The Top 3 from 2025 all got away to a winning start in William Buck Premier Men’s, while two teams with the potential to climb into the upper echelon both posted impressive victories.
Let’s take a closer look at the opening round in review:
The comeback win of the round was at Princes Park as Old Haileybury stormed home against University Blacks to deliver their first victory of the Guy Martyn era.
The Blacks dominated the contest early, racking up 17 Clearances to 6 in the opening term off the back of Sam Conway’s ruckwork. Their pressure was elite (Tackles 29-15), and they generated 6 first-quarter scores from turnover to lead by 2 points at quarter time.
“Uni Blacks’ quick hands around the stoppage were really impressive,” said Old Haileybury coach, Guy Martyn. “That helped them break away from contested situations.”
While Dale Bower’s men continued to dominate possession in the second term (+27), the Bloods actually generated more Inside 50s (18-13). However, the Blacks were more potent, taking 7 Marks Inside 50 to 0 for the quarter, and booting 4.4 to 2.3 (including 2 goals in time-on) to lead by 15 points at the major break.
“We were pretty wasteful in the second quarter, which was deflating,” said Martyn.
“The ball was parked in our forward half for the first 12-15 minutes, and we just couldn’t score. Then they kick a couple of goals late in the second to go into half-time with a lot of momentum.”
Old Haileybury evened up the clearances in the third quarter, but the Blacks were still controlling contested footy around the ground as the game turned into an arm-wrestle. Neither side could find a goal until Patrick Smith pounced on a loose ball at the top of the goalsquare to snap the first of the term 19 minutes in.
Kane Loftus and Joel Ernest would subsequently make it 3 Blacks goals in 7 minutes , blowing the lead out to a game-high 32 points before Flynn Gregor booted a vital goal for the Bloods at the 28-minute mark to make it a 26-point deficit at the last change and provide a glimmer of hope.
Fittingly, it was Old Haileybury’s 150-game milestone man Durras Seccull who kick-started the final quarter comeback with a goal 90 seconds in. Gregor added another 90 seconds later, and the vibe began to change.
Kane Loftus provided a steadier for the Blacks, before the floodgates suddenly opened as the Bloods ran riot with 3 goals in 6 minutes. Brede Seccull snapped a clever goal, then X-factor Cody Goonewardene added 2 more to close the margin to just 2 points at the 15-minute mark.
Scores were level entering time-on when an out-of-bounds on the full became a 50-metre penalty when the ball wasn’t returned to Noah Higgins. He was walked to the top of the goalsquare and put the Bloods in front for the first time since the opening minute of the game.
They added a further 4 behinds in time-on before Ned Conway added icing to the cake with an after the siren goal – Old Haileybury coming from the clouds with a 7-goal-to-1 final term (after kicking just 6 in the first 3 quarters) to score a 16-point win.
Joel Chilcott and Durras Seccull were both singled out for praise by Guy Martyn.
“It was Joel’s first game for the club and an example of impact over possessions, although he still finished with 19, 13 contested and 7 tackles, including a Forward 50 holding-the-ball which delivered our first goal. He went into the midfield in the last quarter and was influential, winning some clearances to give us the momentum.
“It was the ‘perfect’ Durras Seccull game in his 150th. He was a rock in defence for most of the day, then went forward in the last quarter to help win it.”
Patrick Smith was magnificent for Blacks (39 disposals, 23 contested, 11 clearances, 5 tackles and a goal). He was well supported by Harry Broderick (38 disp, 8 clearances, 10 tackles and a goal) and Sam Conway in the ruck, who worked tirelessly all day to finish with 26 touches (22 contested), 57 hitouts, and 6 clearances.
Old Haileybury have a local derby next up, heading a couple of kilometres around the corner to visit Caulfield Grammarians, while the Blacks will face the Blues in the Uni Derby at Melbourne Uni.
Guy Martyn (Old Haileybury): “We had 18 players aged 22 or under on Saturday, so to come back from 26 points down at ¾ time to finish that was really pleasing to watch. That hopefully gives the group plenty of belief for the weeks to come. Obviously, the 4 points/win right now is huge, but the impact a finish and result like that can have for future games is immeasurable and something we can refer back to.”
Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “VAFA Premier Men’s is highly competitive. Old Haileybury clearly got on top of us in the last quarter and ran us down. We expect a response from our players this week against the Blues, who are in good form.”
Enjoy the match replay on Kommunity TV!
The other tight game of the afternoon was at Camberwell Sportsground, as 2024 premiers Old Scotch hosted the newly promoted Caulfield Grammarians.
The Fields found their feet quickly back in Premier Men’s, with Jared Freedman booting a goal 3 minutes in, and when Quinn Cooper and Kayne Watt added two more in a minute approaching time-on, it was the visitors up and about with a 2-goal quarter-time lead.
“Caulfield had the ascendancy in the first term, and our defence held up really well,” said Old Scotch coach Mark Gnatt. “From there, it was a bit of an arm wrestle, and we were able to gain a bit more territory and give our forwards a chance to hit the scoreboard.”
Goals continued to be hard to come by in the second term after Angus Jones and Kayne Watt kicked two in the opening two minutes of the term. It took another 14 minutes for either team to find the middle, Scotch peppering away with 4 consecutive behinds before Aidan Franetic booted his first major of the season.
Archie Loughnan responded a minute later for Caulfield to re-establish their 9-point buffer, which was trimmed back within a kick, thanks to Angus Symons – the teams heading to the rooms with the Fields leading by a single point.
Tom Williams struck first for the visitors in the third term, before the Cardinals clicked up a gear. They would boot the next 4 goals to kick 15 points clear. But the Fields showed plenty of grit to dig in and keep fighting, and late goals to Hugh McKenzie and Will Vesely drew them back within 4 points at the final change.
Tom Williams then booted his second goal in the opening minute of the final term to hand Caulfield the lead once more, and it was game on. Franetic and Loughnan exchanged majors once again, and it wasn’t until 11 minutes into the term that Old Scotch were finally able to shake clear and make their decisive move.
Ben Fergusson, Henry Brown and Angus Symons added 3 goals in 2.5 minutes, and when Fergusson kicked his third early in time-on, the margin had blown out to 23 points and the game looked to be in the Cards’ keeping.
But once again, the Fields showed the sort of fight-to-the-final-siren spirit that carried them all the way to last year’s Premier B Grand Final, and 2 goals in 2 minutes to Hugh McKenzie and Will Vesely brought the margin back to 11 points at the 28-minute mark.
However, a Scotch goal to Freddie Leeton 90 seconds later ultimately put the result to bed – the Cardinals posting a hard-fought 19-point win.
Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “It was a good game of footy with both sides being relatively young. We had 7 debutants, and the majority are Under 19’s, which is exciting.
“Our pressure was very good, and players like Henry Brown and Angus Symons led the way in this space. Will Clark was a dominant force across four quarters, and Alex Noblet was all class in his ball use through the midfield.
“The game was played in great spirits, and I have no doubt that my old mate ‘Satts’ and his boys will win their fair share of games this season.”
Paul Satterley (Caulfield): “We were super competitive in our first game in A-Grade since 2023, and against a club that has played in the past 2 Grand Finals. To be within 11 points with a couple of minutes to go will give our group a lot of confidence.
“Ryan Pietsch gave us a lot of rebound in defence, Hugh McKenzie was busy all game, kicking 2 playing at half back, and Quinn Cooper did a serviceable job on the very talented Charlie Cormack.
“Ultimately, Scotch was able to capitalise on turnovers, and this proved costly for us. Whilst we challenged offensively at times, we feel we have more to give in this part of the game. We’ll keep working on closing out our ball movement, recover well, and prep for Haileybury.”
Here’s the replay of both the PREMIER WOMEN’S & PREMIER MEN’S doubleheader on VAFA TV!
2025 finalists St Kevin’s and Old Xaverians clashed in a highly anticipated opening round showdown at TH King.
SKOB had won 6 straight over Xavs until their most recent meeting in Round 10 of last season, when 39 touches from Woodrow Medallist Marcus Stavrou helped snap Xavs’ losing streak to their rival.
But with Stavrou and several other key Xavs out with injury, how would they perform against a SKOB side that also boasted a very different look?
St Kevin’s entered without departed stalwarts Patty Kerr, Luke Winter, Sam Critchley and Sam Barnett, but with some very handy additions, including ex-AFL player Jacob Koschitzke and St Kevin’s 2025 school team skipper, Doug Kerr.
A massive finals-like crowd descended on SKOB’s home turf on a beautiful day for football, and they were treated to a typically ferocious opening term between two high-quality outfits.
Sam Tucker booted the first goal of SKOB’s season 6 minutes in, before Xavs responded with the next 3, including two to the ever-threatening Charlie MacIsaac. But St Kevin’s delivered the only two goals in time-on, reducing their deficit to 2 points at the first change – Campbell Lane everywhere for Xavs, racking up 13 first-quarter disposals.
Lane would continue his red-hot form in the second term, combining with Stirling Phipps-Parsons for 22 touches between them as Xavs kicked the only 4 goals of the quarter.
The visitors were playing an efficient brand of football, given there was virtually nothing between the teams statistically, and, in fact, SKOB had one more inside 50 for the term.
21 tackles to 13 told the story of Xavs’ pressure, as they managed to jag a couple of goals via front-half turnovers to head to the main break with a 26-point lead.
The trend of the game continued in the third term – very little between the sides in general play, but Xavs better at translating their opportunities into score.
The growth of SKOB youngster George Delimitrou continues to impress, and he was in everything in the third term, collecting 11 disposals, but 3 goals to 2 saw Old Xavs extend their lead to an even 5 goals at the last break.
St Kevin’s were always going to fight on, but the steady stream of goals they would need to close the gap never eventuated. Sam Tucker booted the first of the last term (his third of the day), but when Nick Guiney responded with 2 goals in 5 minutes, the result was essentially put beyond doubt.
Old Xaverians on the board for 2026 with an impressive 26-point win – their FIRST at TH King since 2021.
Campbell Lane was named SKINS Player of the Game for his magnificent 39-disposal performance, working hard in both directions to finish with 6 Rebound 50s and 5 Inside 50s, while Will Goss collected 32 touches, and Stirling Phipps-Parsons 28.
Next up, they host Old Trinity at Toorak Park, while St Kevin’s face arguably the toughest assignment in all of the VAFA – Old Brighton at Brighton, where over the last few years, they’ve lost about as often as the Harlem Globetrotters.
Dan Donati (Old Xavs): “It’s never easy to head out to TH King and get the 4 points, so we’re obviously rapt to have done that against such a quality side.
“This was a tough game, where contest was king, and both teams battled it right out. The boys brought great effort, and I thought our ability to work both ways and bring our best pressure game was the highlight.
“It’s a long season ahead, and only one game down, but pleased to get the W. There’s no time to let the foot off, as we now prepare for our first home game next week vs OT’s.”
Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “Old Xavs’ intensity and pressure was the major difference in the game, to be honest, and that’s a difficult admission for our group at Round 1. But their ability to be so clean in the fundamentals and pressure us into mistakes was significant.
“Our ability to stay in the game from a scoreboard perspective does give us hope, because their dominance could have reflected a larger points differential – but our players played the game right out.
“No greater challenge than to go to Brighton at Brighton this week and dial up our pressure game to get the season on track.”
Enjoy the live stream replay on VAFA TV and our radio coverage here:
Speaking of Old Brighton, their Brighton Beach Oval fortress remains unbreeched as they racked up their 19th consecutive home win after dismantling St Bernard’s by 91 points.
It was a powerful statement from the reigning premiers, commencing their first-ever A-Grade premiership defence in the most emphatic of fashions by kicking the first 6 goals of the game, including the opening 2 to boom recruit Archi Manton, who would ultimately finish with 6 goals in his first VAFA game since booting 21 goals in 4 games for Willy CYMS in Premier B in 2024.
Archi and his fellow Tonner forwards were the beneficiaries of Old Brighton’s midfield dominance that saw them amass 15 Marks Inside 50 to 6 for the afternoon, with a whopping 11.13 coming through Scores from Turnover as Brighton applied relentless pressure in their front half.
The Snowdogs’ first goal came via Marcus Holland 9 minutes into the second term and was their only major of the opening half. Trailing by 43 points at the break, they unlocked some scoring in the third quarter, adding 3.2, but the Tonners kept flowing the other way with 5.3 of their own to take a commanding 44-point lead to the last change.
The reigning champs then celebrated a hat-trick of premiership flag unfurlings (Premier Men, Premier B Women and Under 19 Premier) by putting the foot down in the final term, slamming on 7.6 to 2.1 to career away to a blistering 91-point win.
Campbell Tweedie, Sam Linder, Angus Corke and Archi Manton were best for the Tonners, while Ethan Schumann, Luca Alessio, Harrison Schumann and Ben Overman stood out on a tough start to the season for the Snowdogs.
Old Brighton’s 19-game winning streak at Fortress Brighton extends back to Round 17 of 2023, and they actually lost their last 2 home games that season, to Uni Blacks and to St Kevin’s. SKOB will drop by for another visit in a mouthwatering match-up this coming weekend.
St Bernard’s must bounce back and prepare to welcome last year’s OTHER Grand Finalist, Old Scotch, to the Snakepit for a game that now carries a little more significance, given the magnitude of the Dogs’ first-round defeat.
Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “We defended well, particularly inside our defensive 50 when Bernard’s were able to get clean ball out of stoppage. Three of our best players came from the back 6, who often had to defend quick entries 1v1. But pleasingly, we rebounded effectively and got some good looks off those turnovers.
“Campbell Tweedie was terrific defending, and had to go 1v1 a lot, but was also able to generate good offence for us. Angus Corke also read the ball really well and was able to impact in the air and when under pressure with ground balls. Sam Linder was superb across HB, intercepting and rebounding really well. 2 debutants in Oli Goodger and Archi Manton played their roles really well – Arch slotting into the forward line seamlessly to kick 6.
“We were pleased to kick a score, and when we could get quick ball in, we looked good. We have some work to do on slow plays – Bernard’s were good in defending those most of the day and taking intercept marks at half back.
“We’ll also need to improve at stoppage this week and continue to improve ball movement from D50.”
Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “I thought our first half was competitive, without getting a reward on the scoreboard.
“We started well in the second half, but once again could not capitalise on the scoreboard, and Old Brighton showed why they haven’t been beaten at home in 2 years. Their brand kicked into gear – surge running, punishing turnovers and converting on the scoreboard.
“We need to dust ourselves off quickly to prepare for a challenging early run of games in the next month. We had some good signs with experienced players returning to the club and debuting some of our next generation of young talent. We’ll knuckle down and look for an improved performance next week.”
The replay is available now on Kommunity TV!
The final game of the weekend saw University Blues host 2025 Premier B champions Old Trinity at Melbourne Uni.
The T’s are back in William Buck Premier Men’s for the first time since 2022, and received an icy welcome from the Blues, who piled on the first 6 goals of the match to lead by 33 points at quarter time, with twin towers James Stewart and Sam Grimley on the board with 2 apiece.
Talented young tall Boston Dowling, who has quite rightly attracted the attention of AFL scouts over the past 12 months, kicked Old Trinity’s first goal 5 minutes into the second term. He would kick two more for the quarter, but was playing a lone hand against the Blues’ dynamic duo, who combined for 3 more of their own to effectively maintain the Blues’ lead at 31 points entering the main break.
Trinity was leading the contested ball count at the half, and only trailed the Inside 50 count by 3. But it was the Blues’ efficiency up forward that was making all the difference.
Dom Payman kicked the opening goal of the third term to reduce the margin to 25 points, but from there it was largely one-way traffic. Grimley’s 5th goal started a run of scores that saw the Blues boot 3.3 to 0.2, as the margin extended to 44 points with a quarter to play.
Stewart then put the game away with 3 goals in the opening 10 minutes of the last to give him 6 for the afternoon, and when Grimley added his 6th a few minutes later, the Blues were on their way to a confidence-building 50-point win.
The Stewart-Grimley combination has threatened to take Premier Men’s by storm for a number of years now, but they haven’t quite been able to stay healthy and put it all together week after week. But a first-up combined haul of 12 goals is enough to give coaches around the competition pause for concern.
When those two are on and receiving quality supply from their midfielders, the Blues are in with a shot against anyone, anywhere.
Both finished with 15 disposals, 8 marks and 6 goals, while Max Irving was also highly effective with 18 disposals, 7 tackles, 5 clearances and 2 goals. Boston Dowling booted 3 for the T’s, while Nick Hodgson worked hard to finish with 19 disposals (13 contested), 7 tackles and 4 clearances.
The Blues will head into the Uni Derby full of confidence, while Old Trinity will be looking for a bounce-back performance against the might of Old Xavs at Toorak Park.
Matt Smith (Uni Blues): I was really pleased with our performance. I know the scoreline flattered us, but I thought the Trinity boys showed genuine spirit and had a real crack for each other across the duration of the game.
“I was most happy with our ball movement across the ground and our evenness in contribution, that’s what we will require over the next month if we are going to challenge the best teams in the competition.”
Donald McDonald (Old Trinity): “There wasn’t too much to be pleased about, as we wanted to really have a good crack and we came up short. It was good to have three debutants and another 3 or 4 players back on the park after very long layoffs, and they will all be better for the run.
“We weren’t as sharp with our skills when we had possession, and they really rebounded well. The Blues’ big forwards led well, and their ball use was good.
“Xavs are a very good football team, so we have some work to do.”
WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 2
SATURDAY APRIL 25 – 2pm:
Old Brighton vs St Kevin’s Kommunity TV & SEN app – 1.45pm
St Bernard’s vs Old Scotch VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm
Old Xaverians vs Old Trinity VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm
Caulfield Grammarians vs Old Haileybury
University Blues vs University Blacks
A six-goal haul from Lauren Boyle and a complete team performance headlined a dominant opening round for Power House, while a one-point thriller between Marcelin and Ormond set the tone
See some the best highlights across the VAFA in the Big Screen Video Plays of the Week.
The VAFA’s back for 2026! Jason Bennett, Matty Donald & Brayden May take a long, lingering look at everything that happened across Round 1 of the competition in a jam-packed
