William Buck Premier Men’s – Round 2 Preview

Round 2 of William Buck Premier Men’s – ANZAC Day football – is headlined by a blockbuster between two great modern rivals, and another between two of the sport’s greatest historical rivals.

Here’s your weekend preview:

OLD BRIGHTON vs ST KEVIN’S (Sat 2pm – Brighton Beach Oval: Kommunity TV & SEN app)

Old Brighton hasn’t lost at home in 973 days. Fortress Brighton has been impenetrable since Round 17, 2023, when Uni Blacks last breached its walls. Since then, the Tonners have played in two Grand Finals and won their first A-Grade flag.

They exploded out of the blocks last weekend, blitzing St Bernard’s by 91 points to kickstart their premiership defence in fine style. Gun recruit Archi Manton booted 6 goals on debut as Brighton’s forwards feasted on quality supply from their dominant midfield.

St Kevin’s will arrive bayside battle-hardened after last week’s first-up clash with Old Xaverians. SKOB booted the first goal of the game last week, then trailed for the rest of the afternoon. However, it was more a matter of conversion than supply.

Xavs only had 17 more disposals, 2 more Inside 50s (52-50) and 2 more Scoring Shots (13.12 to 8.15), but the main difference between the teams was finishing. The visitors simply took more of their chances, and punished St Kevin’s for their errors, scoring 8.9 to 5.10 on Turnovers.

Coach Anthony ‘Plugger’ Lynch walked away frustrated, but with some positives to build on.

“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,” he said.

“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.”

He’s certainly right on that last point – there’s no greater challenge in the VAFA right now than Brighton at Brighton!

One thing that will give SKOB confidence is that they are the last team to beat the Tonners. They rolled them by 27 points at TH King in Round 12 last season. Since then, Old Brighton has won 9 straight by an average of 47 points.

And when you also consider that St Kevin’s actually LED the Tonners by 13 points at three-quarter time in the corresponding fixture in Round 4 last year, Plugger and his team will know that if they can match the reigning champs in general play, then nail their chances around goal, they can give themselves every chance of snapping the streak.

It promises to be another gripping chapter in this great modern rivalry!

Watch it LIVE on Kommunity TV from 1.45pm Saturday, and LISTEN to our award-winning VAFA SEN Match of the Day radio coverage on VAFA.com.au & the SEN app.

UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs UNIVERSITY BLUES (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne Uni)

The Uni Derby is one of footy’s great traditions, with a rich history stretching all the way back to the rebuilding of the University VFL club post-World War I.

In 1919, the club chose not to reapply for its VFL licence, instead fielding two teams in the VFL Reserves competition – initially known as University A and University B.

They soon became known as University Blues and University Blacks, and in 1920, both moved into the Melbourne Amateur Football Association (MAFA), which later became the VAFA.

So, it’s a deep-seated rivalry older than the VAFA itself, and its next chapter will be written this Saturday in an ANZAC Day clash that will be as fiercely contested as ever.

The Blues will arrive as first-round winners, after comfortably accounting for Old Trinity. They booted the first 6 goals of the game and were never really headed on their way to a 50-point win, as twin towers James Stewart and Sam Grimley kicked 6 goals apiece, hauling down 14 Marks Inside 50 to 2 from the T’s.

Max Irving also caught the eye with a stellar performance, while the arrival of ex-AFL gun Brad Ebert across half back has allowed coach Matt Smith the luxury of releasing 2023 Woodrow Medallist Marty Gleeson into the midfield.

The Blues have been brimming with top-end talent in recent years, but haven’t managed to put it all together often enough for long enough. If they can keep their star players healthy and provide Stewart and Grimley with quality delivery, they’ll be very hard to beat this season. However, we’ve said that for the past two seasons, and things haven’t quite worked out.

But don’t sleep on the Blacks.

With ruck Sam Conway shaping as a new dominant force (26 disposals, 57 hitouts, 22 contested possessions and 6 clearances), and Patrick Smith electrifying last week with 39 touches, 11 clearances and a goal, alongside Harry Broderick (38 touches, 10 tackles, 8 clearances) the Blacks have some genuine midfield firepower to support the likes of Kane Loftus and James Clark, who are top-end talents in their own right.

Throw in ex-AFL gun Zaine Cordy up forward (15 disposals and 3 goals on debut last week), and they appear to have amassed the necessary A-graders to shape into a contending line-up.

They were very good for three quarters against Old Haileybury, building a 26-point three-quarter-time lead before being overwhelmed in the final term to ultimately fall by 16 points.

Coach Dale Bower fully expects a strong response from his players, who, like the Blues, are capable of challenging anyone anywhere when they’re on song – remember, they defeated Old Scotch, St Kevin’s, and Old Brighton during a scintillating 5-week winning streak in the middle of last season. 

But since then, they’ve lost 7 of 9 games (including 5 in a row), with their two wins coming against the relegated teams, Collegians and De La Salle.

So, which form should we consider? Their first three quarters against the Bloods, when they were clearly the better team, or their last quarter, when they conceded 7 goals to 1 on the back of 20 Inside 50s to 4?

Blues coach Matt Smith will certainly be under no illusions of just how good the Blacks can be. Will the two Uni teams square the ledger at 1-1, or will the Blues get away to a handy start and drop their rivals into a 0-2 hole?

This one feels like the flip of a coin – as it so often does when these two great clubs lock horns in the famed University Derby.

Catch the action live at Melbourne University Main Oval from 2pm Saturday.

ST BERNARD’S vs OLD SCOTCH (Saturday 2pm – The Snake Pit: St Bernard’s College)

St Bernard’s entered their third consecutive season in William Buck Premier Men’s with the belief that they can escape relegation discussions by challenging the top half of the ladder.

However, they stumbled at the first hurdle last week as they got blown off the park by the Tonners at Brighton. A pragmatic Steve Alessio knows they won’t be the last team to suffer that fate this season, and his charges need to dust themselves off and focus on jumpstarting their season with a win over last season’s OTHER Grand Finalist.

The Cardinals took three-and-a-half quarters to overcome a persistent Caulfield, but they eventually found their extra gear and did enough to pocket the four points.

The Cards were beaten around clearance last week (37-47), but their tackle pressure and intercept game served them well.

Alex Noblet (38 disposals), Henry Brown (35, 5 tackles, 8 clearances) and big Will Clark (31 touches, 8 tackles and 7 clearances) are all top-tier talent. Throw in new skipper Charlie Cormack controlling the game across half-back, and a range of dangerous goalscorers, and the Cards have the necessary talent all over the park.

But the Snowdogs will be hungry after last week’s disappointment and eager to start stronger at home than they did in 2025, when they went winless in their first 6 at the Snake Pit.

The Dogs were outworked by the Tonners last week. Not only did they concede 80 more disposals, the tackle count finished 47-82 against them. That’s a combination that rarely leads to wins, highlighting that their opposition worked harder in both directions.

Old Brighton’s pressure consistently forced the Dogs into mistakes (Kick Efficiency only 48%), and they gave up 11 goals directly from Turnovers. Mark Gnatt and the Cardinals will have noticed these stats and will be eager to keep up their high-pressure approach to try and force Snowdog errors again.

St Bernard’s will also be looking to ignite their Forward 50, which scored just 14 times from 50 entries in Round 1.

Matthew Watson is capable of taking a game by the scruff of the neck, but they look most dangerous when they score by committee. Can they unlock a spread of goalkickers to stretch the Cardinal defence?

Watch this game LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.50pm Saturday!  

OLD XAVERIANS vs OLD TRINITY (Saturday 2 pm – Toorak Park)

Old Xavs fell one point short of a Grand Final in 2025, and Dan Donati’s men are hellbent on taking the next step to strut their stuff on the big stage of Grand Final Friday.

They surged into contention last year despite a lengthy list of big-name injuries, and in Round 1, they showcased their depth once again by comfortably handling St Kevin’s at TH King without starting midfield trio Alex Spralja, Marcus Stavrou and Sam Fisher, amongst numerous others.

The Red & Black have talent on every line, with an impressive midfield feeding a potent attack.

Campbell Lane (39 disposals), Will Goss (32) and Stirling Phipps-Parsons (28) combined for 99 touches and 15 Inside 50s between them. Lane finished with 10 Score Involvements on his own, reinforcing that not only does his win a lot of ball, he does a lot of damage with it as well.

Up forward, they have targets aplenty, led by reliable goalscorer Charlie Macisaac, who started his 2026 campaign with 3 goals. Nick Guiney bobbed up with 2 in a row to seal the game in the final quarter, and his full-time commitment to the Xavs provides even more top-quality depth.

Throw in Wade Brusnahan, Ed Kennedy and the classy Phipps-Parsons, and Dan Donati knows he has plenty of options to finish the work.

But Old Trinity will be keen to make a statement of intent in A-Grade.

A dominant force in Premier B last season, they were worthy premiers under legendary coach Donald McDonald.

They have lost established leaders Hugh Beasley, Ed Weatherson and Harry Thompson, but D-Mac has faith in the likes of Charlie Beasley and Lachie Mulcahy to step up and fill some of that void. He has extended the team’s leadership group, and its for challenges such as the Xavs at Toorak Park – who will stand up and be counted when the heat is on?

Despite falling by 50 points, the T’s were very good in the contest against the Uni Blues, clearly winning Contested Possessions and Hard Gets. They’ll need to roll up the sleeves once again this week, but then do a better job retaining the ball in general play – they allowed the Blues too many Uncontested Marks (76-32), and they can’t let Xavs dictate the tempo.

Up forward, brilliant young tall Boston Dowling booted 3 goals, but he needs some support. Old Trinity took just 2 Marks Inside 50 for the day in Round 1, with both resulting in goals. Can they find some more targets to generate shots and also prevent Xavs from counterpunching?

Old Xavs were dominant at home last season, winning 8 of their 9 games at Toorak Park by a whopping average of 63 points. If beating the Tonners at Brighton is the comp’s biggest challenge, then Xavs at Toorak Park is the next toughest.

Can Old Trinity announce their return to the top-flight with an upset win that would reverberate around the competition?

Find out, LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.50pm Saturday!

CAULFIELD GRAMMARIANS vs OLD HAILEYBURY (Saturday 2.30pm – Glen Huntly Park)

The final game of the round might be its most revealing.

Caulfield Grammarians returned to Premier Men’s with a tenacious performance against the Cardinals at Camberwell that raised some eyebrows around the League.

Paul Satterley told us pre-season that his team’s resilience and relentlessness are a major strength, and we saw that in spades in the opening round when they simply refused to go quietly and forced the Cards to beat them with multiple surges.

But the same can be said of Old Haileybury’s fighting spirit. 26 points down at the final change after being outplayed by Uni Blacks, they gritted their teeth and lifted to play irresistible footy for their 150-gamer Durras Seccull.

Coach Guy Martyn was absolutely thrilled by his new team’s ability to dig deep and find a way to spark themselves. It will provide invaluable confidence for the weeks and months ahead and is the sort of win that you can build a program around.

So, we know both these teams are young, plucky and talented. Now we learn where they currently sit relative to each other.

The Bloods had 10 individual goalkickers in Round 1, with Seccull thrown forward in the final term and booting 2 as the influential swingman. That’s a lever Guy Martyn knows he can pull at any time with immediate impact.

The Fields had 5 multiple goalkickers, with McKenzie, Loughnan, Vesely, Williams and Watt all kicking 2 apiece last weekend. But they only took 7 Marks Inside 50, so much like the Bloods, their scoring might come via committee.

They also have a fleet of ball magnets, with Jack Ellwood (32) and Jono Moren (27 with 10 clearances) doing the heaviest lifting around the contest in the opening round, while Noah Sutherland had 32 disposals and 13 Rebound 50s as an effective launch player alongside Oscar Roberts down back.

Jasper Russell was Old Haileybury’s main launch vehicle in Round 1 with 31 touches and 10 Rebound 50s. He’ll have a big role to play once again to get the Bloods rolling.

Where do these two teams currently fit in the Premier Men’s picture?

The Bloods will head a couple of kilometres down the road to find out.

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 2

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23:

Old Brighton                            vs             St Kevin’s              KTV & SEN 1.45pm

St Bernard’s                            vs             Old Scotch          VAFA TV – 1.50pm

Old Xaverians                          vs             Old Trinity             VAFA TV – 1.50pm

University Blues                      vs             University Blacks

Caulfield Grammarians          vs             Old Haileybury (2.30pm)