Collegians complete undefeated regular season as Beaumaris sneak into finals – Premier B Men’s Round 18 Review

Beaumaris 11.17 (83) def Old Camberwell 10.10 (70)

Beaumaris secured their spot in the finals after a final-day win against Old Camberwell, winning by 13 points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.

The Sharks controlled the game for large parts, and took a 23-point lead into the three-quarter-time break, before the Wellers rallied to trim the gap to just one point heading into time-on in the final quarter.

But the Sharks steadied when it mattered most, kicking the final two goals of the game.

The result saw the two teams swap places on the ladder, with Beaumaris securing their spot in the final four at the expense of the Old Camberwell.

Despite finishing the season with an 8-2-8 record, Beaumaris will face Old Melburnians in the First Semi Final, having qualified for the finals in its first season back in Premier B.

Sharks coach Josh Bourke said that his group is very excited to have reached this stage of the campaign.

“It’s a good reward for our consistency,” Bourke said. “We’ve just stayed the course in our last two wins to get to this point.

“The players have done a tremendous job. 12 players from last year’s Grand Final (in Premier C) are no longer here, and I’m very proud of the culture our leaders have established.

“We’re just really excited to be playing in a final.”

Wellers coach Neil Connell said the final result was a difficult one to swallow for his team.

“It’s a genuinely tough one to take given what was on the line, and there’s no getting around the disappointment of that,” Connell said.

“Where the game got away from us was around stoppages. Beaumaris controlled the centre clearances and turned that dominance into 46 points directly from stoppages, compared to our 19. That gap alone was more than double the final margin.

“Falling short doesn’t take away from what this group has built. Getting to the last round with finals on the line for the first time in the club’s history at this level is a genuine achievement.”

Old Melburnians 14.20 (104) def Williamstown CYMS 7.7 (49)

Old Melburnians secured their spot in September with a powerful final quarter, accounting for Williamstown CYMS by 55 points at REVO Fitness Park.

Holding a lead of only 18 points at three-quarter time, the OMs kicked away in the final term, piling on 6.3 to 0.0 to wrap up the home-and-away campaign with a win.

The victory sees the OMs finish the home-and-away season in third place on the ladder with a 10-8 record, and will now face Beaumaris in the First Semi Final.

At the other end of the ladder, the result has officially relegated the CYs to Premier C, as they finish Season 2026 in ninth place with a 6-12 record.

Old Melburnians coach James Byrne said it was a pleasing performance given what was at stake for his team.

“We finally got to play the way we wanted to after a tough few weeks,” Byrne said.

“We had things under control for most of the day; we just weren’t kicking goals. We should’ve had it done by half time.

“CYs started their run after half time. We re-checked the group and got them back on track in the last quarter.

“Qualifying for finals is fantastic. A lot of the players haven’t experienced it at all. But we’re not satisfied with just making finals. I believe that anything is possible.”

Williamstown coach Con Terzoglou said there was a lot his team could take away from the game as they prepare for Premier C next year.

“It was an interesting game. We were outplayed across the first quarter and had to wrestle ourselves into the game,” Terzoglou said.

“They probably had too much to play for in the end. They came out and meant business in that last quarter.

“I think we did a reasonable job of treating the game with the respect it deserves. I thought most of the guys out there were having a crack. We just probably lacked a little bit of execution.”

Collegians 27.17 (179) def AJAX 1.7 (13)

Collegians have completed the perfect home-and-away season, capping off a stellar campaign with a crushing 166-point win against AJAX at Harry Trott Oval.

In their biggest win of the season, the Lions completed the perfect tune-up for September, booting 13 goals to none in the opening half before going on to round off a huge victory.

The Lions finish the year as minor premiers, winning all 18 matches by an average margin of almost 70 points a game.

The Jackers, meanwhile, finish the campaign in seventh place with an 8-10 record, taking the finals race all the way to the final day of the season in its first year back in Premier B.

Alexander Lukic led the way with seven majors for the hosts, taking his season tally to 38 from just eight appearances. Samuel Parsons also kicked four goals.

AJAX coach Lachie Buszard said that despite the disappointing end to the season, there is still much to be excited about heading into 2027.

“Our goal at the start of the season was to avoid relegation, so the fact that we managed to do so is a great thing for the footy club,” Buszard said.

“We were probably the second or third best side in the competition at one stage, but availability killed us in the end.

“We know we’re good enough if we’ve got our players here, so that consistency is going to be a big thing for us next season.”

While the Jackers’ season comes to an end, Collegians will now prepare for a second Semi Final against De La Salle this weekend, with the winner to progress directly through to the Grand Final.

De La Salle 29.7 (181) def Old Geelong 7.13 (55)

De La Salle locked away a top two finish and the double-chance in this year’s finals series after a massive 126-point win against Old Geelong at Waverley Oval.

De La set the game up with a 14-goal-to-two opening half, before building on their advantage further after the main break.

The win secured second place on the ladder for De La, who will now face Collegians in the second Semi Final, with the winner to progress directly through to the Grand Final.

Luke Healy led the way with eight goals for the hosts, and while Tom Gorrell managed just one major for the OGs, it was enough to see him end the season as the league’s leading scorer, finishing with 61 goals from 17 appearances.

De La coach Nick Hyland said he felt his team is currently producing some of its best football of the entire season.

“These are always interesting games at this time of year, but I thought we controlled the game well in the first half,” Hyland said.

“I thought our second quarter in particular was some of the best footy we’ve played all year, with the way we moved the ball and converted. We put the opposition under real scoreboard pressure.

“We were really pleased with the way we handled the week and the day, and not looking beyond the game against Old Geelong.”

Old Carey 21.14 (140) def Old Ivanhoe 6.11 (47)

Old Carey finished their season on a high note, accounting for Old Ivanhoe by 93 points at Carey Sports Complex in Bulleen.

The win was set up in the first half, with the Panthers kicking 11 goals and restricting the Hoers to just six behinds.

The Panthers had 11 individual goalkickers on the day, with Trent Warren and Charlei Grummitt each booting four majors.

Old Carey finish the season in sixth place with an 8-10 record, and just one of four teams to finish with a percentage above 100.

The already-relegated Old Ivanhoe managed three wins and two draws to its name in 2026, and after finishing as Minor Premiers in Premier B last year, will go down to Premier C in 2027.

Outgoing Panthers coach Luke Giles said that despite the overall campaign, there is much for the club to be optimistic about heading into 2027.

“I feel like this group is about to pop and achieve some success,” Giles said.

“Of the players that took to the field for us every week, it’s probably a breakeven performance this season, but the key for next year will be for the whole group to stay together.

“I’m really proud of the way the senior boys held the group together this year. I think next year whoever takes over the senior coaching role will have a lot to work with.”