William Buck Premier Men’s – Round 9 Preview

William Buck Premier Men’s approaches the midway point this weekend, with another critical round of action headlined by a Top 4 blockbuster between two of the competition’s most ferocious modern-day rivals, and a couple of must-win games between teams trying to kick clear of the dreaded drop zone.

Here’s a closer look:

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ST KEVIN’S vs OLD BRIGHTON (Sat 2pm – TH King Oval: Kommunity TV)

These two teams have epitomised sustained excellence in recent years, leading to some enormous showdowns along the way.

This is another.

St Kevin’s are as hot as anyone in the competition right now, riding a 6-game winning streak after dropping their opening 2 games to Old Xavs and Old Brighton.

Now they get the chance to tackle the Tonners once again and will enter as the warmest favourites anyone has been against Old Brighton in recent memory.

The reigning champs aren’t going badly by any means, but they have dropped 3 of their last 5, including back-to-back defeats against other Top 4 contenders Old Xavs and Uni Blues.

To put that in a clearer context, they lost only three games in 2024 and just two in all of 2025.

The reigning premiers haven’t lost three in a row since Rounds 7-10 of 2023, and I’m sure SKOB coach Anthony Lynch is expecting them to come out breathing fire.

But ‘Plugger’ has reason for optimism.

His revamped team has gelled remarkably quickly, and with the accomplished Luke Mahoney tinkering behind-the-scenes to help revamp and modernise St Kevin’s ball movement, SKOB are getting the best of both worlds right now – the watertight defence that has been a cornerstone of 7 consecutive finals campaigns, as well as more free-flowing attacking ball movement leading to bigger scores.

Last week’s demolition of Old Haileybury saw them generate 42 scoring shots (17.25), which is the most St Kevin’s has had in a game since Round 14, 2023.

But Marcel Bruin and his Old Brighton outfit love a challenge. They’ve seen off plenty over the last couple of seasons and will have full confidence in their ability to rise to this moment as well, against a team that has challenged them more than most.

These two powerhouses have put on a lengthy list of nailbiters over the last few seasons:

• Rd.8, 2022:           Old Brighton by 3pts (Brighton Beach)
• Rd.6, 2023:           Old Brighton by 7pts (TH King)
• Rd.12, 2023:        St Kevin’s by 3pts (Brighton Beach)
• Rd.8, 2024:           St Kevin’s by 2pts (TH King)
• Rd.18, 2024:        Old Brighton by 1pt (Brighton Beach)
• 2^nd SF 2024:         Old Brighton by 6pts (Elsternwick Park)
• Rd.4, 2025:           Old Brighton by 7pts (Brighton Beach)

Their last two meetings have been relative ‘blowouts’ by comparison – St Kevin’s by 27pts at home in Round 12 last year, then the Tonners by 24pts at home in Round 2 this year.

This week, Lynch commented that: “Next week presents a great challenge against the reigning premier, who showed us up in Round 2, so our boys are very keen to make amends.”

What a game it promises to be!

St Kevin’s can open a 2-game gap over Old Brighton with a win, but a Tonners’ victory would see the champs leapfrog over their arch rival in the race for the Top 2.

Will SKOB tame the Tonners at home for a third straight season, or will the reigning premiers send a statement of intent by snapping St Kevin’s 6-game winning streak?

Catch this blockbuster LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Kommunity TV from 1.55pm Saturday, as Part 1 of a KTV Double-Header that will also feature the Holmesglen Under 19 Premier clash between Parkdale Vultures and Old Scotch from 4.40pm.

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ST BERNARD’S vs UNIVERSITY BLUES (Sat 2pm – Snake Pit; VAFA.com.au & SEN app)

The Snowdogs have been the ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ team of William Buck Premier Men’s since their return to the top-flight in 2024.

They went 1-9 on the road that season, then in 2025, they flipped it around and struggled to win at home until a couple of superb wins in the final two rounds allowed them to dodge the relegation bullet for a second straight season.

Despite being ranked last in both Attack and Defence in 2026, the Dogs have returned to being a much trickier proposition at home than they are on the road.

They are 0-5 away from St Bernard’s, with an average losing margin of 55 points, but are 2-1 at home, with victories over Old Scotch (2pts) and Old Haileybury (19pts), plus a 25-point loss to Blacks after being within 8pts at the last change.

So, while the current form line of University Blues is far superior – 3 straight wins and an overall 6-2 record – coach Matt Smith will realise that his team can’t afford to get into a down-and-dirty scrap at the Dog Pound.

As mentioned above, the Dogs aren’t booting big scores this season, so the forecast of wet, wintry weather makes a visit to the Snake Pit even more treacherous than usual. It might help turn the game into a low-scoring arm wrestle, and Bernard’s would be more than happy with that.

They rank alongside the Blues in Clearances and Contested Possessions and naturally handball a little more as well (#1 in the League). Their Intercept & Tackle numbers are virtually identical, and they have won more Ground Balls this season.

Where the Blues get most bang for their buck is in the front half. Their midfield-forward connection is significantly improved in 2026. If their twin tower forwards, James Stewart and Sam Grimley, get opportunities, they will take the game away from you in a hurry.

The Blues played the inclement conditions to perfection last Saturday, controlling the ball with 30 Uncontested Marks to 11 as the weather turned nasty in the second half. It denied Old Brighton the ball and forced them to defend for extended periods.

Their ability to effectively chip it around, maintain possession and still generate scoring opportunities was genuinely impressive, and Snowdogs coach Steve Alessio will have gone to work on that tape this week.

The Dogs will need to press up and disrupt the Blues’ uncontested possession changes before they end up in the hands of Stewart, Grimley or Big V young gun Charlie Cotter, who was this week named in the Big V’s Under 19 squad after also representing the League in Adelaide a fortnight ago.

Their last two meetings were both absolute thrillers – the Snowdogs by a point after the siren in Round 1 last year, then a draw at the Snake Pit in Round 9. That was a 7-goal apiece arm-wrestle that day, and the Dogs would be content with another one this time around.

Will the Blues keep their momentum rolling with a fourth straight win, or will the Snake Pit claim another victim?

Tune into our award-winning SEN Match of the Day radio coverage on VAFA.com.au & the SEN app from 1.45pm Saturday!

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UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs OLD SCOTCH (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne Uni: VAFA TV)

Few pundits would have had these two teams sitting equal bottom after two months of football, but that’s where they find themselves heading into Round 9.

Both feel more capable than their 2-6 record suggests, but ultimately, wins and losses are all that count.

Uni Blacks have shown flashes of their fighting best, such as their streak-breaking 2-point win at Fortress Brighton in Round 4, and their gritty performance in tricky conditions against Old Xavs last week, when they refused to throw in the towel and got within 17 points – clearly the closest any team has got to Xavs since Round 2.

But their challenge all year has been to put four good quarters together, or at least control games for long enough to get the desired result at the end of the day. They are currently equal last with Old Haileybury for Quarters Won (11).

However, the Cardinals aren’t much better. They’ve only won 13 quarters so far this season, but 4 of them came last week when they snapped back to life with a four-quarter performance against Old Trinity that will have given Mark Gnatt’s remodelled line-up an enormous boost of confidence and belief.

The Cards have been a work in progress in 2026. Without several VFL-listed and injured frontliners, they have been blooding new faces and trying to fast-track the gelling process.

And while they are also carrying a 2-6 record, a closer inspection of their results suggests their form isn’t as bad as it may look, given their defeats include:

• 2pt loss to St Bernard’s at the Snake Pit in a game that could have gone either way
• 18pt loss to Old Brighton
• 10pt loss to St Kevin’s

The Cardinals need to start winning and retaining more footy. Ranked #9 Disposals, they were denied the ball in long patches by Old Trinity last week, yet still managed to take a mature, composed approach that allowed them to hang in the game and ultimately find a way to win comfortably.

Mark Gnatt and his coaching staff will have been thrilled by this growth. It’s always a positive sign for any emerging young group to find ways to win when the game isn’t on their terms. Every other team in the comp knew that step #1 in defeating Old Scotch was to disrupt their uncontested possession chains from the back half.

Old Trinity attempted to do that by controlling the ball via extensive Uncontested Marks of their own, yet the Cards worked through that and ultimately scored a huge win.

What has Dale Bower and his Blacks staff learned from that tape? Does he pick the eyes out of Trinity’s approach and try to execute it better, or do the Blacks back themselves to deliver on their own trademark style and strengths?

Some games feel like they’re worth more than just 4 points, and this is one of them.

Not only will the winner kick a game clear of the drop zone at the halfway mark and potentially close to within a couple of games of the Top 4, but they’ll also gain a huge momentum boost. That would be precious for Blacks, who are currently on a 3-game slide, but also for Old Scotch, who could bank back-to-back wins and genuinely start to feel like they’re turning things around.

Their last match-up saw Old Scotch run up a massive 105-point win over the Blacks in Round 17 of last season. The Cards were storming home on the road to another Grand Final that day, while the Blacks were limping to the finish line.

Who knows what this one will deliver?!

Find out LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm Saturday!

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OLD HAILEYBURY vs CAULFIELD GRAMMARIANS (Saturday 2pm – Princes Park)

Just like the Blacks-Cards match-up, any result feels possible as the Bloods host the Fields at Princes Park.

These two teams, who are both endeavouring to fast-track their young talent, might just have been the most difficult to get a clear handle on across the first couple of months of the season, and it’s reflected in their ladder positions.

Old Haileybury are 2-6, one of four teams sitting equal bottom. But since two of the others – Blacks and Old Scotch – play each other this weekend, if the Bloods can beat the Fields, they’ll move a game clear of the relegation zone.

To get there, they’ll need to snap their 4-game losing streak. The first 3 of those defeats were competitive – a 4-goal loss to Trinity, a heartbreaking 1-point loss to the Blues, then a 19-point loss to the Snowdogs at the Snake Pit.

But the wheels came off last week, and it will be interesting to see what impact their 91-point pounding at the hands of SKOB has on this young group. Will it galvanise and motivate them? Or will it have damaged their spirit and belief?

If they are looking for a case study in resilience, they need look no further than their opposition this week.

Caulfield Grammarians lost 4 of their first 5 games to be anchored in the drop zone, before turning their season around in fine style with 3 straight wins – a superb 39-point victory over the Blacks, then a hard-fought 10-point win over Old Trinity, backed up by a solid 40-point triumph over the Dogs.

Paul Satterley’s team has repeatedly shown a capacity to hang in and bounce back, whether that be quarter-to-quarter or week-to-week this season. But now expectations are rising, and that will bring a different kind of pressure. They handled it last week against the Snowdogs, and now it rises again.

They will roll into Princes Park as favourites to continue their winning run, and buoyed by their gritty 4-point win over the Bloods at home in Round 2. That afternoon suggested there is little to separate these teams, and it may well be the case once again.

A quick look at their numbers reinforces that feeling:

• OH ATTACK: 76.25ppg    vs             CG ATTACK: 78ppg
• OH DEFENCE: 92.25        vs             CG DEFENCE: 95.38

In short, the Fields have been 2 points better at the scoring end, while the Bloods have been 3 points tighter at the defensive end across the first 8 weeks. Virtually nothing between them.

However, a more recent sample size shows that the Fields have unlocked their scoring potential, topping the ton in two of their last three starts to average just over 14 goals per game, compared to just over 9 per game across the first five weeks of the season.

They will arrive with the clearly superior form. The question now is whether they can handle the increased expectation, or whether Old Haileybury can pounce on the opportunity to turn their own season around.

Find out Saturday from 2pm at Princes Park.

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OLD TRINITY vs OLD XAVERIANS (Saturday 1.45pm – Daley Oval)

These two teams face off for the second time this season after the T’s pulled off the upset of the year in Round 2 at Toorak Park.

They burst out of the blocks that afternoon, showcasing arguably the most exciting football seen in Premier Men’s all season, dominating Xavs with a fierce opening quarter that laid the groundwork for a 6-goal victory.

Much has changed since then, and Trinity’s early-season spark and energy have faded in recent weeks as they settle into the relentless grind of the Premier Men’s winter.

After winning 4 of their first 5 games, which brought a breath of fresh air to the league, they have run out of breath a little in recent times, dropping their past 3 matches—against Old Brighton (76 points), Caulfield (10 points), and Old Scotch (47 points).

The magnitude of last week’s loss – against a Scotch team that had entered on a 6-game losing streak of its own – was alarming, and veteran coach Donald McDonald will be looking for a response this week against the league leaders.

One outstanding four-quarter effort could quickly turn the T’s season around again.

But that’s easier said than done against an Old Xaverians line-up that is going from strength to strength. They arrive at Round 9 on a 6-game winning streak to sit 7-1, one game clear of the field.

With a winning margin of almost 8 goals, they haven’t just been beating teams, they’ve been putting them to the sword. But last week’s 17-point win over Blacks at a waterlogged Toorak Park reinforced that as the conditions worsen, it’s more difficult to blow teams off the park.

Fortunately for coach Dan Donati, he has built a team for all conditions, and the Red & Black are Top 3 for Contested Possessions, Ground Balls and Clearances. Where they really excel is when the ball spills from the congestion – they rank #1 for Loose Gets by some margin, and when their dangerous mids pounce on a loose ball, good things tend to follow.

That will be Trinity’s biggest challenge. The T’s are currently last for Contested Possessions, so they will need to roll up their sleeves and find a way to negate Xavs’ ability to convert first possession into clean takeaways, because the Forward 50 for the league-leaders is stacked with goalkicking options.

They are the Number #1 team for Marks Inside 50, led by Charlie Macisaac, who leads the competition with 36 goals. But Xavs have 3 other players in double-figures as well: Wade Brusnahan (15), Jack O’Sullivan (11) and Ed Delany (10).

Form suggests Old Xavs. But it did in Round 2 as well…

Catch the action live at Daley Oval from 1.45pm Saturday – please note the EARLIER START TIME to avoid the late-afternoon gloom as the light begins to fade.

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 9

SATURDAY JUNE 20:

St Bernard’s                vs             University Blues              VAFA/SEN – 1.45pm                        

St Kevin’s                   vs             Old Brighton                    KTV – 1.55pm

University Blacks       vs             Old Scotch                       VAFA TV – 1.55pm

Old Trinity                  vs             Old Xaverians    

Old Haileybury           vs             Caulfield Grammarians