Eight is great: Fitzroy reign supreme in a round of road warriors

Premier C Men’s Round 8 Review

The post-long weekend bye served the visitors well this week, with four of the five games won by the away side. Looking at the ladder at a glance, Fitzroy continue their unbeaten season with their 8-0 record, while the rest of the top four remain separated by percentage heading into Round 9!   

Fitzroy 20.15.135 def Mazenod 8.6.54

A slow-starting Fitzroy put on the second-half afterburners to blitz Mazenod by 81 points at Central Reserve. The 81-point win was the perfect celebration for club champion Ted Clayton, who notched up his 100th game.

In front of their adoring home fans, Mazenod outscored Fitzroy in the first term, leading at the first change by five points. Fletcher Ford looked ominous in the opening quarter, booting Mazenod’s first two majors.

Yet, you cannot keep a good side down for long. The milestone man Clayton kickstarted Fitzroy’s seven-goal second term with a clever finish in the first minute. Goals to Grace, Laidlaw, Jordan (2), Tauber and Faubel lit the fire for the visitors to lead by five goals at the main break.

Despite the slow start, Fitzroy coach Jack Dalton admitted his side strung together a four-quarter effort.  

“(I) thought it was our best four quarter effort for the year…the boys honoured (Ted Clayton) in the way we played,” Dalton said.

Fitzroy hummed again in the third quarter, extending their half-time lead to 47 points at three-quarter time. Jack Hart was clinical on the ball, while Will Hodgman continued his fine season with another dominant performance for the visitors. Jayden Raffa and Hayden Boyce hit back for the home side with goals of their own, but Fitzroy’s pressure continued to force front-half turnovers.

Another six-goal quarter in the final term by Fitzroy put the exclamation mark on another comprehensive victory, making it eight in a row and two games clear on top of the Premier C Men’s ladder.

Marcellin 14.7.91 def Glen Eira/Old McKinnon 11.8.74

A six-goal opening quarter laid the foundations for a timely victory for Marcellin at Packer Park against the Gryphons.

Led by Josh Daniel, Josh Kol and Adam Tomaro in the midfield, Marcellin’s forwards were delivered excellent service inside the forward-50, setting up a four-goal lead at quarter-time. This effort was especially important given Marcellin were kicking into a heavy breeze according to coach Patrick O’Callaghan.

“The weather came in (during the second quarter) … we stayed strong in the contest and essentially were able to maintain a three to five-goal margin for the rest of the afternoon,” O’Callaghan said.

Glen Eira were not able to capitalise on their second-quarter wind advantage, as Marcellin outscored them four goals to three. Aidan Chilcott (3 goals), and Tim Dobson (2 goals), kept the Gryphons within striking distance of Marcellin despite trailing by 30 points at half-time.

Neither team were able to stamp their authority on the third quarter, with missed opportunities becoming the story of the third term. Shaun Tyquin broke the 15-minute goal drought, quickly followed by captain Josh Daniel’s fourth goal to keep the Gryphons at bay.

The Gryphons brought a renewed intensity in the fourth quarter, responding to a quiet third term by booting three goals themselves to trim the 35-point margin to 17 at the final siren. 

Jesse Maxfield, Aidan Chilcott, Janko Hattingh, Thomas Williamson, James French and Stuart Carey were among the best for Glen Eira/Old McKinnon in the losing effort. Marcellin’s victory appeared to shake off the pre-bye scaries to start the second half of the season on a positive note.

Parkdale Vultures 13.6.84 def Hampton Rovers 5.12.42

The Vultures fed on Hampton’s inaccuracy in front of goal to keep their winning ways going in 2026. Vice-captain Nathan Sullivan booted a game-high four goals to lead his team to a 42-point win, well supported by Mitch Brown (2 goals), Adam Eales (2 goals), and singles to Kai Collea, captain Jack Edwards, Jai Elcock, Olly Green and Hunter Lynch.

It was an entertaining first quarter that produced eight goals between the two sides, with Parkdale finishing flawlessly by kicking five straight goals to Hampton’s 3.3. Hampton struggled to convert their inside-50 entries in trying conditions at Boss James Reserve. The wet football was handled cleanly especially by Charlie Yee and Lewis Castle, which gave the Vultures some much-needed breathing space in the first quarter.

Owen Lalor praised his team’s cleanliness all afternoon.

“(I) loved the way we handled the wet and windy conditions,” Lalor said.

The Vultures demonstrated why they are sitting pretty in second on the ladder, after displaying a defensive masterclass that condemned the Rovers to a scoreless second term. Parkdale kicked four goals themselves to extend the lead to a comfortable 35 points at half time.

Opportunities for Paul Carrigan’s side came thick and fast in the third term, but his men failed to execute fundamental goal-kicking which allowed Parkdale to maintain their six-goal buffer.

Carrigan felt his side was a little bit underdone leading into the weekend and were simply outclassed by a more cohesive unit.

“We had a lesson handed to us in the first 10 minutes … we played catch-up for the next two hours,” Carrigan admitted.

“They were a technically sound and prepared team that were on from the start and ultimately made us pay,” he added.

In the 42-point loss, Carrigan highlighted the performances of on-ballers Lui Coughlin and Christian Carnovale, who tried their hearts out all day.

Both sides endured a fourth-quarter slog with only three goals kicked for the quarter, which left Parkdale in an insurmountable position at the final siren.

Parkdale’s victory leaves both teams’ ledger at 6-2, creating a tussle for second place behind the undefeated Fitzroy.

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers 16.13.109 def Old Peninsula 10.14.74

The Tigers outclassed Old Peninsula on Saturday afternoon at Mentone Reserve, giving them some much-needed impetus to stay in touch with the top four. They honoured club stalwart Tom Garside with the six-goal win, who played his last game of football for St Bedes/Mentone.

Old Peninsula brought the heat early against St Bedes with some physicality around the ball, making life difficult for the Tigers’ midfielders in tricky conditions. However, the home side got the ball rolling in the first term with four straight majors to begin the contest, courtesy of Bennett Martin, Ollie Etienne, and Liam Bowles. Old Peninsula finished the quarter off strongly with goals from Nelson Forrest and Hugh Peacock but still trailed by 23 points at the first break.

Tigers’ coach Joel McKee said the game was won in the first quarter despite some sustained pressure by the visitors.

“We were able to get some quick ball movement going despite the wind and really challenged them,” McKee said.

Old Peninsula ensured the margin hovered around the five or six goal margin all day, through regular majors from Ben Watson, Craig Sanders and Andrew Hochegger.

“(We) didn’t blow them away and they fought it out all day, but we were really pleased with how we went,” McKee added.

William Skinner was fantastic for the victors, booting three goals, while Antonia Barba (2), Liam Bowles (2), and skipper Matthew Lehpamer chipped in with two himself in a best-on-ground nominated performance by his coach.

“Matt Lehpamer was awesome for us on ball … as was Ethan Hall,” McKee said.

Old Peninsula continue to fight each week, but coach Brendan Dunne has assured his side the results will come. On the other hand, St Bedes’ victory leaves their record at a positive 5-3, just a win out from Mazenod sitting in fourth.

PEGS 13.13.91 def Ormond 11.7.73

Ninth-placed Ormond gave PEGS a run for their money at E.E. Gunn Reserve, but it was not to be as the visitors fought their way to a three-goal win on the road.

In a game where the ball was rarely found in open space, the first quarter was free-flowing on the scoreboard with Ormond booting five straight to PEGS 3.4. The first quarter was emblematic of the momentum shifts which would come to define the remainder of the match. A red-time major from Sam Howley lifted Ormond to an eight-point advantage at quarter-time, capping off an enthralling opening term.

PEGS’ forward Matthew Barake worked hard in the forward-50 to give his side the lead midway through the second term for the first time since the opening minutes. Ormond failed to make some inroads on the scoreboard with three consecutive behinds to leave the game relatively poised at half-time.

Ormond coach Kyle Pinto recognised his team’s inability to absorb PEGS’ third-quarter pressure, which proved decisive in the result.

“We played really well but were outmuscled in the third … we had the wind in the last quarter, but the rain came,” Pinto said.

In a sporting cliché, PEGS made the third quarter their ‘premiership quarter’, with goals from Baker-West, Barake, Daniel Flaherty (2) and Zach Genovesi ensuring PEGS held an 18-point buffer at three-quarter time.

Ormond’s Jackson Hille possibly took Mark of the Year with an elite double-lifter, riding over a pack of PEGS players. What a hang!

Josh Levine at centre halfback was an intercept magnet for the home side as was his fellow backman Aaron Taylor. Alex Bridges, ruckman Flynn O’Toole, and Ryan Konstanty were also key role-players despite the loss.

Ormond will feel this one got away from them, especially after a somewhat lacklustre start from the men from the east. For PEGS, the win inches them closer to the very competitive top four.