Oakleigh hold on as Monash Blues bounce back

Parkside 13.5 (83) def by Oakleigh 13.11 (89)

In what was a high-pressure, momentum-swinging game, Oakleigh managed to hold out for a six-point win over Parkside. The win brings both sides level on ladder points heading into the pointy end of the season.

Parkside coach Rick Frost acknowledged that “Oakleigh played fast footy all day and got the jump… We were chasing tail all day from there.” This was demonstrated by the four-goal lead Oakleigh took into half-time, which only expanded with a great turnover game.

However, the final term was a different story as Parkside were a goal away from taking the lead, with a six-goal-to-one final term, Oakleigh just did enough to restrain a charging Parkside.

Oakleigh coach Chris Worner was impressed by his side’s win but disappointed they couldn’t put together a complete performance.

“It was a very good win, unfortunately we couldn’t put all four quarters together yesterday. We were very good with an undermanned side again for three quarters,” he said.

Worner similarly acknowledged his side’s pressure, particularly that of his small forwards who he called “elite.” Worner also gave praise to Parkside’s intensity, saying “credit to Parkside they came out and really made us pay on turnover in the last quarter, but very pleased with our ability to hold them off.”

The shoutouts for the game were Liam Heverin and Josh Consolmango for Oakleigh, who Worner said, “controlled the game from the back half in the first three quarters.” While for Parkside, Frost praised Michael Romano, Riley Williams, Angus Drysdale and Luke Logozzo.

Oakleigh continue the fight for top four contention next week with a tough match-up against number two Prahran. While Parkside host St Mary’s Salesian, who have been competitive this year but are coming off a tough loss.

Prahran 13.14 (92) def St Mary’s Salesian 3.8 (26)

Despite a close first term, St Mary’s Salesian struggled to convert on the scoreboard throughout the game, eventually leading to a 33-point margin for Prahran at half-time, and 66 at the end of the game.

Prahran assistant coach Patrick Marks was pleased by his side’s performance, he said it “felt like we were in control of the game all day.”

Particularly exciting as they have a few players to return before the postseason. Marks especially praised “young Max Stewart, who was very impressive, as was Ollie Burke and Jayden Williams.”

Whereas St Mary’s head coach Heath Chipperfield felt it was a “really disappointing day.” While St Mary’s have been relatively successful for a team coming up from promotion, Chipperfield felt in this game that “as the game progressed, we just lacked composure with the footy. Felt we’ve made some improvement in that area in the last month but got punished yesterday. Against an experienced and well-drilled side like Prahran, we just coughed up the ball far too easily.”

While Chipperfield acknowledged his young group would learn a fair bit from the weekend, he was still impressed by his side’s defensive efforts, saying, “considering their (Prahran’s) dominance, I thought our back six held up pretty well. Our experienced defenders in Joel Mattiske and Darcy Grant were brilliant.”

In a finals-defining match-up, Prahran face Oakleigh next week. While St Mary’s will aim to continue to improve and create a winning season against an out-of-form Parkside team.

Preston Bullants 27.15 (177) def Brunswick 6.6 (42)

While it’s likely of no surprise, the Preston Bullants have officially locked themselves into finals contention with their 135-point victory over Brunswick.

With four weeks to spare, Preston remain undefeated at the top of the ladder with a four-win gap between their closest competitors. The Bullants are currently second best for points against, and clearly number one for points for, heading into finals with an incredibly strong structure.

In Round 14, Preston continued their trend of getting on top of the game early and refusing to take their foot off the gas with a 27-point lead by quarter-time.

The Bullants’ ability to all but completely stop Brunswick’s scoring ability showed once again how they can control a game. Preston had nine multiple-goal scorers for the afternoon and were once again led by captain Alex Johnston with eight goals of his own.

Next week, Preston travel to face an on-fire Kew side, who are coming off an eight-game winning streak. While Brunswick host UHS-VU, who are coming off a loss to the Monash Blues and may have just been locked into the relegation bracket.

Old Yarra Cobras 2.4 (16) def by Kew 23.19 (157)

After some positive offensive signs from Old Yarra in Round 13, this weekend’s match-up was a disappointing step back against a dominant Kew side.

Kew are on a fiery run towards finals contention, now tied with Prahran on 10 wins, after an eight-game winning streak. The Bears will have to keep the large margin wins going if they want to lock in a top two spot as Prahran’s defensive capability has boosted their percentage each week.

This week’s match-up was decided relatively early, with the scoreboard reading 12-59 at half-time; Kew were on top of the match with time to spare. In the third term, Kew’s accuracy also improved, increasing the margin even further, resulting in a near 100-point second half. William Llewelyn led the 98-point half with eight goals of his own. Old Yarra was unable to kick a goal in the second half, an unfortunate step back from last week’s work.

In a massive match-up, Kew will be hosting ladder leaders Preston next week. Both sides enter the clash on impressive winning streaks. The game will decide who has the most momentum running into finals.

The Cobras will be travelling to face off against the Monash Blues, while the Blues may have just escaped the relegation bracket themselves, the Cobras will assuredly be fighting to use this match-up to get a win on the board.

UHS-VU 7.9 (51) def by Monash Blues 16.14 (110)

In an important match-up for the trajectory of their teams, University High School – Victoria University was unable to keep the pressure going against the Monash Blues.

The Blues got their second win on the board this week, however, due to a draw and an incomplete game, they stand at 12 points on the ladder, enough to sneak into eighth place, and potentially lock UHS-VU into relegation without some tough fixtures ahead.

The game started neck and neck, a one-point lead to UHS-VU being all that separated the sides at quarter-time. However, the Blues hit the scoreboard in the second term, scoring five goals to two and breaking away.

Inaccuracy from the Blues meant the margin didn’t explode until the final term, where Monash piled on six more goals to break the lead out to 59 points.

Monash goes up against the Old Yarra Cobras next week in what is another winnable match-up. While it’s unlikely based on form, there is still a chance for Monash to improve on their 2025 season’s total of five wins if they can get the ball rolling now.

UHS-VU will be travelling to face Brunswick this coming weekend, where we’ll see if Brunswick have taken any lessons from their significant loss against the ladder leaders, Preston.