Old Scotch challenge as Old Brighton secure top spot – Holmesglen U19 Premier Men’s Round 18 Review

Old Brighton has secured the Holmesglen U19 Premier minor premiership after a thrilling final round of the home-and-away season, with the top four now locked in for the finals series.

The minor premiers held off Old Scotch, while Old Xavs defeated St Bedes/Mentone to secure second spot. St Kevin’s charged into the finals with a dominant win over Caulfield, while Uni Blues finished their campaign close victory over Beaumaris.

Old Scotch 8.8 (56) def by Old Brighton 10.4 (64)

Old Brighton and Old Scotch produced a tight contest, with Brighton prevailing through a strong second quarter to help swing momentum their way.

Tonners coach Travis O’Donohue said the team wanted to limit the Old Scotch’s, as they had produced some big scores in recent weeks.

“We made team defence a real focus all week,” O’Donohue said.

“We managed to get on top in the midfield which allowed us to break the game open in the second quarter.”

The Cardinals refused to go away, mounting a challenge in the final term, but Brighton were able to absorb the pressure and hold on for an important victory.

“Scotch are a great team and we knew they’d come back at us,” O’Donohue said.

“I was really happy with the way we absorbed the pressure in that last quarter and managed to grind out a close win.”

Despite the defeat, Old Scotch had an incredible run to make finals. Starting the season 0-4 to progress to 11-7 with a strong finish was enough to secure fourth position.

Caulfield 3.11 (29) def by St Kevin’s 17.14 (116)

St Kevin’s produced the biggest win of the round, dismantling Caulfield in a dominant performance that provided the perfect preparation for the finals.

Coach Paul Greenham said his side had been forced to overcome several challenges heading into the clash, which they were happy they navigated through well.

“It was the perfect storm heading into an Elimination Final… We were thrown up some challenges which we overcame.” Greenham said.

St Kevin’s defensive structure was particularly impressive, while their ability to find multiple avenues to goal was a major positive.

“Our effort and ground setup defensively was great however to have 14 different goal scorers on the day was the most pleasing,” Greenham said.

The result gives St Kevin’s plenty of momentum heading into the finals, where they will look to continue their push towards the premiership.

For Caulfield, the season comes to an end with a heavy defeat, but coach Cooper Rule believes there are plenty of positives to take from what was an extremely challenging campaign.

Caulfield were hit hard by player availability throughout the season, with Rule revealing that as many as 32 players were overseas at one point, while more than 60 players rotated through the Premier team.

Despite the difficult circumstances, Caulfield avoided relegation and provided nine U19 players with the opportunity to debut at senior level.

“I think the most important part is even when times got really rough the group stuck to it and we had a great time together which is what it is all about,” Rule said.

Old Xaverians 10.9 (69) def St Bedes/Mentone Tigers (58)

Old Xavs secured second spot with an 11-point victory over St Bedes/Mentone.

Xavs coach Matt Handley admitted it was not the prettiest performance from his side but was pleased with the way they handled the Tigers pressure after establishing an early lead.

“Wasn’t the prettiest of games. We got out to a good lead and they pressed us all the way,” Handley said.

The victory ensures Old Xavs head into the finals in second position, with Handley eager to see how his group performs when the stakes are raised.

“Keen to get into the finals series and see how the boys perform on the big stage,” he said.

St Bedes/Mentone coach Sam Hecker was pleased with his side’s effort given Old Xavs needed the victory to cement second spot, while his own side had little to play for in terms of the ladder.

The loss of their ruckman made life difficult around the clearances, but Hecker praised the competitiveness of his midfield group and highlighted strong performances from Danny Sloan on the wing and a four-goal effort from Hecker himself.

The season also provided valuable exposure for the younger players, with five U19 players featuring in the senior side and another five playing with the Dragons in the Talent League.

Hecker believes the development of those players is one of the major positives to come out of the season, particularly after the club was forced to deal with player availability issues earlier in the campaign.

Beaumaris 13.10 (88) def by University Blues 14.13 (97)

Uni Blues also finished the season strongly, defeating Beaumaris in a nine-point thriller.

The Blues started well and held their advantage for much of the afternoon, but the Sharks threatened to turn the game around late.

Uni Blues coach Steve Boakes praised his defensive group, led by Lachie Gilligan, while also highlighting the contributions of Jono Alcock, Tom Voight and Tom Ford.

Exciting young midfielder Max Wilcox continued his outstanding season, while he and Charlie Stephens both kicked important goals late in the final term to help Blues regain the lead and secure the win.

Despite falling short of finals, Boakes labelled the season a success given the development of the club’s young talent.

Ted Bain, Xavier Blood, Tristan Leeds, Lachlan Gilligan and Joe Morrison were among the players identified as being capable of making an impact at senior level next season, while Stephens, George Rourke, Voight and Wilcox will all be eligible for U19 football again in 2027.

De La Salle 11.16 (82) def Parkdale Vultures 7.8 (50)

De La Salle also finished the season on a positive note, defeating Parkdale by 32 points.

Coach Andy Otten was pleased with the way his players bonded together to finish the year strongly, with the club already looking ahead to next season.

While De La Salle was disappointed to miss finals, there is plenty of optimism surrounding the group, with only four players expected to depart and seven players having already tasted senior football this season.

Parkdale coach Nick Anderson felt the difference between the sides was the firepower of De La’s forward line, despite the game being relatively even around the ground.

12 players from Parkdale’s U19 program featured in senior football this season, providing further encouragement for the future.

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With the home-and-away season now complete, the focus turns to September, with Old Brighton, Old Xavs, St Kevin’s and Old Scotch earning the right to battle it out for the Holmesglen U19 Premier Men’s Premiership.

Scotch are the biggest threats to knock Brighton off in this finals series, finishing the season with 11 wins from their last 14 games, while SKOB and Old Xavs finish the season as the two strongest offences and will be looking to go big again.