Old Scotch notch first win of 2026 in style in Holmesglen Under 19 Premier Men’s

Round 5 of the Holmesglen Under 19 Premier Men’s competition delivered another weekend of high-quality football, with several heavyweight clashes beginning to shape the ladder and some sides continuing to stamp themselves as genuine contenders.

Old Scotch produced one of the most dominant performances of the round, dismantling Caulfield Grammarians by 74 points, 16.14 (110) to 5.6 (36). Old Scotch coach Hugo Boreham was thrilled to see his side rewarded for their work after a difficult start to the season.

“The boys really deserved it and it was great for them to get a bit of reward for their hard work and effort,” Boreham said.

“I was super impressed with all of them. They are all connecting nicely and seemed like they had plenty of fun yesterday, which is the most important thing.”

Old Scotch’s ball movement and connection across the ground proved far too much for Caulfield, with the result being the clubs first win in 2026.

At Gerry Green Reserve, Old Brighton held off a fast-finishing Parkdale outfit to record a hard-fought 11-point win, 11.9 (75) to 9.10 (64). In difficult conditions, Old Brighton coach Travis O’Donohue felt his side controlled large portions of the match despite not being at their absolute best.

“I felt like we were in control for large periods, but probably didn’t adapt to the conditions as well as Parkdale did late in the game,” O’Donohue said.

“It wasn’t our best performance, but to come away with an 11-point win against quality opposition without playing at our peak is still pleasing.”

Parkdale coach Nick Anderson was left with mixed emotions after seeing improvement from his side but lamenting missed opportunities throughout the afternoon.

“Improved a lot on last week but felt like we had opportunities to put scoreboard pressure on and didn’t take them and ultimately left our run a little late,” Anderson said.

Anderson praised the influence of ruckman Conor Casey in his first game for the club, while Max Sullivan stood tall in defence to help keep the home side in the contest. Parkdale now quickly turns its attention toward a huge derby clash against St Bedes/Mentone next week.

De La Salle produced a stirring second-half comeback to defeat Beaumaris by 28 points, 12.12 (84) to 8.8 (56), after trailing and struggling for momentum early in the contest. De La Salle coach Andy Otten described the match as a “tale of two halves” after Beaumaris controlled much of the opening stages.

“Beaumaris played really well in the first half and moved the ball with great speed and precision and we struggled to slow them down and get any field position,” Otten said.

However, the hosts responded strongly after the main break, lifting their pressure around the contest and beginning to generate more run and carry through the corridor.

“Second half our pressure and want for the contest increased and we were able to take the game on more,” Otten added.

“Few positional changes which our boys embraced and we were able to get on top in the last quarter to finish the game off strongly.”

The Sharks showed plenty in patches and looked dangerous early before De La Salle’s class and adjustments took over late.

One of the games of the round came at Brindisi Street, where St Bedes/Mentone defeated Uni Blues 15.9 (99) to 11.5 (71) in a high-quality, momentum-swinging contest. Tigers coach Sam Hecker acknowledged the challenge of travelling to face Uni Blues on their home deck and was pleased his side found a way to grind out the result.

“It’s actually a tough away game at that ground, a lot different conditions than we are used to,” Hecker said.

“We started well but let them back into the contest. It was a bit of an arm wrestle most of the day, both teams had momentum at different stages.”

Hecker praised several key contributors, including Duke through the midfield, while Pugsley and Robinson combined for 10 goals up forward. Calvez was influential in defence and Howe impressed around the contest as the Tigers continued their strong start to the season.

Uni Blues coach Steve Boakes was left frustrated by his side’s inefficiency in front of goal, particularly in the opening half where the home side managed just 1.10 before the main break.

“We again failed to convert. The 1.10 to 9.4 scoreline at half-time shows it,” Boakes said.

Despite the loss, Boakes took positives from the second-half response as Uni Blues outscored one of the competition’s top sides after halftime.

“We outscored them in the second half, proving we can compete with the best,” he said.

Finally, St Kevin’s continued their impressive form with a 22-point victory over Old Xaverians, winning 12.9 (81) to 9.5 (59) in what coach Paul Greenham described as a high-quality Premier Under 19 contest.

The rivalry between the two traditional powerhouses was evident throughout the afternoon, with plenty of physicality and emotion accompanying the importance of the result for ladder positioning.

“There was a fair bit of spice in the game along with a bit at stake with ladder positions,” Greenham said.

“We went in with a plan which we felt would give us a chance. The players executed it faultlessly.”

Greenham also praised Old Xavs coach Matt Handley and his side’s ability to challenge through strong transitional ball movement, with the contest remaining in the balance deep into the final quarter.

“I love coaching against Chopper because I know we have to be on our game,” he said.

“We kicked some big goals at important moments when Xavs were coming hard late, however the result definitely was a toss of the coin at the 15-minute mark of the last quarter.”