Division 1 Men’s Round 11 Review
Kew (21.14 – 140) def Oakleigh (11.7 – 73) Kew had a significant win against their final’s finals rivals from last year, Oakleigh, with a margin of 67 points at
The Fields conquer Fortress Brighton for first time in 15 years, while the Blues claim the Derby – William Buck Premier Men’s Round 10 Review
Round 10 of William Buck Premier Men’s was another thrill ride, with 4 of the 5 matches decided by 15 points or less.
Let’s get you up to speed:
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Caulfield Grammarians turned last week’s last-gasp heartbreak into a late winner of their own, as they rolled Old Brighton at Brighton Beach Oval for the first time since 2011 to continue their remarkable season revival in dramatic fashion.
Despite 8 changes to the team that fell at the last hurdle to the Bloods last week, the Fields took early control with a ruthlessly efficient opening quarter. The Tonners won more first possessions on the inside but were repeatedly punished as Caulfield kicked 4.5 directly from uncharacteristic Old Brighton turnovers, leading by 22 points at the first break.
The Tonners then had their chance with the breeze in the second term and dominated territory, with 22 Inside 50s to 5. But they didn’t finish their work, kicking 2.8 for the term, so when the Fields made the most of their rare forays forward to add two goals in time-on, they extended their lead back out to 14 points at the main break – despite Old Brighton leading the Inside 50 count 33-16.
Neither team was able to consistently build clean possession chains during a term that was played mainly between the arcs, with only 19 Inside 50s (11-8 Caulfield’s way). The Fields added 2.4 to 2.1 and headed to the final huddle with a 17-point lead that still felt gettable if Old Brighton could find their mojo in the last term.
Even more so when Joey Campigli marked and goaled in the opening minute to make it an 11-point game.
But credit to Caulfield, who managed to prevent the Tonners from building the irresistible momentum we’ve so often seen from them as they’ve stormed over the top of teams at home in recent seasons.
The Fields held firm and re-established their 17-point lead when Jared Freedman intercepted a defensive handball and slotted it through from the top of the goalsquare at the 8-minute mark.
However, Old Brighton were far from done, and a classy snap from Cooper Dowe (11-minute mark) and another mark and goal from Joey Campigli (16-minute mark) brought it back to a 4-point margin entering time-on.
The Tonners then hit the front for the first time since the 5-minute mark of the opening quarter when Josh Carr grabbed it out of the ruck and sent it forward with a quick kick. Joey Campigli snapped up the bouncing ball, turned onto his right and launched a superb long-range goal – his third of the term – to give Old Brighton a 1-point lead at the 27-minute mark.
Caulfield Grammarians could have been excused for dropping their heads, but as we’ve seen from Paul Satterley’s team all season long, they have no quit in them, and after 3 tense minutes, the ball was launched from a boundary throw-in on the wing to right half-forward for the Fields.
Archie Loughnan leapt into the air and cleverly tapped the ball on to first-gamer Ethan Lakman, who, despite being pursued by 5 Brighton opponents, scurried along the boundary line and set sail for goal from 45 metres out. The kick pitched just inside the goal-line and bent through to put Caulfield back in front at the 30-minute mark as the Fields players streamed to Lakman from all over the ground.
The Tonners had late chances to steal it back once again, and the ball was in dispute deep in their forward line when the siren sounded 3 minutes later, signifying Caulfield Grammarians’ first win at Brighton Beach Oval since Round 4 of 2011 when both teams were in Premier B.
More significantly, it was the Fields’ 4th win from their last 5 starts, and this plucky young line-up has become one of the stories of the William Buck Premier Men’s season.
Stone motherless last after losing 4 of their first 5, they have adapted to the rigours of top-tier football and surged when many Premier B elevations start to sag in the depths of winter.
Archie Loughnan booted 3 goals and set up the game winner to be best afield for Caulfield, while Hamish McInerney (31 disposals, 10 rebounds) and Jono Moren (28 disposals, 8 clearances, 9 Inside 50s) were also outstanding.
Tom Burnell was best for Brighton, collecting 25 touches (17 contested) and 7 tackles, while Joey Campigli’s 3 goals almost got the Tonners over the line in that desperate last quarter.
Caulfield Grammarians now find themselves two games out of the drop zone and just one game out of the Top 4. But the challenges keep on coming in Premier Men’s, and next up, it’s the league-leading Old Xavs at Glen Huntly Park before the bye, followed by fellow contenders St Kevin’s after the week off.
While for Old Brighton, a third loss in 4 starts has seen them slip from top to fourth, and with the ‘Tullamarine Flu’ ripping through the club once again as players head to Europe for a break, they face an enormous danger game against Uni Blacks at Melbourne Uni.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
Caulfield: Old Xavs (H) BYE St Kevin’s (A) Uni Blacks (H)
Old Brighton Uni Blacks (A) BYE Old Scotch (H) Old Trinity (A)
Caulfield Grammarians 10.13 (73)
Old Brighton 9.13 (67)
GOALS:
CG: Loughnan 3; Lakman 2; Williams, Freedman, Cooper, Will & McInerney 1.
OB: Campigli & Agg 3; Macnab, Hope & Dowe 1.
BEST:
CG: Archie Loughnan, Thomas Williams, Hamish McInerney, Will Vesely, Ollie Wilson, Ryan Pietsch
OB: Thomas Burnell, Jonah Campigli, Ben Pryor, Harry Hill, Hamish Dick, Louis Butler
Paul Satterley (Caulfield Grammarians): “Aside from beating Xavs by a point when I was at OMs, I’d say this was the best win I’ve been involved in. We had 8 personnel changes from our loss to Haileybury, so we could have easily been pretty vulnerable.
“But I thought all our players had adopted a winning mindset leading into the game, and that positivity held us in good stead. We had all players contribute on the day, playing their role.
“Our pressure was excellent all game, and our ability to intercept and score from turnovers helped us secure the win.
“Tommy Williams played a different role and had one of his best games in my time. We needed big games from our bookends in Archie Loughnan and Will Vesely, and they provided that. Hamish McInerney, Ryan Pietsch and Ollie Wilson delivered the intercept game we needed.
“We continue to leave a few goals out there with missed gettable set shots, so we’ll work on that, and just ensure the boys recover well.”
Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “Ordinary day for us, but absolutely full credit to Satts and Caulfield – they were desperate and produced great pressure across the ground for the 120 minutes.
“We executed as poorly as we have for a long time and gave away too many chances. Despite that, the game was still there to be won. Unfortunately, another breakdown allowed an opportunity for Caulfield, which they took and put us away.”
The other nailbiter was at Scotch College, as Old Scotch breathed some life back into their campaign by coming from behind at the last change, and then hanging on late to pip St Bernard’s in a thrilling final quarter.
The teams arrived as the Bottom 2 at the halfway point of the season, but their ladder positions were not reflected in the quality of play, as the opening quarter provided some free-scoring football.
Snowdogs cashed in on excellent stoppage work to boot 4 of the first 5 goals and sneak out to an early lead, before the hosts got their uncontested game going, and responded with the last three goals of the term to close within a single point at the first change.
The Dogs’ advantage around the contest continued into the second quarter, but 17 Midfield Turnovers handed the ball back to the Cards and stopped their progress. However, the Cards also struggled to connect by foot (50% Kick Efficiency), and in the end, it was 3 goals each for the quarter, with scores tied at halftime at 7.7 apiece.
The turnover fest continued in the third term, with 8 of the 9 goals kicked coming from turnover. As was the case in the opening term, St Bernard’s seized the initiative with 3 goals in 5 minutes to open up a handy lead before Old Scotch set about reeling them back in with 2 in 2 minutes midway through the quarter to remain within striking distance.
Finn Shannon put the Dogs 14 points up at the 22-minute mark, before 2 goals in 2.5 minutes from Charlie Jackson and Henry Brown once again kept the persistent Cards in touch.
Lachie Papley’s long-range set shot after the siren re-established an 8-point buffer heading to the last change, with a vital 4 points up for grabs in the final half an hour.
It was Old Scotch who made the first move, slamming on 4 goals in 5 minutes from the 3-minute mark of the last term – 2 of them coming to influential big man Will Clark – as the Cards turned an 8-point deficit into a 16-point lead in the blink of an eye.
But just as they did at the Snake Pit in Round 2 against Old Scotch, Steve Alessio’s men dug deep and refused to go quietly.
Papley ran into an open goal for an immediate response that closed the gap to 10 points, before a tense 15-minute stalemate developed where neither team could find a goal. The Cards couldn’t find the winner, but nor could the Dogs find the major that got them back within a kick.
Until skipper Mitch Hughes rose up and marked a quick kick out of the pack, then quickly went back and slotted the goal from 35 metres out to make it a 4-point margin at the 27-minute mark. Was history set to repeat itself, with the Dogs stealing another one from the Cards at the death?
In the end, it was Old Scotch successfully navigating the final 90 seconds with some controlled possession football until the final siren brought them sweet relief and a precious 4 points that elevated them a game clear of the Dogs in the race to avoid relegation, and drew them level on points with the Blacks and Bloods.
Henry Brown was best afield for the Cards, finishing with 24 disposals (14 contested), 6 tackles, 11 clearances and 3 goals in a stellar performance, while Alex Noblet (26 disposals) and Will Clark (25 and 3 goals) were also great contributors.
Ruck Matt Sauro was best for St Bernard’s for a second straight week, while Ben Huggard and Matt Foley both collected 29 touches apiece, and Dylan Gwynne another 28 for the Dogs, who will be both buoyed by a much-improved performance on the road, but also disappointed that they couldn’t quite snatch the 4 points they worked so hard for.
The critical games just keep on coming for the Cards.
Next up, it’s another ‘8-point clash’ against the team immediately above them, Old Haileybury, with the winner to again kick a game clear of the loser in the race to avoid the drop. Then, after the bye, it’s two massive clashes against recent September rivals, the Tonners and SKOB.
St Bernard’s now find themselves outright bottom, but the good news is that the next 3 teams are just one game ahead of them, so they are still very much in the race to escape relegation if they can find a few wins on the run home.
But their next few starts reinforce just how difficult life in Premier Men’s can be – the white-hot SKOB, then a must-win against Uni Blacks, followed by the league-leaders at the Snake Pit.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
Old Scotch: Old Haileybury (H) BYE Old Brighton (A) St Kevin’s (H)
St Bernard’s: St Kevin’s (H) BYE Uni Blacks (A) Old Xavs (H)
Old Scotch 15.10 (100)
St Bernard’s 14.12 (96)
GOALS:
OS: Brown & Clark 3; Lean 2; Fergusson, Cormack, Jackson, Macmillan, Easton, Jelbart & Robenstone 1.
STB: Watson 4; Papley 3; Di Lizio 2; H.Schumann, Huggard, Hughes, Said & Shannon 1.
BEST:
OS: Henry Brown, Harry Dixon, Will Townsend, Jack Brown, Andy Jelbart, Charlie Jackson
STB: Matt Sauro, Matthew Watson, Nicholas Conlan, Ben Huggard, Lachlan Papley, Fergus McNicol
Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “It was a great game of footy where both sides had their opportunities and created momentum.
“St Bernard’s took the game on and put us under scoreboard pressure on a few occasions, especially in the third term, when they jumped out. We were really pleased with the composure of our boys to hang in there and fight back each time.
“One of the biggest highlights was the growth of a number of boys in such a short period of time. Players like Ned Macmillan, Ben Fergusson and Robbie Beckworth (to name just a few) have shown real character and resilience as they navigate their way through playing regular senior football. Those moments will hold each of them in good stead and underpin the strength of our program for years to come.”
Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “In a game full of good contests and momentum shifts, the last quarter came down to which team could minimise their turnovers and grab their moments.
“Unfortunately for us, when our moments came, we weren’t able to capitalise them. It was pleasing that we fought hard until the end, and I can’t fault our effort and pressure. However, our composure and finish at critical times cost us on the scoreboard.
“We had some good signs with how we looked, and I was very pleased with the performance of Matt Watson & Luke DiLizio forward, Mitch Hughes’ versatility and Nick Conlan playing above his age and experience.”
Another compelling Uni Derby ultimately saw University Blues post their fifth straight win – but only after a final quarter scare from a persistent University Blacks.
The Blues jumped out of the gates nicely, booting the only 3 goals of the opening term to lead by 20 points at quarter time, based largely on their intercept game. The Blacks were winning more inside ball, but 22 Turnovers to 15 cost them all 3 goals as the Blues pounced on their errors.
Dale Bower’s side found its rhythm in the second term, cleaning up its ball use (Kick Efficiency rose from 58% to 81%) and responded with 4 goals to 1 to close within 2 points at the major break, setting the scene for a fascinating second half in front of a typically raucous Derby crowd.
The Blues peppered the goals early in the third term, with James Curran hitting the target before the two teams went goal-for-goal midway through the quarter. But two late goals to the Blues – courtesy of dynamic duo Charlie Cotter and James Stewart – saw the hosts suddenly kick away to a 4-goal lead at the last change.
However, the Blacks weren’t done yet, and they stormed back into the Derby with an inspired quarter of football that saw them boot the first 4 goals to level the scores entering time-on.
It looked for all money that the Blacks were going to run away with the game, but while they got back on level terms, they didn’t manage to get their noses in front as the Blues firstly stabilised the situation, then responded with a James Stewart goal at the 25-minute mark to lead by 6 points once again.
The Blues added a couple of handy points to open an 8-point buffer as the Blacks threw everything at trying to steal it late, but when Will Furphy pounced on a defensive switch kick at the 31-minute mark, he released Mojwok Akoch into an open goal and it was all over – the Blues surviving a nailbiter to post their fifth straight victory and defend their one-game lead over the third-placed SKOB.
It’s the first time since 2023 that the Blues have won both Derbies in a season, with a result that leaves Blacks vulnerable at 3-7, just 2.5% out of the drop zone.
Jack O’Sullivan was adjudged the SKINS Player of the Game for his elite intercept game that saw him finish with 18 Intercept Disposals and 6 Intercept Marks as he repeatedly turned back the tide for the Blues. Ben Townson was at his dangerous best with 3 goals, while Max Irving’s 22 disposals and 6 clearances got things moving for the winners.
Max Gray was superb for Blacks, finishing with 21 disposals, 7 marks, 5 Inside 50s and 3 goals, while Harry Broderick continued his excellent form with another 35 touches (17 contested), 5 tackles, 9 clearances and a goal.
Next up for the Blues, it’s a visit to Old Trinity, followed by a top-of-the-table blockbuster against Old Xavs at Toorak Park after the bye.
While the Blacks host a vulnerable Old Brighton at Melbourne Uni in what shapes as a massive game for both sides.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
Uni Blues: Old Trinity (A) BYE Old Xavs (A) Old Haileybury (H)
Uni Blacks: Old Brighton (H) BYE St Bernard’s (H) Caulfield (A)
University Blues 11.12 (78)
University Blacks 10.4 (64)
GOALS:
BLUES: Stewart & Townson 3; Grimley, Akoch & Cotter 1.
BLACKS: Gray 3; Oliver 2; Conway, St Clair, Geddes, Broderick & Drummond 1.
BEST:
BLUES: Jack O’Sullivan, Ben Townson, Max Irving, Mitchell Lloyd, Martin Gleeson, Charlie Cotter
BLACKS: Max Gray, Harry Broderick, Max Geddes, Campbell Moorfield, James Clark, Charlie Connell-Tobin
Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “It was a real battle of momentum swings with both teams having ascendancy for different periods. We were wasteful when we had control of the game and didn’t get the reward for effort, but Blacks were able to deprive us of possession at times, which made things difficult.
“Jack O’Sullivan played his best game of the year for us and was huge down back. Charlie Cotter, back from his VFL debut, had some enormous moments for us late in the game.
“We need to continue to work on our defensive transition to strip the opposition of possession earlier.
“Ultimately, we were seriously challenged and were able to respond to make sure we walked away with the win. Our ability to win ugly is something we are getting much better at.”
Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “It was a great hard-fought game of footy, typical of most Uni Derbies.
“I was really pleased with our tenacity to keep at it and stay in the game; a few lapses cost us at times. The boys showed great spirit in the final quarter to get back to all square from a 4-goal deficit.
“At 3-7, we are keen to significantly improve our win-loss ratio, and I still believe we are capable of playing finals football in 2026.”
Old Xaverians registered an eighth straight victory, but they certainly didn’t have it all their own way against a plucky Old Haileybury at Toorak Park.
The game opened at a cracking pace with 3 goals in the first 5 minutes as James Blight struck first for the Bloods, before the Macisaac boys (Will and Charlie) responded in quick succession for Xavs.
Xavs took slight control of the inside game early, but the Bloods’ pushed numbers behind the ball and their intercept game enabled them to repeatedly win the ball back, forcing the hosts into 20 Midfield Turnovers in the opening term alone, which they duly converted into their entire score of 3.1 to be dead level with Xavs at the first change.
The league leaders tidied up their ball use in the second term and had a stack more possession than the Bloods as a result, however, it was Old Haileybury still able to play the more efficient football and hit on the counter.
Despite having 36 fewer touches and 2 fewer Inside 50s for the quarter, the visitors absorbed the pressure, then unleashed 4 goals in 6 minutes as they counterpunched superbly, setting Xavs back on their heels and heading to the main break with an 18-point lead.
Neither team could find the middle of the goals early in the third term, and it wasn’t until Ed Delany received a downfield free in the goalsquare (after Tommy McRae was dumped after he kicked) at the 11-minute mark that a major was registered.
That brought Xavs within 9 points, and despite their territorial dominance (18 Inside 50s to 8 for the quarter), their trademark efficiency up forward continued to desert them. They posted a further 4 consecutive behinds until McRae slotted the only other goal of the quarter at the 25-minute mark, and it was all tied up as the teams headed to the final break.
A further 4 consecutive behinds to Xavs opened the last term (3 of them rushed), before Julian Gangi was held 15 metres out directly in front to break the deadlock and give the hosts a 10-point lead.
When Charles Holmes marked in the goalsquare two minutes later, his conversion proved to be the sealer – Old Xavs continuing their winning run with a hard-earned 14-point victory that maintains their one game lead atop the ladder.
Will Goss was everywhere down back, racking up 46 disposals, 14 marks and 11 Rebound 50s, while Sam Fisher continues to build up to full speed after injury, collecting another 36 touches (16 contested), 6 tackles and 10 clearances.
While last week’s hero Durras Seccull was fantastic for the Bloods once again, finishing with 31 disposals, 19 marks, 8 Rebound 50s and 6 Inside 50s. Jasper Russell’s stellar season continued with another 27 disposals, 7 marks and 5 Rebound 50s.
Next up for Old Xaverians, it’s an interesting clash against the team who is rising up the ladder with a bullet – it’s a visit to Caulfield to face the Fields, who have won 4 of their last 5. Then a week off to prepare for the top-of-the-table blockbuster against the Blues at Toorak Park.
Despite having lost 5 of their last 6, the Bloods are playing some very good football at the moment, having pushed the Blues to within a point, then beaten Caulfield by a point last week, before pushing Xavs all the way in this one.
Currently out of the drop zone by just 0.32% ahead of Old Scotch, they face an 8-point game against the Cardinals this week, with the victor to kick a game clear of the loser heading into the bye. What a game!!
THE ROAD AHEAD:
Old Xaverians: Caulfield (A) BYE Uni Blues (H) St Bernard’s (A)
Old Haileybury: Old Scotch (A) BYE Old Trinity (H) Uni Blues (A)
Old Xaverians 8.15 (63)
Old Haileybury 7.6 (48)
GOALS:
OX: Delany & W.Macissac 2; C.Macisaac, McRae, Holmes & Gangi 1.
OH: Blight 3; Higgins, Gillon, Harrop & Kirkwood-Scott 1.
BEST:
OX: Jack Whitehead, Charlie Knott, Samuel Fisher, Thomas Hart, Will Goss, Tommy McRae
OH: Durras Seccull, Mitchell Kirkwood-Scott, James Blight, Jasper Russell, Brede Seccull, Noah Higgins
Dan Donati (Old Xavs): “It was a difficult day to navigate against a super competitive OH. I felt they executed their plans a lot better than we did in the first half.
“To my boys’ credit, we reset some things at half-time and were able to wrestle back momentum and become really hard to score against.
“Whilst we found it hard to finish the work at times, we did enough with the amount of ball we had to secure a tough win.”
Guy Martyn (Old Haileybury): “We put in a pretty strong performance against a very good Xavier side.
“We threw something a little bit different at them structurally with a couple of extra defenders. Xavs’ offence is one of their biggest weapons, so we wanted to make them work for everything and take them a little bit out of their comfort zone. For large parts of the game, I thought we did that really well. We defended strongly, made it difficult for them to generate their usual ball movement and were pretty methodical with our own use of the footy.
“The difference was probably our inability to capitalise in the last quarter. We had taken our chances in the second quarter and kicked a few important goals late, but in the fourth, we had opportunities and couldn’t quite convert. Credit to Xavier, when the game was there to be won, they executed better.
“There was only a few points in it heading towards time-on in the last quarter, so we were right in the contest and gave ourselves every chance. In the end, their top-end class and ability to handle the pressure moments probably got them over the line.
“Individually, Durras Seccull was outstanding. To finish with 19 marks and 12 intercept marks against a side like Xavs was an unbelievable performance. Kye Turner was terrific alongside him and played a really important role in allowing Durras to have the impact he did.
“James Blight was a real livewire up forward. He finished with three goals, created a number of other opportunities and looked dangerous whenever the ball went near him.
“Overall, while it’s disappointing not to finish the job, there was plenty to like about the performance, and we’ll take a lot of confidence into a huge game against Scotch this week.”
The final game of the weekend saw St Kevin’s slam on 17 second-half goals to score a percentage-boosting win over Old Trinity at St Kevin’s College.
SKOB enjoyed a healthy clearance dominance early, and effectively converted that into territory, racking up 19 Inside 50s to 6 in the opening term. Most importantly, they were able to convert entries into scores, with 5 individual goalscorers sharing the load as the hosts cleared out to a 26-point quarter-time advantage.
Old Trinity rocketed back into the contest in the second term, playing some of the most exciting and effective football they’ve displayed all year to post their highest-scoring quarter of the entire season – 6.2 to SKOB’s 3.6 – as Trinity turned the inside game upside down to boot 4 of their 6 goals from stoppage and close within 12 points at the major break.
Oliver Scott had 3 goals from 5 kicks to half time, as the T’s headed to the rooms with their tails up, having kicked 4 goals in 6 minutes during a purple patch early in time-on.
But as impressive as that fightback was, the response from St Kevin’s was even more so. SKOB muscled up on the inside to take complete control around the stoppages and seized the game by the scruff of the neck with a scintillating quarter of football that delivered 19 Inside 50s to 4, and 8.5 to no score.
With the margin blown out to 65 points at the last change, St Kevin’s once again showed a new level to their game in 2026 – the ability to kick the floodgates wide open. Their dominance of possession continued (114-60 Disposals) as did their territorial dominance (20 Inside 50s to 8).
But most telling was their conversion once they got it in there. Of those 20 Inside 50s came 9 Marks Inside 50, including 5 to emerging star Jacob Koschitzke, whose influence continues to grow by the week. The former AFL Hawk and Tiger would enjoy a monster final term – 9 disposals, 5 marks and 5 goals – as SKOB slammed on a further 9.8 to 2.0 to career away to an incredible 115-point win.
20 Inside 50s for a return of 9.8 is enough to give any opposition coach nightmares, and in a season where all the likely contenders have big forwards capable of turning a game in a hurry, SKOB have got a few of the best at their disposal.
It was St Kevin’s largest win since they destroyed Caulfield Grammarians by 155 points in Round 14 of 2023, and their 47 scoring shots were the most they’ve generated since Round 17 of 2017, when they kicked 28.21 (189) to defeat St Bede’s Mentone Tigers by 157 points.
Given it has followed a 91-point demolition of Old Haileybury just a fortnight ago, it reinforces that coach Anthony Lynch has strikepower at his disposal that St Kevin’s hasn’t enjoyed for many a long year. The arrival of VAFA premiership and Big V coach Luke Mahoney to help steer SKOB’s ball movement has also been a significant factor in releasing the shackles to feed their potent attack that has now taken over from Old Xavs as #1 in the competition.
Koschitzke finished with 20 disposals, 11 marks and 8 goals in a super performance that confirms his ability to become a genuine difference-maker for SKOB come September. Jack Behnk and Callum Jones both booted 5 apiece – Jones with 23 disposals to go with his handful of majors.
Ruck Billy Coates just keeps on delivering week after week, racking up another 27 touches and 13 clearances, while Ben Mansfield’s eye-catching 36 touches and 12 clearances, along with speedster Liam Gunson’s 32 disposals were a joy for St Kevin’s fans to watch as they enjoyed their annual visit to the College in fine style.
SKOB had 5 of the top 6 ballgetters on the ground, with the ever-reliable Christos Manoussakis the sole Trinity rep with 31 disposals, 5 clearances and 6 Rebound 50s, while James Ingpen and Oliver Scott both finished with 3 goals apiece.
Old Brighton’s defeat has seen St Kevin’s take a grip on third spot – they are now one game clear of the Tonners and one game behind the Blues in the race for the Top 2, while five straight losses and some thumping hits to their percentage have seen Old Trinity slip two games out of the Top 4 and just one game clear of the drop zone.
They need an urgent change of fortune to avoid sliding down into the relegation race in the weeks ahead, but their tasks get no easier, with the second-placed Uni Blues and fourth-placed Old Brighton coming up in the next month.
St Kevin’s have the opportunity to further pressure the Top 2 in the coming weeks, given their next 5 starts are against teams outside the Top 4. That run will build up to a couple of pivotal showdowns on the eve of the finals, with Old Xavs in Round 16 and the Blues in the last round looking increasingly likely to shape the composition of the September seedings.
THE ROAD AHEAD:
St Kevin’s: St Bernard’s (A) BYE Caulfield Grammarians (H) Old Scotch (A)
Old Trinity: Uni Blues (H) BYE Old Haileybury (A) Old Brighton (H)
St Kevin’s 25.22 (172)
Old Trinity 9.3 (57)
GOALS:
STK: Koschitzke 8; Behnk & Jones 5; Pfeiffer 2; Hodges, Hart, Canning, McGee Galimberti & Ferguson 1.
OT: Ingpen & Scott 3; Emery 2; McNamara 1.
BEST:
STK: Ben Mansfield, Jacob Koschitzke, Jack Behnk, Callum Jones, Liam Gunson, Billy McGee Galimberti
OT: James Ingpen, Christos Manoussakis, Tom Wenn, Sam Barendregt, Campbell Dytor, Jack Hindson
Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “Our annual Foundation Day game back at the college each year always produces a strong performance from our group, and this year was no different.
“Our start was really positive in the areas we value, and that had us in a positive position at quarter time.
“The second quarter was interesting. We started well but kicked really inaccurately, and Trinity took advantage of that and in the last 15 minutes before half-time kicked 5 unanswered goals.
“We had some positive discussions as a whole group at the break, and we really challenged our group on the back of that. All credit to the players, who responded with a 17-goal second half.
“Yet again, when we get such an even team contribution, it delivers us our best results.”
Donald McDonald (Old Trinity): “We competed well in the second quarter and really worked our way into the game. However, after the break, it felt like we ran into a steam train, such was the dominance of St Kevin’s. Their running ability and targets up forward were way too strong for us.
“The thing with our group is that they have terrific resilience, and even though it was easily the heaviest defeat the club has had for a long time, the players were still able to compete to the end – even though the St Kevin’s boys were so ruthless in their pressure and run. We just could not match them physically – too big, too strong, too fit.
“James Ingpen gave us a look into his ability to play well at either end, and, after returning from a 3 week stint of concussion, Tom Wenn matched it with the St Kevin’s boys for large periods of the match. Plus, George Belcher never dropped his head in the face of an onslaught and kept encouraging his teammates all day.
“The past five games continue to reinforce to us what a big step up it is to Premier Men’s. As De La found out last year, there is nowhere to hide at this level, and you have to be ready to go again 7 days later.
“So, as much as our confidence would have been smashed, we have another opportunity this week to show we can compete against another good side in Uni Blues.”
WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 11
SATURDAY JULY 4 – 2pm:
St Bernard’s vs St Kevin’s SEN – 1.45pm
Caulfield Grammarians vs Old Xaverians KTV – 1.50pm
University Blacks vs Old Brighton KTV – 1.55pm
Old Scotch vs Old Haileybury VAFA TV – 1.55pm
Old Trinity vs University Blues
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