Fitzroy down St Bedes/Mentone in Prem C Men’s

Fitzroy and Mazenod have ascended atop the Premier C Men’s ladder, remaining undefeated, while Parkdale and Hampton jostle for third position — separated only by percentage heading into Round 5.

Fitzroy 13.15.93 def St Bedes/Mentone Tigers 13.7.85

In an arm-wrestle that could have gone either way, Fitzroy prevailed over St Bedes/Mentone, thanks to Daniel Shepherd booting the match-winner in the dying stages of the match

Deemed “one of the hardest places to travel and win in the VAFA” by Fitzroy coach Jack Dalton, St Bedes opened the match with free-flowing football that was rewarded with a five-goal quarter. Despite the Tigers electric start, Dalton’s men rallied to level the scoring mid-way through the first term through goals from Seb Suarez, and Shepherd (two goals). Late majors from Louis Hanson and the in-form William Skinner put a two-goal gap between Fitzroy heading into the first break.

Shepherd continued his goal-kicking accuracy in 2026 with consecutive majors after quarter time, before St Bedes struck back again through clever finishes from Antonia Barba and Ben Goodchild. The game was defined by its goal-for-goal nature, with neither team seizing momentum for an extensive period.

“(It) took us a little while to adjust to the ground dimensions”, Dalton said.

Despite trailing at the main change, Fitzroy edged the home-side to lead by a point at three-quarter time through a score-heavy but inaccurate quarter. When the game needed to be won, Fitzroy’s key names and new faces popped up.

Youngster Sean Laidlaw was identified by his coach on debut.

“I thought Sean Laidlaw’s first game at senior level for the year was great. His pressure and physicality were really important for us”, Dalton said.

Daniel Shepherd’s sixth major in time-on in the fourth quarter, put the final breathing space between a plucky St Bedes outfit.  

Louis Hanson, Matthew Lehpamer, Kane Hutchinson, and Jye Gilmour were among the Tiger’s best in the nailbiter.

Mazenod 15.10.100 def Glen Eira/Old McKinnon 10.12.72

Despite leading at the first change, the Gryphons have fallen short by 28 points against the equal table-toppers Mazenod.

An entertaining brand of football was on display in the first term by both sides, with the first quarter yielding nine goals. The home side were able to chain the ball up the field through some rebound from Jack and Stuart Carey. Joel Ludik looked imperious in the first half, taking some strong contested marks and finished his work tidily.

Trailing by four at quarter-time, Mazenod applied plenty of forward-50 pressure to produce some early second quarter dominance. While the backline stifled the Gryphons’ ball movement, Matt Fewings and Oliver Mangoni converted their opportunities to ensure Mazenod held a 10-point lead at the main break.

The Gryphons seized the lead back courtesy of Lucas Orso and Joel Ludik (his third of four for the day), mid-way through the premiership quarter. Oliver Mangioni stopped the rot again with a crafty double major, putting Mazenod up by a goal at three-quarter time.

It was all one-way traffic from there, as Mazenod showed why they are in premiership contention through a seven-goal final term.

Glen Eira/Old McKinnon coach Brett Dunne said Mazenod’s run-and-carry was decisive in the result.

“It was a good game, but Mazenod finished the game with run, and we couldn’t go with them for the full four quarters”, Dunne said.

Mangioni finished with a handful of goals, while Joshua Boyle, captain Fewings, Andrew Kovac, Mitch Boyce, and James De Filippis were all crucial by hitting the scoreboard.

Hampton Rovers 18.13.121 def PEGS 8.12.60

A ruthless second half from the Hampton Rovers set up a comprehensive 10-goal win over PEGS at Boss James Reserve.

An unusually slow start by Hampton was punished by PEGS, who would be inspired after their narrow loss last week to Mazenod, to lead by eight points at the first break. From there, the Rovers flicked the switch, occupying plenty of possession to set-up goals from Tommy Keyte, William Crawford, Liam O’Driscoll (two goals), and Charles Kilburn. Kilburn’s 36th-minute goal put the Rovers in front by 22 points at half-time.

PEGS coach Rob Kerr said Hampton’s efficiency with the ball was the main difference between the two sides.

“It was a pretty good game of footy for three quarters with Hampton being more effective with possession going inside 50 than we were,” Kerr said.

PEGS returned serve in the third quarter with a couple of early majors cutting the margin back to 14 points. But Kerr’s side soon went down with several injuries, playing the final 35-minutes of the game with just one rotation. Hampton capitalized on this misfortune by booting a six-goal to one fourth quarter. William Crawford enjoyed a day out at Boss James, kicking his fifth in the last quarter avalanche. Liam O’Driscoll also kicked a season-high four goals in the 61-point win.

“Hampton’s running game is pretty strong, they work hard at getting numbers to provide overlap from defence”, Kerr said.

PEGS engine-room in Blake Roach and Jackson Kerr worked hard through the midfield and defence, while Oscar Bales was combative before finishing the game on the bench nursing an injury.

Ormond 23.14.152 def Old Peninsula 7.14.56

Ormond secured their first victory of the year, dismantling Old Peninsula by 96-points on Saturday afternoon.

The win was set-up by a strong first-quarter foundation, including a seven goal to two opening term. Harrison Ross was instrumental in the forward 50, exhibiting wonderful forward craft to kick five goals for the game.

The floodgates well and truly opened in the second term for both teams with Harry Robertson, Aidan Soria, and Sam Howley keeping Old Peninsula at bay, while Luca Tonner’s double and Jesse Somdecerff created scoring opportunities for the visitors.

Ormond coach Kyle Pinto admired the work of returning ruckman Flynn O’Toole.

“We got our gun ruck back (O’Toole), the best ruck in the competition. He was unreal”, Pinto said.  

“We won the game with our pressure and intensity at the contest. It was the first time all year we have played our brand for four quarters,” he added.

A 51-point margin at half time turned 65-points at three-quarter time, putting the result beyond doubt.  

Ormond had 11 individual goal-kickers filling their boots in a confidence-boosting outing for the club. A 5.3 final term to 0.2 sealed the deal for Ormond, capping off a complete performance by the home-side for the first time this year. Meanwhile, Old Peninsula will be encouraged by the performances of Hugh Peacock, Luca Tonner, youngster Hamish McLeod, and Kurt Thiele.

Ormond’s victory takes their season ledger to 1-3, while Old Peninsula remain winless at the bottom of the ladder.  

Parkdale Vultures 12.15.87 def Marcellin 10.10.70

Eight goals between Mitch Brown and Jai Elcock helped Parkdale to a 17-point victory over Marcellin.

Under the lights at Marcellin College, both teams brought a high level of contest and effort leaving the game evenly poised at quarter time, with Parkdale leading by a point.

Parkdale’s forwards were more productive after the quarter-time huddle due to their midfield getting first hands on the football. Marcellin too hit the scoreboard but missed some opportunities to stay in touch with Parkdale, trailing by 18-points.

The 18-point margin would be the game’s largest, as Marcellin tightened a few contest and ball movement issues up after the main break. The three Joshes were crucial in swinging the game back toward Marcellin, with Josh Kol the most integral, booting a few more majors to bring his tally to five. Parkdale’s 18-point margin was trimmed to 10 at three-quarter time, setting up an intriguing final term.

Parkdale coach Owen Lalor credited Marcellin’s performance after last week’s loss to another contender in St Bedes/Mentone Tigers.

“Full credit to Marcellin – they were awesome with their contest and effort. They responded really well”, Lalor said.

With the game up for grabs, Parkdale flexed their muscles in the final term. Despite the scoreboard reading three goals apiece, it was the Vulture’s ability to defend resolutely by repelling a number of late Marcellin forward forays that got them the win.

The Vulture’s victory leaves them well-placed at 3-1, while Marcellin’s record has slipped to 1-3.