Old Ivanhoe & Beaumaris split the points – Premier B Men’s Round 14 Review

Old Ivanhoe 13.14 (92) Beaumaris 14.8 (92)

Premier B Men’s witnessed its third draw of the season at the weekend, as Old Ivanhoe and Beaumaris shared the points at Chelmsworth Park.

After the Hoers shot out to a 27-point lead early in the second quarter, the Sharks slowly chipped away at the deficit, kicking 10 of the next 15 goals to lead by 10 points early in the final term.

But the Hoers responded again, chasing their way back into the contest to tie the match at 92 apiece.

Old Ivanhoe overtook Williamston CYMS to move within one game of safety, while Beaumaris remain in sixth place, sitting two wins outside the top four.

Sharks coach Josh Bourke said that he takes a glass half-full approach to the final scoreline.

“At this time of the season it feels like two (points) gained,” Bourke said. “We’ve got a really strong percentage, so all of a sudden, it matters again. We think it helps us.

“It was an entertaining game. They had control early, then we wrestled it back. We just got muddled up in defence and were out of position, and they took advantage of that.

“We made a couple of adjustments in the second quarter, and that helped us.”

Hoers coach Xavier Naish said there were reasons to be both optimistic and frustrated by the final result.

“It was an up-and-down game across the four quarters,” Naish said. “But early on it felt like we had a lot of control.

“In the first term, we put a lot of score on the board, but the second quarter saw Beaumaris work their way back into the game off their ball movement.

“It was a roller coaster in the second half, and in the end, we were lucky to escape with a draw having led for the majority of the game.

“In saying that, we still had a lot of scoring shots. We were a bit disappointed with those, particularly in the first half. We would’ve liked to have a few of them back.”

AJAX 10.11 (71) def by Old Geelong 13.3 (81)

An accurate Old Geelong outfit kept their finals aspirations alive with a hard-fought 10-point win against AJAX.

In a tense affair where the margin never exceeded 14 points all afternoon, the OGs kicked the only three goals of the final term to take out the win.

The goals were shared around, with Tom Gorell and James Green kicking three goals each for the visitors, while Toby Lipton and Nick Pike both finished with three goals for the Jackers.

The OGs remain in seventh place, sitting two wins outside the top four, while defeat for AJAX has seen them slip outside the top four for the first time this season.

OGs coach Nick Dixon was pleased to come away with the win after a challenging month.

“It was a great final term given we’ve had some heartbreaking finishes the last few weeks,” Dixon said. “It was our best quarter for the game.

“For us to keep going was good to watch. We defended really well.

“The goalkicking was good, but it was also about how we entered the forward line.”

Jackers coach Lachie Buszard was left frustrated by another missed opportunity to consolidate their spot inside the top four.

“(We were) not good enough for this level but 13.3 in windy conditions is crazy,” Buszard said. “We certainly had our chances but bad kicking is bad footy.

“We are a shell of the team we were before our season got hijacked by European holidays. We get more back this week, but it means we are starting the season again.”

Old Melburnians 16.15 (111) def Old Carey 11.10 (73)

Old Melburnians made a statement in their pursuit of a top-four finish, defeating De La Salle by 38 points at Elsternwick Park.

The OMs burst out of the blocks, taking a 23-point lead at quarter time, and were rarely troubled on their way to a comprehensive victory.

Hugo Dale led the way for the OMs with four goals, while Andrew Chrinside and Jack Spargo each booted three.

The result lifts Old Melburnians up to third on the ladder, sitting level on points with De La Salle. The two teams are separated by just 2.71%.

James Byrne said that the win can give his side a great deal of momentum as the finals approach.

“No doubt it was our best performance for the year,” Byrne said. “It’s something that we can leverage belief from.

“I felt the guys were just working well together across the ground. Winning contested ball and rewarding each other.

“We are starting to build a bit more momentum, which is what we saw just before everyone went overseas.”

De La coach Nick Hyland said his side were well beaten right from the opening bounce.

“We were outplayed in every facet of the game,” Hyland said.

“Right from the get-go, OMs controlled the game, smashed us around stoppage and territory in the front half. They had the wind advantage to start with, but I still thought they outplayed us.

“Credit to James and his team.”

Collegians 20.12 (132) def Old Carey 11.10 (76)

Collegians made it 14 wins in a row after they accounted for Old Carey by 57 points at Harry Trott Oval.

The Lions made a fast start at home, opening a 74-point lead at half-time, and maintained their advantage all afternoon.

Alexander Lukic booted four goals on return for the hosts, while Riley Thompson kicked four for Old Carey.

Collegians remain on top, while Old Carey sit in eighth spot, just one win above the relegation zone.

It was a particularly special day for the Lions, who also celebrated the 20th anniversary of their 2006 B-Grade Premiership.

Collegians coach Jordie McKenzie said he was particularly pleased with the first half.

“We jumped out of the gates on the weekend, with one of our better halves of the season,” McKenzie said.

“Highlights included our contested footy, slick hands and conversion. We also defended the ground strongly, and played the majority of the half in their attacking half.

“Credit to Carey, they bounced back to clearly be the better side in the second half.”

Collegians will look to maintain their perfect record in 2026 when they travel to face fellow top-four contenders in Old Camberwell, while the Panthers return home to face Old Melburnians.

Williamstown CYMS 9.10 (64) def by Old Camberwell 12.9 (81)

Old Camberwell produced a sterling comeback to defeat Williamstown CYMS by 17 points at Fearon Reserve.

Trailing by 14 points at three-quarter time, the Wellers piled on six goals in the final term to come away with an iconic win.

Liam Thomas continued his fine run of form with another four-goal haul, while Maahi Patel kicked three for the CYs.

The win lifts Old Camberwell into the top four, while the CYs move back into 10th place, but remain one game away from jumping out of the relegation zone.

Wellers coach Neil Connell said he was impressed with how his team fought out the match.

“We were behind all day, but stuck to it and just ground away and didn’t let the game get too far away from us in the first three quarters,” Connell said.

“In the last quarter we won the first couple of clearances, and then we just went forward and hit the scoreboard and gave them a bit of belief that we could run them down.

“It wasn’t pretty. It was just a game that we had to grind out.”

CYs coach Con Terzoglou said the team didn’t build a big enough lead with the aid of a breeze in the third term.

“It was hard going into the wind, most entries were pretty shallow at that end of the ground,” Terzoglou said.

“I didn’t think 14 points was defendable, and then it relies on us hitting the scoreboard in the final term.

I felt if we were able to get on the scoreboard early in the last, it could help build momentum and make it tougher for them.

“But credit to them. In the third term they were better at getting numbers behind the ball, and then they were good when they had the wind.”