Old Xavs in form as St Kevin’s hold on – Holmesglen U19 Premier Men’s Round 17 Review

Round 17 of the Holmesglen U19 Premier competition delivered plenty of compelling football, with several sides hitting form at the right time of the season and the finals picture beginning to take shape.

Old Xavs continued their impressive run with a commanding victory over Parkdale, while Old Brighton held off a spirited Uni Blues outfit.

Caulfield also produced one of their best performances of the season, defeating St Bedes/Mentone, while St Kevin’s secured a hard-fought win over De La Salle. Old Scotch rounded out the round with a comfortable victory over Beaumaris.

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers 9.11 (65) def Caulfield Grammarians 17.8 (110)

Caulfield produced another strong performance to defeat St Bedes/Mentone by 45 points at St Bedes, continuing a promising finish to their season.

Coach Cooper Rule was particularly pleased with the opportunity to showcase a near full-strength side over the past few weeks, describing it as a “very what if type of season” but taking plenty of satisfaction from the result.

“It’s really pleasing to win especially at St Bedes which has proven as one of the tougher away games and to play the way we did was really enjoyable,” Rule said.

For St Bedes/Mentone, the result was particularly frustrating after they remained within touching distance for much of the contest. Coach Sam Hecker acknowledged Caulfield were a significantly different side to the one they faced earlier in the season.

“They moved the ball quickly and were very attacking,” Hecker said.

The hosts had opportunities to stay in the contest but missed set shots proved costly. Despite having one less scoring shot at three-quarter time and the wind behind them, Caulfield lifted another gear in the final term and ran over the top.

“We had moments of the game when we controlled it but were missing a lot of set shots for goal,” Hecker said.

Parkdale Vultures 3.9 (27) def by Old Xaverians 17.8 (110)

Old Xavs continued their march towards the business end of the season with a dominant 83-point victory over Parkdale.

Parkdale coach Nick Anderson felt his side was competitive early but was ultimately unable to stay with the Xavs after half-time.

“They were a good side. Credit to them, they improved a lot since we last played them,” Anderson said.

Anderson praised his side’s ability to compete for scoring opportunities early, while also highlighting some encouraging performances from younger players. Several Under 16 players from Mordialloc-Braeside were given an opportunity at the level, with Kobe Donovan impressing in defence and the Ellen twins producing some “moments of brilliance”.

Parkdale will now turn their attention towards the final round, with Anderson looking forward to “farewell a few of our top ages on a high note.”

University Blues 14.10 (94) def by Old Brighton 17.12 (114)

Old Brighton claimed a valuable 20-point victory over Uni Blues in a contest that was far more competitive than the final margin suggested.

Old Brighton coach Travis O’Donohue identified the opening quarter as a key factor, with his side making the most of their early momentum before Uni Blues fought their way back into the contest.

“I thought our first quarter was particularly strong and probably proved to be the difference in the end,” O’Donohue said.

Tom Kollmorgen and Will Chilcott produced their best performances of the season in attack, while schoolboys Henry Thomas and Jack Nicholls were outstanding through the midfield.

Uni Blues coach Steve Boakes was pleased with his side’s response after Old Brighton established an early advantage, with Uni Blues managing to draw level through fast ball movement and strong pressure.

“Ultimately we got beaten by a more polished unit, but it was one of our better performances in recent weeks,” Boakes said.

George Rourke was outstanding throughout the contest, while Max Wilcox continued to demonstrate his quality through the midfield despite still being eligible for Under 16 football. Captain Ted Bain was absent after making his senior debut.

St Kevin’s 12.7 (79) def De La Salle 7.10 (52)

St Kevins overcame De La Salle by 27 points in a hard-fought contest that had all the characteristics of a finals game.

“We are building nicely,” St Kevin’s coach Paul Greenham said.

Greenham acknowledged there are several teams currently ahead of his side but believes St Kevin’s are continuing to work on areas that will hold them in good stead against the competition’s leading sides.

“Yesterday was a finals like game in all aspects. Hard, tough with outstanding ball movement by both sides,” he said.

De La Salle endured a frustrating afternoon in front of goal, kicking 10 behinds before finally registering their first major.

Coach Andy Otten’s side produced some brilliant patches of football and remained in the contest right until the end but were unable to convert their opportunities.

“We had some brilliant patches of footy, we just struggled to put the score on the scoreboard, especially in the first half,” Otten said.

Otten remained proud of his players despite the result, while Greenham talked about the tight nature of the competition.

“I said earlier in the season that a few good teams could miss finals, De La are one of those sides.”

Old Scotch 20.8 (128) def Beaumaris 10.4 (64)

Old Scotch continued their strong season with a 64-point victory over Beaumaris.

Despite the margin, Beaumaris coach Nathan Prosser felt the scoreboard did not accurately reflect his side’s performance for much of the afternoon.

“I thought the scoreboard wasn’t a reflection of the game itself,” Prosser said.

Beaumaris entered the contest with a different tactical approach and executed it well.

“We were able to take away Scotch’s running game and found space with our forward entries which had us still in the game at three-quarter time,” Prosser said.

However, multiple game-ending injuries left Beaumaris with only two players on the bench, and they were unable to maintain their challenge in the final term.

“We just didn’t have the legs to finish off what was a strong performance,” Prosser said.

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With just one round remaining, the Holmesglen U19 Premier competition is entering its most important stage of the season. Finals positions, momentum and the coveted double chance will all be on the line, setting up a huge final round.