Premier C Men’s Round Report
Hampton Rovers 15.18.108 def Glen Eira/Old McKinnon 9.9.63 Breaking a first-quarter deadlock, Hampton Rovers clinically dismantled Glen Eira/Old McKinnon on their home patch to the tune of a 45-point margin.
Old Xavs topple the Tonners & kick a game clear on top – William Buck Premier Men’s Round 7 Review
Photo: @arihatzis
Round 7 of William Buck Premier Men’s saw Old Xaverians elevated from Number #1 contender to premiership favourite, while the Fields prevailed in the Premier B Grand Final rematch to post back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Here’s our look back at Round 7:
The Top 2 blockbuster at Brighton Beach Oval turned out to be one-way traffic as Old Xaverians busted the game wide open with a blistering 9-goal second term to set up a comfortable win over Old Brighton.
The Tonners led by 9 points after a tight opening term that saw just 3 goals kicked, before Dan Donati’s side kicked into overdrive and sent a clear statement of intent to the entire competition.
They dominated every major statistical category in the second term, bar clearances, but once the ball got out of the inner circle of congestion, Xavs took control and wreaked havoc.
They had nearly double the ground ball gets, and when they weren’t winning those, they were creating turnovers in large numbers. When they got to the outside, they distributed the footy effectively, taking 24 uncontested marks for the quarter and creating 20 Inside 50s to 6, resulting in 8 Marks Inside 50 to 1 as Charlie Macisaac and Ed Delany feasted on the supply.
They also made the most of those opportunities, kicking 6.0 from those 8 marks. In total, they scored 7.1 from turnover and 2.1 from stoppages, as they slammed on 9.2 to 1.1 to hit half-time with a commanding 40-point lead – Macisaac (3 goals for the quarter), Delany (2) and Campbell Lane (2), contributing 7 goals for the term between them.
The game returned to a more even contest in the second half, with the Tonners booting 6 goals to 5 – but the damage had been well and truly done, as Xavs cruised to a very impressive 35-point win that moves them a game clear of the pack as we reach the first bye of the season.
It was Old Xaverians’ first win at Fortress Brighton since 2022, and their first win over Old Brighton anywhere since the final round of 2023, snapping a 5-game losing streak to the Tonners that included all 3 meetings last year.
9.8 (62) was the lowest score Old Brighton has been held to since SKOB restricted them to 8.10 (58) in Round 12 last season. Since that defeat and this past weekend, they’d averaged 102 points in their 13 wins and 1 loss, so this was indeed an excellent defensive performance from Old Xavs.
Campbell Lane continued his spectacular season, collecting another 39 disposals, 5 clearances, 6 Rebound 50s, 4 Inside 50s and 3 goals – what a performance, as his Woodrow Medal odds continue to shorten by the week.
Xavs had a plethora of excellent players, with Will Goss racking up another 33 touches, 5 clearances and 9 Rebound 50s, while Jack O’Sullivan was superb with 26 disposals, 5 clearances and 2 goals. Alec Spralja (10 clearances) and Charlie Macisaac (5 goals) were also most effective.
Sam Linder was the standout for the Tonners, finishing with 34 disposals (16 contested), 4 tackles, 4 clearances and a goal, while Harry Hill tuned up for this week’s Big V clash in Adelaide with a typically hard-working 25 touches, 13 tackles, and 11 clearances, and Lachie Brooks kicked 3 goals in his second senior game – his first since 2024.
There is a four-week block of matches between the two byes, and here’s the ROAD AHEAD for both teams:
Old Xavs: Uni Blacks (Home), Old Trinity (Away), Old Haileybury (H), Caulfield Grammarians (A)
Old Brighton: Uni Blues (Away), St Kevin’s (A), Caulfield (H), Uni Blacks (A)
Old Xaverians 15.7 (97)
Old Brighton 9.8 (62)
GOALS: OX: Macisaac 5; Delany & Lane 3; O’Sullivan 2; McRae & Gangi 1.
OB: Brooks 3; Pryor & Travers 2; Linder & Goodger 1.
BEST:
OX: Campbell Lane, Nick Guiney, Alec Spralja, Charlie MacIsaac, Jack O’Sullivan, Wade Brusnahan
OB: Sam Linder, Harry Hill, Thomas Burnell, Tom Howden, Quintin Montanaro, Campbell Tweedie
Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “For three quarters on the weekend, the game was tight, played under high pressure and was great to watch.
“Unfortunately, the second quarter gave us a glimpse into Xavs’ ability to shift the ball with purpose and score quickly when you’re not executing effectively. They gave us a great lesson in scoring from turnover, and from there it was a huge challenge to try and swing the momentum and find parity in the game.
“Our second half was better in some areas, however, we still turned the ball over or missed opportunities under good Xavs pressure and found ourselves defending desperately at times.
“Sam Linder was terrific off half back. He controlled, defended strongly and gave great drive. Our skipper covered lots of ground and gave great effort all day. Tom Howden worked hard on the wing, and Quintin Montanaro and Campbell Tweedie competed under heavy Xavs entries all day.
“Good opportunity with the bye this weekend to reset and continue working on aspects of our game that were put under scrutiny on the weekend.”
Caulfield Grammarians defeated Old Trinity at Glen Huntly Park in a tense rematch of last year’s Premier B Grand Final.
The Fields entered with a much-needed shot of confidence generated by last week’s win over the Blacks, and they jumped out of the blocks with the breeze, holding the T’s scoreless to lead by 21 points at the first break, as their prime-movers ran riot early (Pat Fairlie & Ollie 12 disposals, Hugh McKenzie 11 and Jack Ellwood 10).
But Old Trinity responded to the challenge, booting the only 3 goals of the second term (all from punishing Caulfield turnovers) to draw back within 4 points at the major break, setting the scene for a gripping second half.
There was very little between the teams in the third term, with Trinity flicking it around a little more by hand, but the clearance and territory games were both very even. A couple of stoppage goals handed the Fields the scoreboard advantage once more – 4 goals to 2 sending them to three-quarter time with an 18-point lead.
But with the swinging momentum of this game, it felt like the T’s would surge again, and, sure enough, they did, with Charlie Beasley, Jack Jenkins, and Ben Littlefield all finding the big sticks within the first 5 minutes of the final term to tie the scores.
Jackson Wallace’s goal at the 7-minute mark was followed by an Eddie Gibb goal at the 14-minute mark, and the Fields were back in the driver’s seat once again.
George Belcher goaled to reduce the margin to 5 points, before Eddie Gibb added his second of the last term to establish an 11-point buffer early in time-on.
However, the T’s still weren’t done, and Charlie Beasley’s goal at the 23-minute mark closed the margin to just 4 points with another 6 minutes to play. And what an agonising 6 minutes it turned out to be for fans of both sides!
In the end, the Fields were able to hang on, with Ollie Lowe icing the cake after the final siren to make it a 10-point win and sealing his SKINS Player of the Game Award for his influential 35 disposals, 11 marks, 5 tackles and 3 goals.
Pat Fairlie was a ball magnet all day for Grammarians, finishing with 37 touches and 14 clearances, while Noah Sutherland racked up 27 and Jack Ellwood 25.
Christos Manoussakis was prolific for the T’s, collecting 36 disposals and 6 clearances, while Ben Littlefield had 32 and 2 goals. Luke Teal had 30 touches (15 contested), and Louis Davidson 29, 8 tackles and 4 clearances.
Back-to-back wins for Caulfield Grammarians have seen them jump from last to a game clear of the drop zone, with a couple of critical games ahead before they face the Top 2.
Back-to-back losses for Old Trinity have seen them drop from third to fifth, and they will regroup ahead of a challenging between-the-byes month that may ultimately shape their season.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
Caulfield: St Bernard’s (H), Old Haileybury (A), Old Brighton (A), Old Xaverians (H)
Old Trinity: Old Scotch (H), Old Xaverians (H), St Kevin’s (A), Uni Blues (H)
Caulfield Grammarians 11.9 (75)
Old Trinity 10.5 (65)
GOALS: CG: Lowe 3; Gibb, Ellis & Wallace 2; Williams & Sutherland 1.
OT: Beasley 3; Littlefield & Belcher 2; Curtain, Jenkins & Phillips 1.
BEST:
CG: Oliver Lowe, Ryan Pietsch, Noah Sutherland, Jackson Wallace, Eddie Gibb, Flynn Ellis
OT: Luke Teal, Charles Beasley, Ben Littlefield, Christos Manoussakis, James Ingpen, Charlie Comer
Paul Satterley (Caulfield): “It was a very scrappy, contested game, and both sides were presented with opportunities. When scores were tied early in the last quarter, I couldn’t have been happier with the grit the lads showed to fight back and win back some momentum.
“We were able to win ugly. A number of players were below their normal contribution, yet they still had moments when the game was on the line and found a way.
“Ollie Lowe is always a massive inclusion for our club and gives his all, so it was a huge performance from him. Noah Sutherland & Ryan Pietsch were super in defence, whilst Jacko Wallace continues to be in a purple patch of great form.
“A-Grade is taxing on body and mind for everyone, so we will use the break to freshen up and get some much-needed rest before we reset for St Bernard’s.”
St Bernard’s scored a critical win – their second of the season – by ultimately seeing off a persistent Old Haileybury at the Snake Pit, reinforcing once again that EVERY game looms as a danger game at the Pit.
The hosts set the tone early, booting 3 goals in 4 minutes to be 17 points up just 10 minutes in.
But the Bloods settled into the game and responded with the next 6 scores of the game – 3 of them goals – to get back on an even keel, before Cody Goonewardene slotted one at the 28-minute mark to give the visitors a 3-point quarter-time lead.
The Snowdogs snatched the lead back via Lachie Papley in the opening minute of the second term, before the Bloods booted 2 goals in 2.5 minutes midway through the quarter. Matthew Watson then hauled down a strong grab and converted from close range to draw the hosts back within 2 points at the major break.
The arm wrestle continued in the third term, with St Bernard’s booting the first two goals, Old Haileybury responding with the next two, then the Dogs with two more, before a Flynn Gregor goal at the 25-minute mark reduced the Bloods’ deficit to 8 points at three-quarter time.
The game tightened even more when Goonewardene’s second goal was followed by a series of Old Haileybury behinds that levelled the scores 7 minutes into the final term.
Sure enough, the teams exchanged goals once again – Mitch Hughes for the Dogs, followed by Charlie Harrop for the Bloods, and this game appeared destined to go all the way to the wire.
However, as they had done repeatedly throughout the day, Steve Alessio’s team had the answers to nudge back in front once again, and goals to Marcus Holland and Ben Huggard opened up a handy break early in time-on.
Bailey Yates gave another yelp for the Bloods with a goal at the 25-minute mark, but that was their last. Back-to-back goals to Matthew Watson and Luke Said were followed 3 minutes later by the sealer from Ben Huggard as the Snowdogs breathed life into their season with a gritty, hard-fought 19-point win.
Huggard was superb, finishing with 30 disposals (16 contested), 8 tackles, 10 clearances, 11 Inside 50s and 2 goals in a brilliant all-around performance. Dylan Gwynne also finished with 30 touches, 7 clearances and 7 tackles for the Dogs.
Brede Seccull continued his good form with 34 disposals and 11 clearances for the Bloods, while Jasper Russell racked up another 34 touches and 8 Rebound 50s.
It’s a win that could help ignite St Bernard’s season, and they join the Bloods and Blacks on 8 points, a game clear of Old Scotch in the race to avoid relegation. The Dogs have proven themselves canny evaders of relegation in the last couple of years, and victories such as this one can prove absolutely critical come the business end of the season.
They will rest up and look ahead to their next block of games, which include a couple of winnable road trips and a couple of challenging home fixtures. But, as Blacks coach Dale Bower said two weeks ago, it’s never easy beating St Bernard’s at the Snake Pit. Just ask the Bloods.
Old Haileybury remain in the twilight zone mid-table, two games behind the Top 4 and one game clear of relegation. Much like Bernard’s, they’ll look at their next block of games with some optimism, as well as recognising a couple of critical tests.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
St Bernard’s: Caulfield (A), Uni Blues (H), Old Scotch (A), St Kevin’s (H)
Old Haileybury: St Kevin’s (H), Caulfield (H), Old Xavs (A), Old Scotch (A)
St Bernard’s 16.9 (105)
Old Haileybury 12.14 (86)
GOALS: STB: Watson & Papley 3; Huggard, Said & Gilham 2; Holland, Hughes, Vague, Di Lizio 1.
OH: Gregor 3; Chilcott, Yates & Goonewardene 2; Harrop, Findlay & Riley 1.
BEST:
STB: Ben Huggard, Ethan Schumann, Luke Said, Zac Overman, Dylan Gwynne, Lachlan Papley
OH: Ned Conway, Hugo Nosiara, Private player, Jasper Russell, Brede Seccull, Noah Higgins
Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “With our season getting away from us already, we had to make sure our focus was nothing else but a win this week. Easier said than done, but I was really happy with the players willingness to take the game on and not be pressured by the situation.
“Our start was solid, and Old Haileybury hit back and challenged us with strong running, especially through the midfield. We know that the upcoming games are crucial for our season, and we’ll be relying on our Senior leaders to step up and support the young players we have blooded.”
St Kevin’s have won five in a row after leading at every change to defeat University Blacks at Melbourne Uni Oval.
SKOB were a touch cleaner in the opening term, booting 3 of the first 4 goals. Another two in a minute during time-on was followed by a late one to Sam Tucker, carrying them to a 13-point quarter-time lead – Jack Mahony influential, with 11 disposals, 4 clearances and 4 Score Involvements.
When first year rookie Doug Kerr, then the experienced Jacob Koschitzke added two more majors, it was St Kevin’s by 23 points and the alarms were ringing for the Blacks.
But as they’ve done numerous times so far this season, the hosts dug in and found a way to respond. Two goals in two minutes to Harrison Kelly & Matthew Grocott brought the margin back within a couple of kicks.
However, SKOB surged again, with dangerous youngsters Will Mazzeo and Doug Kerr delivering the next two goals, and when Kerr kicked his third for the quarter, St Kevin’s headed to the rooms with a game-high 26-point advantage.
Kerr’s fourth goal blew the margin out to 32 points early in the third term, as Dale Bower looked for another response. It came in the form of two goals in a minute to Kane Loftus and Lachie Knight midway through the quarter. But that ground was given back when Kerr nailed his fifth and his young partner-in-crime, Mazzeo, his third to make it a 5-goal game at the last break.
In the corresponding fixture last season, the Blacks came back from the dead to score an unforgettable comeback win, and their fans were buoyed by Hugh Curnow’s goal to opening the scoring 90 seconds into the final term.
But hopes of another miracle were dashed when SKOB slammed the door shut with consecutive goals from Sam Tucker, then another to Koschitzke six minutes later, effectively sealing the result.
The Blacks booted a couple of late ones to salvage some percentage, but in the end, it was five wins in a row for St Kevin’s, who have put together an outstanding first block of football in 2026. It began with losses to Old Xavs and Old Brighton (no shame there), followed by this impressive winning streak.
The ruck battle between two of the competition’s most dominant big men was an engaging one, with SKOB’s Billy Coates finishing with 17 disposals, 4 tackles, 45 hit-outs and 6 clearances, while Sam Conway had 12 disposals, 2 tackles, 52 hit-outs and 7 clearances for the Blacks.
Prodigiously talented forward Doug Kerr has already earnt a VAFA Rising Star nomination this season, and another hugely influential 5-goal performance certainly won’t harm his chances come season’s end. He finished with 14 disposals, 10 marks and 5 goals that will have recruiters raising an eyebrow.
Kerr, Tucker and Koschitzke are forming a potent forward trio, and when you add promising rookie Will Mazzeo into the mix, suddenly SKOB has a completely reworked attack that will provide plenty of headaches for opposition coaches.
Kane Loftus was superb for Blacks with 21 disposals, 7 clearances and 4 goals of his own, while Kelly topped the stat sheet with 25 touches.
St Kevin’s improves to 5-2, ahead of a very challenging month post-bye, while the Blacks’ rollercoaster continues in a season where they have lost 3, won 2 and lost 2. It leaves them perilously positioned at 2-5, just above the drop zone by 15%, and with a brutal month to come that could ultimately determine their 2026 prospects.
But it was at this point last season that the Blacks turned the entire competition on its head, with a dazzling 5-game winning streak that included victories over flag contenders Old Scotch, St Kevin’s and OId Brighton. Can they do it again? We’ll find out after the bye, but with 3 of those 4 games at home, anything is possible for this most enigmatic of teams!
THE ROAD AHEAD:
St Kevin’s: Old Haileybury (A), Old Brighton (H), Old Trinity (H), St Bernard’s (A)
Uni Blacks: Old Xavs (A), Old Scotch (H), Uni Blues (H), Old Brighton (H)
St Kevin’s 18.11 (119)
Uni Blacks 12.10 (82)
GOALS: STK: Kerr 5; Tucker 4; Mazzeo 3; Koschitzke & Gill 2; McKenna & Duke 1.
UB: Loftus 4; Drummond 2; Grocott, Knight, Kelly, Oliver, Curnow & Connell-Tobin 1.
BEST:
STK: Billy Coates, Angus Hart, William Pfeiffer, Cam Hodges, Doug Kerr, William Mazzeo
UB: Harrison Kelly, Kane Loftus, Charlie Connell-Tobin, Jack Drummond, Jack Cassidy, Harry Broderick
Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “We hadn’t had the best recent record against Blacks at the Uni Oval, so we went there with a keen focus to change that around. Obviously, very pleasing to get the win; it was probably our best four-quarter performance for the year so far.
“It was an incredibly even team performance, which, as a coach, is what you’re striving for. There were no passengers at all on the day – everyone contributed against a really strong Blacks team.
“Our pressure and contest was ultimately the difference across all areas of the ground. We were able to win that part of the game, and then our ability to get from the inside to the outside was also a real positive.
“It would’ve been some time since we have been able to go 2-0 at the Uni against Blacks and Blues, so to have those two trips out the way by Round 7 is certainly a positive.
“We will take the bye weekend as a good opportunity to rest the mind and the body, but we are very keen to keep the momentum going post bye.”
Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “SKOB outworked us & were more physical than us.
“It’s a similar theme over the past two losses. We need to change, and change quickly, to turn our season around.”
The final game of the weekend saw University Blues once again prove the game’s oldest cliché to be true as they took their chances against Old Scotch at Camberwell Sportsground.
The Blues booted the first 9 goals of the game to take complete control. Last year’s runners-up didn’t post a major until the 16-minute mark of the second term, as the visitors took their chances while the Cardinals squandered theirs.
Incredibly, despite the scoreboard showing a 35-point Blues lead, the scoring shots were dead level. The difference was finishing, and it could barely have been starker as the dead-eye Blues booted 9.1, while the Cards delivered 2.8.
Both teams were struggling to hit targets by foot, however, it was the Blues seizing on the opportunity to punish those mistakes, with 6 of their 9 first-half goals coming from Scotch turnovers.
Mark Gnatt’s frustration at wasted chances carried through the third term, as the hosts added a further 0.3, while the Blues kicked 5.3 to blow the margin out to 65 points (despite scoring shots being just 18-13 to the Blues).
The Cardinals found a few consolation goals in the last, but it was a costly afternoon of inaccuracy for the 2024 premiers, who actually finished level on Inside 50s for the afternoon, but lost by 65 points as the Blues slotted goals from everywhere to finish with 12.3 from Turnovers and 9.3 from Marks Inside 50.
James Stewart finished with 6 goals to close within 3 of Charlie Macisaac in the goalkicking race, while ex-AFL defenders Cam O’Shea and Brett Ebert collected 29 and 27 disposals respectively.
Charlie Cormack tuned up for the Big V with 28 disposals and 9 marks for the Cards, while Alex Noblet had the Sherrin on a string, finishing with 36 disposals, and Henry Brown cracked in all day to rack up 26 touches (17 contested) and 11 clearances.
The Blues hit the bye in good shape at 5-2, and will host the reigning champs after the week’s rest, while Old Scotch currently sit on the bottom at 1-6, and need to regroup and find some spark with some winnable games in the weeks ahead to generate some much-needed momentum.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
Uni Blues: Old Haileybury (A), Old Brighton (H), Old Trinity (H), St Bernard’s (A)
Old Scotch: Old Xavs (A), Old Scotch (H), Uni Blues (H), Old Brighton (H)
Uni Blues 17.5 (107)
Old Scotch 5.12 (42)
GOALS: UB: Stewart 6; Townson 3; Curran & W.Furphy 2; O’Sullivan, Gleeson, Grimley, Cotter 1.
OS: Spencer 3; Jones & Morrisby 1.
BEST:
UB: James Stewart, Cam O’Shea, Jeremy Goddard, Mitchell Lloyd, Tom Hill, William Furphy
OS: Henry Dixon, Henry Brown, Will Townsend, Jack Brown, James Braddy, Andy Jelbart
Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “For the majority of the day, we were able to control territory and deny them the ball movement they were looking for going inside their Forward 50. As a unit, we defended the whole ground really well, and to keep them to 5 goals was a testament to that. Our forward structure is really coming along well, but our team defence was the best it’s been all year.
“Scotch had moments in the second quarter where they were wasteful in front of goal, which hurt them, but it did feel as though we were in control of the game from the outset. Our ability to stick to the task for the full 120 minutes and put in a four-quarter performance pleased me most.
“Our fundamentals must continue to improve. We’re getting back to our best again, but we must continue to master the basics.”
Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “The stats suggest that we had as much of the ball as the Blues, and our efficiencies were very similar.
“However, our turnovers were in far more damaging areas of the ground, and Blues capitalised. Plus, they were very efficient in front of goal – 10 shots apiece in the first half, but a 35-point deficit is the evidence.
“Notwithstanding, we fought all the way to the line in Charlie Cormack’s 100th game. Cormack played well again, as did Henry Brown and 18-year old Harry Dixon was very good once again.
“We had another debutant (our 16th for the season) in James Milner, who finished Year 12 at Scotch last year. It was also Andy Jelbart’s first senior match for the season, so great to have him back.
“We look forward to taking on Old Trinity in a fortnight’s time.”
This week will be a BYE WEEK for William Buck Premier Men’s, as the Big V team heads to Adelaide to face the Adelaide Football League as Part 2 of a double-header with the Big V Women.
Both matches will be live-streamed on VAFA.com.au.
WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 8
SATURDAY JUNE 13 – 2pm:
University Blues vs Old Brighton
Caulfield Grammarians vs St Bernard’s
Old Trinity vs Old Scotch
Old Haileybury vs St Kevin’s
Old Xaverians vs University Blacks
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