Hampton win with final term goal fest as Glen Eira survive – Premier C Men’s Round 15 Review

Fitzroy 19.11 (125) def PEGS 4.7 (31)

Consolidating their premiership credentials, Fitzroy have dismantled an undermanned PEGS outfit at W. T. Peterson Oval by 94 points.

The Roy’s midfield were simply dominant from the opening ball-up, giving their forwards an abundant supply from centre clearance. In doing so, the home side booted the first three goals of the game in quick time, to indicate their early intentions of a big win on Saturday afternoon.

Converting forward-half possession became a struggle for PEGS in the second quarter, which coach Rob Kerr highlighted as decisive in letting the game slip away.

 “We missed opportunities inside forward fifty that should have been goals… it meant the gap was getting bigger rather than us being rewarded for our efforts,” Kerr said.

Fitzroy widened their advantage with a five-goal quarter to PEGS’ one, creating a match-winning lead at half-time of 46 points.

Connor McAuliffe was a particular beneficiary of the midfield dominance, kicking his second consecutive bag of five goals to take his season tally to 29 from 12 games.

Despite placing a greater emphasis on defence in the second half by restricting Fitzroy’s kick-mark game, PEGS’ pressure was lacklustre according to Kerr.

“We couldn’t keep the pressure up and their tall forwards got right on top as the delivery improved,” Kerr added.

Alongside McAuliffe, Marcel Laidlaw kicked three goals, while Mungo Couper-Johnston and Anthony Johnson slotted two each and proved a handful for PEGS’ back six.

As they have done so frequently this season, Fitzroy put the hammer down in the last term to kick seven majors, also holding PEGS to three behinds.

“The last 15 minutes were our worst as we couldn’t hold our game together given the growing number of unpressured forward fifty entries,” Kerr said.

Oscar Bales, Mitchell Baker-West, Blake Roach, Jackson Young, and Zach Genovesi were highlighted for their efforts in the best players column for the away side.

Fitzroy’s victory takes their tally to 14 wins, while PEGS’ loss hurts their finals aspirations heading into the final weeks of the season.

Glen Eira/Old McKinnon 10.9 (69) defeated Old Peninsula 9.14 (68)

The match of the round took place at Packer Park, with Glen Eira/Old McKinnon holding on for a one-point win over Old Peninsula. 

The Gryphons led at every change but were challenged significantly in the last quarter when the Pirates threatened in a barnstorming term. Having been behind all day, the Pirates mounted a late last quarter comeback kicking five goals to the Gryphons’ one, to fall short in a remarkable finish.  

Challenged by injuries and availability all year, Old Peninsula played with a newfound belief and never-say-die attitude in the last quarter, but some missed opportunities in the final term could have easily swung the match in their favour sooner.  

Bailey Payze finished with three goals, Craig Sanders kicked two, while George Fletcher, Hamish McLeod, and Jake Williams were all crucial to the last quarter comeback but failed to will their team over the line.

Accuracy eluded the Pirates all afternoon, as they booted 14 behinds to Glen Eira’s nine, an area of the game that will raise a few eyebrows in the Old Peninsula camp during the week.

Meanwhile, the Gryphons would be breathing a sigh of relief, banking the four points after leading by a game-high margin of 26 points at three-quarter-time.

Jesse Maxfield, Anderson Bird, Nathan Pruscino, Thomas Williamson, and Lachie Doyle were important contributors in the win, especially in the first three quarters.

The Gryphons’ victory places them behind PEGS due to percentage, while Old Peninsula remains in ninth position after the nail-biting loss.

Marcellin OC 9.5 (59) def by Hampton Rovers 15.11 (101)

In a see-sawing contest at Marcellin College, the Rovers put on a clinical nine-goal final quarter to decide the game by 42 points.

It was an impressive three quarters for Marcellin, who overturned a 16-point deficit at half-time to lead by a solitary point at three-quarter-time. Liam Atherton, Adam Tomaro, Henco Cronje, and Josh Kol led the third quarter response through clever conversions.

Hampton’s five team changes threatened to derail cohesion, yet they strung their best football together in the final term goal-scoring spree.

“We looked a little disconnected at times,” Paul Carrigan said regarding his team selection.

But as finals football awaits Hampton, they found a way to win differently through some positional changes.

“Christian Carnovale had played forward and was thrown into the middle… we gained traction from this and went on to win well,” Carrigan said.

Charles Kilburn was fantastic up-forward for the visitors, booting a season-high five-goal haul.

Harry Block and Mason Carrigan were the other multiple goalkickers for the Rovers, while Luke Boccari, Lui Coughlin, Jake Grima, Dan Hall, Josh Hudghton, and Jake Taranto did their part on the scoreboard to kick decisive majors en route to the seven-goal win.

Marcellin could not stop Hampton’s repeat entries inside the forward fifty, which inhibited their ability to chain the ball up the ground for any scoring opportunities in the last quarter.

However, from the home side’s perspective, James May, Josh Atwell, Josh Kol, Harvey De Bono, and Pat Curtin performed admirably in the 42-point loss.

With three wins to their name in 2026, Marcellin remains in the bottom four logjam, while Hampton’s 12^th win puts them firmly in the top-two race with Fitzroy and Parkdale.

Ormond 7.13 (55) def by Mazenod 12.12 (84)

Ormond threatened a boilover, but Mazenod were too classy in the end, extending a four-point advantage at three-quarter-time to 29 points at the final siren.

Last-placed Ormond led at quarter-time through goals from Blake Short and Jackson Hille that gave them a six-point lead at the first break.

The Nodders’ slow starting first term was quickly dispelled in the second with consecutive goals from Matt Fewings, Thomas Fewings, and Hayden Boyce.  

The Monders’ high-pressure game kept them well and truly in the contest at half-time, trailing by 7 points. 

“Our pressure was amazing”, Ormond coach Kyle Pinto said.

Pinto was particularly pleased with his side’s ability to maintain possession and turn it into scores.

“Our ability to control the game with ball in hand and switch between control and chaos was very pleasing”, Pinto added.

Yet, just as the game seemed in the balance, Mazenod’s key forward Hayden Boyce stamped his authority on the game.

Boyce kicked five of his side’s last seven majors, to finish the day with a bag of six. Another six goals for Boyce on Saturday afternoon means he leads the Premier C goalkicking award and might be hard to stop with three home-and-away games to play.

Boyce’s six goals were pivotal in ripping the match from Ormond’s hands, propelling the visitors to an impressive five-goal win.

Despite falling away in the last quarter, Ormond’s Josh Levine stood tall in defence, Aaron Taylor was serviceable in the midfield, as was Sam Bailey in the ruck.

With 11 victories now for the year, Mazenod remains hot on the heels of Hampton in third position.

Parkdale Vultures 9.13 (67) def St Bedes/Mentone Tigers 6.16 (52)

Parkdale have prevailed by 15 points in a low-scoring affair against St Bedes/Mentone at Gerry Green Reserve. Both teams kicked inaccurately all afternoon, with St Bedes kicking themselves out of the contest with 16 behinds to Parkdale’s 13.

There was no shortage of entries inside 50 for the Tigers in the second term, with coach Joel McKee lamenting many missed opportunities in the quarter.

“We really let ourselves down in the second quarter…we had the breeze and plenty of footy, but we just didn’t get our forward entries right,” McKee said.

From being behind by five points at the main change, the Vultures roared to life in the third, kicking six majors in the term to lead by 36 points.

“They got a run on in the third and we couldn’t rein them in… It was a really disappointing day, and it felt like an opportunity lost,” McKee said.

Just as the game looked buried at three-quarter-time, the Tigers had their most productive period on the scoreboard with 4.4. Louis Hanson kicked two majors for the visitors, while the individual goalkickers were Liam Bowles, vice-captain Lachie Palfrey, Mitchell Rowe, and William Skinner.

On a bizarre day that had many lead changes, Parkdale did just enough to come home with the four points, with Kai Day, Eden Honan and Max Phillips all kicking two goals each for the home side.

The 15-point win leaves Parkdale one win behind Fitzroy in first, while St Bedes remain in the hunt for the top four despite the loss.