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.

The win was sweetened by the forward supremacy of Tommy Keyte, enjoying plenty of one-on-one time with his opponent to kick a season-best haul of seven goals. Keyte and his team were made to work hard in the clinches, as the Gryphons reeled in an 18-point deficit in the first term courtesy of goals from Tim Dobson, Jack Richardson, and Janko Hattingh.

Glen Eira’s pressure was immense in the first quarter and the mid-way point of the second term, as Hattingh kept the Gryphons within a kick before time on in the second quarter. Yet, as they’ve done with brilliance this season, the Rovers were able to switch out of first gear with slick entries inside-50 allowing Keyte to boot four goals in the term. Just like that, the Rovers opened up a 33-point margin at the main change.

Glen Eira could not sustain their first quarter pressure and ball movement which the Rovers capitalised upon in abundance. Christian Carnovale, Lui Coughlin, Joel Melnjak, and Liam O’Driscoll made the Gryphons pay for their wavering pressure, as Hampton quickly opened up a game-high three-quarter-time margin of 57 points.

Despite the game’s result beyond doubt, Glen Eira managed to find some intensity around the ball akin to the first quarter, resulting in their best-scoring term for the afternoon of four goals – including the final two majors of the contest. Inaccuracy at goal for the Rovers might have cost them a significant percentage boost to extend their gap on third-placed Mazenod.

Above all else, Hampton have solidified their top four credentials, while seventh-placed Glen Eira continue to battle injuries and inconsistency in 2026.

Fitzroy 23.21.159 def Old Peninsula 10.6.66

Fitzroy are in seventh heaven continuing their unbeaten run in 2026, shaking off a strong first-half fight by Old Peninsula to streak away by 93 points at W.T. Peterson Oval.

It has been a difficult start to the season for Old Peninsula, with just the one win, however, the young and inexperienced side put all their chips on the table to trail by 10-points at half time. Defensive-mid Jake William, alongside the Evans-Brumby brothers, were recognised by their coach Brendan Dunne for dialing up the heat on Fitzroy’s ball carriers, while being incredibly efficient with the ball in hand.

Fitzroy reaffirmed the old adage that premierships are won in the third quarter by punishing the plucky Old Peninsula with an 11-goal burst after half-time. Sam Jordan (5 goals), Brad Fendyk (4 goals), Finbar Kennedy (3 goals), were especially productive in the 70-point quarter, punishing a tiring Old Peninsula team.

Fitzroy coach Jack Dalton would be proud of his side’s ability to withstand Old Peninsula’s pressure and still win large. 11 individual goal-kickers punctuated the victory for Fitzroy, as Sean Laidlaw, Luke Minahan, Joseph Watson kicked two each, while Bill Clayton, Connor McAuliffe, Duncan McKie, Harry Tauber, and Darcy Winstanley also hit the scoreboard.

With the damage done in the third term, Fitzroy enjoyed a cruisy final quarter, with a less-astonishing four-goal to one quarter, to cap off a hard-fought victory against an improving Old Peninsula outfit.

The visitors will travel again next week to play St Bedes/Mentone, while the undefeated Fitzroy take on Mazenod in what promises to be a belter.

Mazenod OC 15.12.102 def Parkdale Vultures 11.13.79

A Hayden Boyce eight-goal performance has willed Mazenod over the line by four-goals, against fourth-placed Parkdale at Gerry Green Reserve.

Incredibly, Boyce has kicked 27 goals this season and is in a rich vein of form coming off a 10-goal haul against Ormond the week before. Boyce was truly the difference between the evenly placed sides with Vultures’ coach Owen Lalor acknowledging that Boyce received wonderful service all day from his midfielders.

“Their full forward had a great day and received really good supply from their mids with not enough pressure from us,” Lalor said.

Despite only being a kick away from hitting the lead at half-time, Lalor said his defence crumbled under Mazenod’s forward pressure.

“Our defence and contest were not consistent enough for this level,” Lalor admitted.

Boyce received support from Matt Fewings, Mitchel D’Angelo, Brandon Le Battaglia, and Hudson Jenner on a goal-kicking spree in the third term which crucially extended Mazenod’s lead to 40 points at three-quarter time.

Lalor conceded Parkdale’s ball-use in the third term let his side down significantly.

“They were very good at hunting us off our mistakes and turnovers,” he said.

Trailing by 40 points at three-quarter time, Parkdale sensed a comeback on the horizon. Mitch Brown converted in the fourth minute which was soon followed by Hunter Lynch’s clever finish. The margin proved to be too much of a task in the end for the Vultures.

Mazenod’s record improved to 6-1 in the season, while Parkdale suffered their second defeat in the William Buck Premier C Men’s competition.

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers 12.20.92 def Ormond 8.7.55

The Tigers have marched their way to a vital victory against lower-ranked Ormond, improving their season record to read positively at 4-3.

St Bedes led at every change to record the 37-point win courtesy of a best-on-ground performance by Zach Winter and his supporting acts Ethan Hall, Angus Shepherdson, Jye Gilmour, Dan Garside, and Ollie Etienne.

The tight first-quarter tussle was dispelled in the second quarter as St Bedes put regular scoreboard pressure from the likes of Louis Hanson (3 goals), William Skinner (2 goals) and Liam Bowles (1 goal). From seven points at the first break, the Tigers blew the margin out to 28 points at half-time, leaving Ormond coach Kyle Pinto with plenty to ponder.

Continuing the theme of this weekend’s fixtures, St Bedes ran away with the game after-half time, flexing their muscles to score five goals to one in the third quarter.

Pinto recognised the work of Flynn O’Toole – a regular on the Premier C men’s weekend report, in addition to Jasper Boag who limited the impact of St Bedes’ best-and-fairest favourite Bennett Martin.

“Flynn O’Toole (our) ruckman dominated and Jackson Hille (mid-forward) was our best. (It was a) great game by Jasper Boag who kept Martin their best player quiet,” Pinto said.

Boasting a game-high 52-point margin at three-quarter time, St Bedes could have bettered their percentage significantly if it was not for a flood of missed opportunities at goal in the last quarter which allowed Ormond to win the final term.

With the win secured, St Bedes opened up a 2-game breathing space on PEGS in sixth position, while Ormond fight to stay out of the bottom three in ninth.

PEGS 12.11.83 def Marcellin OC 8.11.59

Wild weather and momentum shifts defined the contest at PEGS Playing Fields with the home side being able to better wrestle these factors to win by 24-points.

Rain and wind made scoring difficult for both sides in the first quarter, however, PEGS provided some uninterrupted passages of play on the rebound to kick five consecutive goals to finish the first term well. Riley Simmons (4 goals) looked lively in the first term, setting the tone for a dominant display up forward for the rest of the afternoon.

Just as the wind favoured PEGS in the first quarter, Marcellin capitalised upon the wind advantage in the second term with repeat inside-50s challenging the PEGS backline. Marcellin began to get on top in most areas of the game, not least ground balls and transition running from their back half. Goals from Zach Tolley, Matthew Capetola, and Liam Atherton helped the visitors reel in the quarter-time deficit to just four points at the main break.

The game continued on a knife’s edge for the third term, as Marcellin ensured PEGS’ wind advantage was not as profound as theirs in the second quarter.

PEGS coach Rob Kerr highlighted the position changes he made to get the game back on their terms.

“We went a bit more mobile around the ball with (Matthew) Barake in the ruck – that helped even things up and we got the momentum back in the last 10 minutes of Q3,” Kerr said.

Consecutive goals to begin the last quarter from Luke Weber and Riley Simmons, kicked the game virtually out of Marcellin’s hands. Ultimately, Marcellin failed to find the run-and-carry they had in the second and third quarters.

“Notable for us was schoolboy Aidan Testro, who played his first game and kicked three goals,” Kerr said.

PEGS gritty win lifted them to sixth place, while Marcellin remain rooted to eighth position after the loss.