Premier C Men’s Round Review

Hampton Rovers 12.12.84 def Marcellin OC 7.11.53

A four-goal haul from vice-captain Liam O’Driscoll has fired Hampton Rovers to their fifth win of the year over Marcellin OC. In a delicately poised game at half-time, it was O’Driscoll who was the difference maker in the second half, booting all four of his majors to propel the Rovers into a winning position at Boss James Reserve.

This effort was especially crucial as both teams struggled with goal-kicking for much of the afternoon. Marcellin would rue a number of missed opportunities in the second quarter that helped the Rovers stay in the contest.

Despite grinding to win first possession in the centre of the ground, Marcellin were limited in manpower forward of the ball according to coach Patrick O’Callaghan.

“We have four key forwards on the list and none were available this week,” O’Callaghan said.

Subsequently, O’Callaghan went about reshuffling his side’s structural makeup to cover the loss of the talls.

“We brought our centre half-back to our front six and shuffle a lot of magnets from there,” O’Callaghan said.

Ultimately, Hampton capitalized upon Marcellin’s forward misfortune in the last quarter, with a 15-minute blitz that saw the Rovers kick the last four goals of the game to run out winners by 31 points.

“I am so proud of the group – we knew we didn’t have our best 22 but they represented themselves so well with consistent effort,” O’Callaghan added.

Other than O’Driscoll’s four goal performance, Ben Seddon, Lui Coughlin, Charles Kilburn, and Jacob Gray, were the other stand-out performers for Hampton when the game was to be won in the final term.

Marcellin slip to a 1-5 record, while Hampton consolidates themselves in the top four.

Mazenod OC 23.12.150 def Ormond 10.10.70

It was a festival up forward at Central Reserve, as Mazenod piled on 23-goals, including a monster 10-goal third term to punish Ormond.  

Ormond had the early ascendancy, with Kyle Pinto’s men booting five first quarter goals to enjoy a 16-point lead at quarter-time thanks to a dominant display of ruck craft from Flynn O’Toole.

After a slow start in front of the home fans, Mazenod’s midfield locked in to amass possession in the second quarter, which lead to an abundance of opportunities at goal. Mazenod’s clearance work was the game-breaker in the second term according to Ormond coach Kyle Pinto.

“We got smashed at contested ball and clearance in the second and third (quarters),” Pinto said.

Clearance and contested ball contributed to an eight-goal quarter, and more decisively, a 44-point turnaround for the home side. While a 28-point half-time margin looked gettable for Ormond, dreams of a second-half comeback were dashed thanks to a perfect 10 goals from Hayden Boyce.

Boyce, in his sixth season in the VAFA, looked ominous all day but really hit his straps in the second half. Five goals to himself and Patrick Klonis’ four majors helped extend Mazenod to a match-winning margin of 78 points at three-quarter time.

Despite having the game ripped from their hands by Boyce and co, Pinto admired the efforts of his men to finish the game strongly.

“We played well in the last quarter – Harry Ross up forward and Aaron Trusler on ball (were excellent). We really rate them highly,” Pinto said after his team’s loss.

Mazenod’s victory leaves them equal second on the Premier C Men’s ladder, accompanying Hampton and Parkdale on five wins. Ormond remain in the bottom three with one victory to speak of. 

Parkdale Vultures 11.13.79 def St Bedes/Mentone Tigers 9.11.65

In their closest match of the season, Parkdale pulled away late in the fourth term to edge-out St Bedes/Mentone by 14-points. The game was highlighted by a swathe of momentum swings, which saw both sides lead marginally at various times during the contest.

With its starting midfield out, St Bedes rallied after coughing up a 13-point deficit at quarter-time to take a 12-point advantage at half-time.

Boasting a younger side to the Vultures, St Bedes played an exciting brand of football on Saturday afternoon according to coach Joel McKee.

“We’re playing a brand that stacks up (with the best in the competition),” McKee said.

Looking to build off their half-time lead, Kane Hutchinson, Zach Winter, Cooper Donnellan, Jye Gilmour and captain Matthew Lehpamer played pivotal roles in creating a four-goal gap on the Vultures mid-way through the third quarter.

Just as the Tigers settled into a four-goal lead, the Vultures initiated another twist in the tale, courtesy of Jake Ryder, Jack Edwards and Darcy Brown.

“We hit four goals up half-way through the third quarter but to ‘Parkys’ credit they fought their way back in front by three-quarter-time,” McKee said.

Ultimately, it was a bit more experience in the Parkdale camp that prevailed. Two-goals late in time-on in the third term, and some early scores in the fourth, kept Parkdale comfortably in front.

Louis Hanson’s three goals helped will Parkdale over the line on Saturday afternoon, supported by Ethan Hall, Lehpamer, Bennett Martin, Liam Seger, William Skinner, and Zach Winter all hitting the scoreboard.

After the loss, the Tigers season reads an even 3-3, while Parkdale sit one game out from the top of the Premier C Men’s ladder.

Glen Eira/Old McKinnon 9.12.66 def Old Peninsula 5.9.39

The injury-ravaged Gryphons have battled their way to a 27-point victory over the plucky Old Peninsula at Harry MacDonald Oval. Saturday’s fixture gave us a look into both team’s depth, with neither side having a particularly healthy list in 2026.

It was not the most free-flowing contest, with both sides having to slog through highly contested situations and inaccuracy at goal. Gryphons’ midfielders Jack Carey, Stuart Carey, and Jesse Maxfield were prolific for the visitors all day according to coach Brett Dunne.

“Jack Carey is having a great season and was again in our best, along with Stu Carey and Maxfield and Dobson,” Dunne said.

A two-goal margin separated the two teams for most of the contest, until the Gryphons gradually extended their margin to a game-high 27 points in the final term. Old Peninsula scored periodically in the second half, but it was not sufficient enough to threaten the Gryphons lead.

Despite picking up a few fourth-term injuries, the Gryphons navigated a highly contested match to get their season back on track with a second victory.

“Unfortunately, there were another few injuries late in the game, but we found a way to get the points in a tough contested game,” Dunne said.

Saturday was a successful day on an institutional front for the Gryphons, as the reserves were also victorious.

Old Peninsula’s fighting spirit against the Gryphons was not enough to lift them off the bottom of the ladder, while their opponents sit in sixth place after Round 6.

Fitzroy 20.15.135 def PEGS 10.4.64

In their first away fixture at PEGS playing fields since 2017, Fitzroy led from the first minute till the last, going on to win by 71 points.

Fitzroy coach Jack Dalton described the victory as a “mature performance”, having had to work their way through an “arm wrestle” in the first half. The arm-wrestle was somewhat self-inflicted with a few missed opportunities in the first quarter, resulting in a 22-point quarter-time lead.

PEGS started the second quarter as they finished the first to amount some scoreboard pressure on the visitors. PEGS coach Rob Kerr said the game was highly competitive in the first half, with his side challenged by some well-chained movement and contested marking from Fitzroy’s forwards.

“(It was a) pretty competitive game up to half-time with Fitzroy’s run off half-back and strong marking up forward giving them the advantage,” Kerr said.

Yet, a six consecutive goal burst lead by Sean Laidlaw broke the game open for the visitors.

“We got on top in the third quarter and were able to play the game on our terms for a period,” Fitzroy’s Jack Dalton said.

Fitzroy’s youth were instrumental in shifting the momentum in the third term according to Dalton.

“The most pleasing part for me was that eight of the boys who played had 15 senior games or less under their belt,” Dalton said.

In a blink of an eye, 82-points separated the teams at three-quarter-time largely off the back of Laidlaw’s work up forward, in addition to Jack Hart, Harry Tauber, Duncan McKie and Darcy Winstanley. 

While the game was put to bed at three-quarter-time, PEGS were able to gain some confidence going into next week with a four-goal final quarter of their own.