Old Brighton and St Bedes remain red hot in Holmesglen U19 Premier Men’s

St Bedes/Mentone maintained their momentum with a convincing 95-56 victory over Caulfield Grammarians, overcoming some early inaccuracy to eventually pull away after halftime.

Despite controlling territory and generating plenty of forward entries in the opening half, St Bedes struggled to convert their opportunities, allowing Caulfield to remain in the contest. However, the visitors found another gear after the main break and capitalised on their dominance.

Coach Sam Hecker was pleased with the response after halftime.

“Goal kicking was off early and they capitalised on some good ball movement. We were on top of the inside 50s but weren’t finishing off our good work. That changed after halftime. I was really happy with the way we moved the ball and we took some strong marks inside 50 which finished with goals.”

Josh O’Brien was the focal point up forward, booting five goals, while Robinson added three. Howe was influential throughout the afternoon, while Napier and Noorbergen were important contributors in defence.

For Caulfield, coach Cooper Rule was disappointed with the performance but acknowledged the quality of the opposition.

“St Bedes are a great pressure side. They beat us in all facets of the game and we simply didn’t show up. It was a disappointing game from us, but we are confident in the areas we need to improve on moving forward after the bye.”

Old Brighton entered Round 7 knowing they would face a stern challenge against a talented De La Salle outfit and emerged with a strong 95-47 victory.

The visitors established control throughout much of the first half through disciplined team defence and an ability to restrict De La Salle’s dangerous transition game. While Old Brighton were unable to fully capitalise on the scoreboard early, their defensive structure ensured they maintained control.

Coach Travis O’Donohue highlighted the preparation that went into containing De La Salle.

“We knew from previous encounters that De La are a quick side who punish turnover with fast ball movement, so there was a strong pre-game focus on our team defence.”

De La Salle found momentum during the third quarter and briefly threatened to shift the game’s complexion, but Old Brighton steadied and finished strongly.

“I thought we controlled the game for much of the first half, although we weren’t quite as efficient in front of goal as we would have liked. Overall, it was a really pleasing result against a quality opposition as we head into the first bye of the season,” O’Donohue said.

Old Scotch produced one of the performances of the round, piling on 117 points in a dominant 117-26 victory over Beaumaris.

The Cardinals were at their attacking best, showcasing free-flowing football and remarkable cohesion across all lines. Their ability to move the ball with creativity and confidence proved too much for Beaumaris to handle.

Coach Hugo Boreham was delighted with both the result and the manner in which it was achieved.

“It was superb to see the boys play with such creativity and this was the reason that I think we scored so freely. I’m so proud of the cohesion within the group, and the outcomes are starting to come automatically as a result of this.”

Boreham also paid tribute to captain Davey Swan, crediting him as a key driver behind the side’s growing connection and culture.

“It’s a testament to the whole extended squad and particularly our skipper Davey Swan, who is an unbelievable connector of people and cultural figure.”

Parkdale secured one of the more significant wins of the season, defeating Old Xaverians 86-66 and claiming a valuable scalp against one of the competition’s established sides.

After a tight opening three quarters, Parkdale backed themselves in when the game was on the line and produced a strong final term to secure the result.

Coach Nick Anderson said the win reflected the belief building within the group.

“We wanted to take a scalp and we feel like we did that. It was a great team effort with players taking turns to step up at different times of the game.”

Anderson identified Old Xavs’ transition game as a key challenge.

“Old Xavs were hard to slow on transition, so that was a focus after quarter time and we were able to do that. We’ve been in that position at three-quarter time a few times now, just in front, so it was fantastic that the boys had the belief to take the game on in the last quarter and finish the game off strongly.”

The final match of the round saw St Kevin’s claim a high-quality 112-74 victory over Uni Blues in an entertaining contest that featured plenty of attacking football.

For much of the afternoon the game was played at a frenetic pace, with both sides regularly finding avenues to goal. St Kevin’s ultimately created separation during a decisive 15-minute burst in the second quarter, where they kicked seven unanswered goals to take control of the match.

Coach Paul Greenham described it as a quality contest.

“It was a good quality game of U19 football. It was a bit of a shootout for most of the day, goal for goal until we kicked seven in a row in a 15-minute period during the second quarter.”

Despite the final margin, Greenham never felt fully comfortable given the threat posed by Uni Blues.

“I never felt like we had the game fully in our keeping until late in the game, especially given Uni’s Ted Bain was quick and creative between the arcs and Tristan Leeds was causing headaches up forward.”

At the other end, St Kevin’s tall forwards proved difficult to contain, with Abbott, Hepburn and Gambaro all hitting the scoreboard.

“We are still a work in progress. Our best is unbelievable. It’s just about playing four quarters versus the two and a half we are playing at present,” Greenham said.

Although defeated, Uni Blues left the game with plenty of positives. Coach Steve Boakes felt his side matched St Kevin’s for much of the afternoon outside of the decisive second-quarter burst.

“We were able to match SKOB for all but a 13-minute period in the second term, during which they kicked six goals.”

Boakes praised the resilience shown by his players and pointed to signs of continued growth.

“We recorded our highest score of the season to date and displayed the style of football we have been working to develop. There were numerous positives to take from the performance and we look forward to building on this progress following the break.”