St Mary’s achieve ultimate success after arm wrestle against Old Yarra

St Mary’s Salesian broke a 32-year premiership drought with a thrilling three-point win over Old Yarra Cobras.

The ninety-fourth and final game of the Division 2 Men’s season for 2025 saw St Mary’s Salesian triumph over Old Yarra Cobras in a nail-biting Grand Final at Dunshea Oval, the flag representing how far the club has come over the past three years.

St Mary’s returned to Division 2 in 2023 after going 0-18 in Division 1 the year before and avoided back-to-back relegations despite finishing ninth due to changes in the VAFA’s divisional competition structure.

2024 was a slightly better year, with the Saints winning six games (plus a draw) – good enough for seventh on the ladder. But 2025 surpassed all internal expectations (back in March coach Clay Tait said that the goal was to play finals) as St Mary’s won nine of their first 10 games on their way to finishing second on the ladder and bouncing back from a one-point semi final loss to claim their fourth senior premiership.

“To our playing group – as a whole, not just the 22 today – the 40-plus that we used throughout the year, congratulations,” Tait said during the awards ceremony after the game. “It’s been a massive process over the last three or four years to get here from where we came from as a club, and it takes each and every one of you.

“Not just the 22 that played today, it includes the ones that played last year, the ones that pulled on the boots when they probably shouldn’t have, to get through those tough times to set us up. I love coaching you, I’d do anything for you as a group, and I just love the way you back everything you do.”

Joshua Salloum, named among the Saints’ best when these two sides played in Round 8 and again in the second semi-final two weeks ago, saved his greatest performance for last and was named best on ground.

“He’s just a fantastic player, and I’m so happy that he got best on because it’s good recognition for what’s been such a fantastic year for him.” Tait said after the game.

“I’ll be pushing for him to make the team of the year because [against] basically any team that has a [dangerous] goalkicker, we’re like, ‘alright, it’s your matchup’. He takes smalls, he takes talls, he takes wrestlers… and I reckon he hasn’t had more than three kicked on him at any point this year. I think he’s the best defender [in the comp].”

Old Yarra Cobras won the toss and elected to kick towards the Bulleen Road end, but it was St Mary’s Salesian who found themselves on top early. Nick Dekas registered the opening goal of the Grand Final with a long range shot in the first 45 seconds before Jacob McElroy kicked back-to-back goals, continuing the great form he had shown during the home and away season.

The Cobras’ first goal came through Jack Hall, who was back in the side after sustaining an injury in their Round 18 clash against MHSOB. Hall’s goal sparked a change in momentum, with the two Anthonys – Lamanna and Raso – both hitting the scoreboard to give Old Yarra their first lead of the day. But McElroy marked a high, swirling ball at the back of the pack before bagging this third for the quarter to give his side a six-point lead heading into the first change.

The early stages of the second quarter saw Raso kick his second and third for the day to put the Cobras back in front. However, their lead was short lived as St Mary’s Trent Ryan was paid a somewhat controversial free kick inside 50 before receiving a 50-metre penalty when Old Yarra failed to return the ball to him on the full. Ryan converted the easiest of kicks to restore his side’s lead in the 13^th minute. The teams traded behinds for the remainder of the quarter and went into the main break with scores level.

Old Yarra struck first in the third quarter, with Raso kicking his fourth after getting on the end a chain of handballs as the Cobras pressed forward. Saints’ player-coach Clay Tait found the perfect time to kick his eleventh goal of the season a few minutes later following a stoppage in St Mary’s forward 50, splitting the middle after collecting the ball at the back of the pack.

Scores were level for nearly 10 minutes before Callum Copeland converted his long-range shot to give the Cobras the lead.

The arm wrestle continued for another 10 minutes, but it was Old Yarra who blinked first and conceded two crucial goals in the last five minutes of the quarter. Dekas soccered the ball through for his second after McElroy halved a contest in the 27^th minute, before a late tackle on Jerry Xue a few minutes later saw Trent Ryan mark the resulting downfield free kick on the lead. Ryan cooly slotted his second for the day from about 40 metres, and St Mary’s took a six-point lead into three-quarter time.

Old Yarra’s Tom Bell played like a man possessed in the final quarter, winning a free kick early after catching his opponent in a crunching tackle. Bell’s shot at goal fell short, but the Cobras’ veteran maintained a strong physical presence around the contest for the remainder of the quarter, forcing his side forward at every opportunity as they desperately tried to find an avenue to goal and take back the lead.

But the minor premiers were unable to convert despite repeat entries inside 50, finishing with five behinds for the term.

Angus Moulden brought the ball back into play after Old Yarra’s final minor score in the 24^th minute of the quarter with a trademark booming kick that found Hamish Macmillan near the middle of the ground. The Saints then used a series of shorter kicks to milk precious seconds off the clock as they made their way inside 50, and although Old Yarra were able to eventually clear the ball from their defensive 50, they couldn’t find a mark on the near wing late in the quarter.

Elliot Brandon-Jones and Bell combined for one final push forward that went to ground, allowing St Mary’s to clear. The ball found its way to the near wing, and St Mary’s did well to run out the clock by forcing repeat stoppages, earning them a hard-fought three-point win.

Bell was named among his teams’ best in what was his final game of senior football, and coach Nathan Monaco was gutted he couldn’t deliver the club stalwart a premiership in his last hurrah. “He’s given me everything, [and] I’m so disappointed and upset that we couldn’t get him a premiership to go out on,” Monaco said after the game.

“It’s going to sting us for a while… It’s been a super three years since the [two] clubs merged [and] I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved. But until you get that reward for effort it’s a pretty hollow feeling. Credit to St Mary’s [though], they stuck fat and got the job done.”

Cobras skipper Nicholas Zappala echoed Monaco’s words during the post-match awards ceremony. “We’ve had some great battles with [St Mary’s] all year… and we’re looking forward to seeing you again next year. And to our boys – don’t let today define you. You have been unbelievable all year. Even though we didn’t get the result today, you should be proud of the work we’ve done this year.”

And that’s all she wrote, with another season of football inscribed in the history books for the VAFA Division 2 Men’s competition. Congratulations to 2025 Premiers St Mary’s Salesian and to all ten clubs that fought valiantly in an exciting season of community football.