapfrog into top spot to claim the minor premiership, while Aquinas survived a close encounter with Hawthorn to avoid the wooden spoon.

Third placed West Brunswick finished the home and away season on a high with a six-goal win over St Mary’s Salesian at Ransford Oval. The Saints jumped out of the blocks, putting on four quick goals during the opening quarter to race to a 28-point lead. The Magpies turned things around after the first break, kicking six goals to two in the second quarter and then a further six goals to one in the second half.

West Brunswick coach Regan Tait said his side knew what they needed to do when a team kicked a run of goals against them and was pleased that they were able to execute in the middle of the ground when it mattered. “Mitch Graham, our ruckman, changed the dynamic of the game,” he said. “I think he was away when we played St Mary’s earlier in the year, and we’ve been putting a lot of work into developing his ruck craft. The way he performed yesterday was just phenomenal.”

St Mary’s coach Clay Tait conceded that his side got smashed at the contest and around stoppages but felt that the players never threw in the towel. “Our ball movement wasn’t what we aimed [for it] to be and they just outplayed us. Sometimes that happens [but] you learn a few things and you move on,” he said. Jacob McElroy kicked three goals for the Saints, which saw him leapfrog Old Yarra’s Jack Hall and claim the Division 2 Men’s goalkicking award. McElroy bagged 62 goals from 15 games this season, kicking at least one goal in every game he played and finishing with five or more goals on six occasions.

Old Yarra Cobras took advantage of St Mary’s slip-up, with their 21-point win over MHSOB seeing them return to first place on the ladder on the last day of the home and away season. Things were tight in the first half, with the Unicorns leading by two points at quarter time and four points at the main break. But the Cobras got their noses in front during the third and led by nine at three-quarter time, before kicking away slightly in the last. Victorious coach Nathan Monaco said the minor premiership was a great result for the club, and highlighted the performances of James Allsop, Xavier Bateman, and Matthew Young, with the latter two players making successful returns from injury ahead of the finals.

Old Yarra forward Jack Hall was goalless for the first time this season, but David Tokatliyan and Benjamin Makowski kicked 10 between them to keep the scoreboard ticking over for the Cobras. “It’s not the smallest ground, but it’s just one of those grounds where teams seem to score quite heavily,” Monaco explained. “We knew we had to be super defensive when we could but then make sure we were taking our opportunities forward of the ball. And we did that really well.” Liam Littore, Nick McKinnon, and Mathew Pereira all kicked two goals for the Unicorns, who were unable to get over the line in coach Bernie Pretty’s final game in charge.

South Melbourne Districts secured fourth place with a gritty 11-point win over St John’s at Thomas Carroll Reserve. The victory, which was the Bloods’ sixth on the trot, was their first win on the road since Round 9. Joshua Mourant opened the scoring for the home side with a goal in the first 30 seconds of the game, before the visitors kicked the next two and took a 10-point lead into the quarter time break. Zephyr Howson extended South Melbourne’s lead shortly after play resumed, and when Thomas Foley goaled in the tenth minute the lead reached 20 points, although Mourant’s second for the day late in the quarter reduced the margin to 16 at half time.

The JOC’s came out firing after the long break, putting on five goals to South Melbourne’s one in the third quarter to swing the momentum and hold a nine-point lead heading into the final change. But the Bloods rallied in the last, with Euan Dixon, Blaise Bajram, and Michael Carter all kicking true to take back the lead as the South Melbourne defence held the JOC’s to just two behinds. South Melbourne coach Nick Abbott said his side would take a lot of learnings from the physical contest. “It has us battle hardened for finals… hopefully we can put up a good showing against [West Brunswick],” he said.

A 28-point win to Aquinas over Hawthorn at Rathmines Road Reserve meant the Bloods avoided the wooden spoon while the Hawks finished bottom of the ladder after losing their last nine games of the season by an average of 67.8 points. The win, which was Aquinas’ third of the year, was built on the back of a four-goal to none first quarter. Aquinas held a game-high lead of 44-points partway through the second, although two late goals to the home side reduced the margin to 27 points at the long break. The Bloods pushed their lead out to 34 points at three-quarter time before three goals in the first seven minutes of the last got Hawthorn right back in it. But Aquinas responded with two goals of their own to give retiring coach Craig Glennie the perfect farewell gift.

Glennie was pleased with the performance of his side, saying they played a good brand of football. Aquinas pushed numbers up around the ball but were able to spread well and work the ball out by hand. Sam Glennie (a team-high three goals) and David Malvaso (one) both returned from injury sooner than expected to play in Glennie’s last game and feature among the eight goal kickers for Aquinas. The Box boys – Toby, Griffin, and Sam – impressed Glennie, with the former two names among the team’s best. Glennie also felt Phillip Edgar (two goals) was dangerous up forward for the Hawks.

Canterbury saved their best game for the year until last, registering their highest score and largest win in a 79-point victory over Whitefriars at the Canterbury Sportsground. The Cobras, who were finally able to access their new rooms, impressed coach Steve Brown with their ability to move the ball end-to-end through the corridor. The Friars trailed by eight points at the first change but were blown away in the second, with Canterbury kicking nine goals to extend the margin to 54 points at the half.

Noah Sealey kicked three second half goals for Whitefriars to try and keep them in the contest, while the retiring Michael Nitas kicked two. Under 19’s player Oscar Bor made his senior debut for the Friars, which senior coach Lucas Matthews described as a nice moment of synergy for the club. “You’ve got a first-year player and a guy who retired but who started playing at the footy club in the nineteens. From a footy club perspective, it’s a good way to finish the year,” said Matthews, who was understandably disappointed with the loss.

Matthew Fotia finished with six goals for Canterbury – his best return for the season – while Mitch Szabo had four and Ryder Daffy, Charlie Deacon, and Michael Topp all added three each. “Our top three goal kickers are all under 19’s which is a really pleasing result for the football club,” said Brown. Another youngster, ruck/forward Dan Welford, impressed Brown in just his third senior game, giving the more experienced Michael Wheeler a chop out throughout the match.

The four remaining teams now turn their attention to finals, with Old Yarra Cobras and St Mary’s Salesian facing off in the qualifying final and West Brunswick and South Melbourne doing battle in the elimination final. The Cobras will be out for revenge against the Saints – who have been the only team to beat them all year – while the Magpies will be hoping to make it three from three against the Bloods in 2025, having won both encounters during the home and away season.