Blues into William Buck Premier Men’s Grand Final, while SKOB shatters the Tonners’ back-to-back dream in a Semi-Final classic

A commanding performance has seen University Blues progress straight through to their first Premier Men’s Grand Final since 2019, while Old Brighton’s premiership defence is over after an incredible First Semi-Final nail-biter at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.

Here’s the Premier Men’s Semi-Final weekend in review:

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1^st SEMI FINAL – ST KEVIN’S 12.12 (84) d. OLD BRIGHTON 12.11 (83) by 1 point

For the second time in three seasons, these two great rivals played a classic Semi Final that went all the way to the final siren.

In 2024, it was Sam Flockart grabbing the ball out of the ruck and snapping the last-gasp goal that sent the Tonners into the Grand Final.

In 2026, it was another Sam – Sam Tucker – who showed similar quick thinking under pressure to come up with the winning score for SKOB.

St Kevin’s and Old Brighton were separated by less than 5% across the course of the entire home-and-away season, so it came as no surprise that this clash panned out to be a thriller.

The first quarter turned out to be the Doug Kerr Show, with the SKOB rookie on fire, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck early, booting 4 goals in the opening stanza (including 2 goals in 90 seconds late in the term) to give his team a 14-point lead at the opening break.

His finishing capped off good work up the ground, as St Kevin’s held a slight edge around the contest and effectively used their hands to get the ball out into space. The Tonners spent much of the quarter chasing tail as a result, laying 30 tackles for the term, but 16 Inside 50s to 6 highlighted SKOB’s territorial dominance.

QTR TIME:          St Kevin’s 4.3 (27)        Old Brighton 2.1 (13)                   

Could the Tonners respond in the second term?

Midfield dynamo Tom Burnell (who had been quiet in the first term, with just 2 disposals) opened the second quarter scoring 3 minutes in, when he converted a holding-the-ball free kick from 40 metres out. It would kick-start his afternoon, and he would go on to have 8 touches in the second term.

Billy Bryan responded for SKOB shortly after, and midway through the term it was St Kevin’s by 16 points.

The reigning champs needed a spark, and it came from their midfield-forward connection rewarding their work up the ground. Ryan Agg hit up spearhead Archi Manton on the lead, then Jordy Segar did likewise to find Felix Flockart, who was causing problems for SKOB with 15 touches and 2 goals in the first half.

Old Brighton surged forward off a free kick from the resultant centre clearance, and a brief scramble saw Flockart turn provider, feeding a sharp handball through traffic to skipper Harry Hill at the top of the goalsquare. His clever checkside snap gave the Tonners 3 goals in 3 minutes, and the lead for the first time.

But they weren’t done yet.

Josh Carr and Harry Hill combined for a perfect centre clearance, with Hill nailing Flockart on the lead for their fourth goal in four-and-a-half minutes.

That became 5 in seven-and-a-half minutes when Ben Pryor launched a bomb from inside the centre square after a quick mark out of a stoppage – St Kevin’s struggling to get their hands on the Sherrin as the 2025 premiers set Beach Oval alight.

A sixth goal came four minutes later when Archi Manton got on the end of a Josh Carr floater. He slotted a superb set shot from deep in the right forward pocket to make it a 20-point lead.

He followed that with a piece of individual genius to soccer a loose ball from adjacent to the right behind post up into the arms of Jamie Hope, who streamed into the open goal as the Tonners ran riot.

Seven straight goals in just 13-and-a-half minutes of scintillating football had seen Old Brighton come from 16 points down to 26 points up, and St Kevin’s season was starting to look a little shaky, as they headed to the half-time break down 29 points and desperate to regroup.

8.3 to 1.2 summed up the Tonners’ second quarter dominance. SKOB had been held to just 58 Disposals for the quarter at just 25% Kick Efficiency as Brighton’s relentless pressure forced them into error, laying 25 tackles to 11 despite having 27 more disposals themselves.

It was an eye-catching display of high-intensity, high-efficiency football, generating 16 Inside 50s for 8 goals as the St Kevin’s defence was left flailing under wave after wave of red and blue runners streaming forward.

HALF TIME:       St Kevin’s 5.5 (35)        Old Brighton 10.4 (64)

Now the pressing question surrounded SKOB’s capacity to dust themselves off and get back into the contest before their season slipped away.

Just like the second quarter, the two teams exchanged an early goal before a brief arm wrestle gave way to a scoring blitz.

But this time, it was St Kevin’s roaring back into the contest with a dazzling burst that saw them slam on 4 goals in 10 minutes.

It began with a clever bending finish from Jack Darmody from 40 metres out that ignited the SKOB faithful.

Two minutes later, Will Pfeiffer somehow weaved his way out of congestion and snapped a goal, as the momentum began to shift.

The ball returned to the middle, and Pfeiffer burst out of the centre and launched it forward. Campbell Tweedie was pinged for throwing it out of a tackle, and Jack Mahony’s conversion closed the margin further.

Their fourth consecutive major came 6 minutes later, when Doug Kerr’s mark and fifth goal brought them back within 7 points, and when fellow marking forward Jack Behnk pulled down a screamer and duly converted from the top of the goalsquare, SKOB had added 5 unanswered goals to slash the margin from 31 to 2 points!

Suddenly, Old Brighton were receiving the standing eight count. They desperately needed a steadier, and when big Josh Carr came steaming out of the goalsquare to mark and kick his first Premier Men’s goal from 30 metres out, the Tonners headed into the final change with a 10-point lead.

THREE-QTR TIME:        St Kevin’s 11.5 (71)     Old Brighton 12.9 (81)

A stunning 6-goal-to-2 third term had dragged St Kevin’s back into the game. With all the scoring being done at the northern end, would the Tonners steady and power away in the last?

A relatively free-scoring opening three quarters gave way to a tight and tense final term as two high-quality teams locked in and jacked up the pressure, making meaningful possession chains virtually impossible, with Disposal Efficiency hovering in the ‘50s for both teams.

The only goal of the final quarter came 14 minutes in after both sides had added a couple of behinds each.

A SKOB kick-in found its way to the wing, and a Jack Benhk tackle on Louis Butler won him the free kick. His quick 45-degree kick into the corridor released Liam Gunson to deliver a pressured kick Inside 50. It pitched short of the leading forward, and Billy Bryan’s gather and quick forward handball to Ollie Gill sent him into an open goal, and he made no mistake from 20 metres out to reduce the St Kevin’s deficit to 4 points with 15 minutes still to play.

The pressure continued to build, and it was St Kevin’s doing all the attacking but unable to find the go-ahead goal.

The Old Brighton defence was hanging on grimly under a weight of SKOB territory (20 Inside 50s to 6 in Q4), as the Skobbers peppered for 4 behinds in 13 minutes to level the scores at the 27-minute mark.

The decisive play came 28 minutes in, and it came from a throw-in deep in SKOB’s right forward pocket after Jack Behnk’s snap bounced across the face and skipped away from Archie Dollman to trickle out of bounds.

It was shades of that 2024 Second Semi, when a boundary throw-in play won Old Brighton the game.

But this time, it was SKOB ruck Billy Coates who ran in and bashed it into the goalsquare, where Sam Tucker charged out to meet the ball.

But rather than take possession and be immediately tackled by his opponent, he slapped it on, sending it through for a rushed behind that put St Kevin’s back in front for the first time since the 15-minute mark of the second term.

The resultant kick-in was launched into the middle, but SKOB were able to hold it in their front half, with the siren sounding 30 seconds later to end a truly incredible VAFA final.

St Kevin’s progress to their third Preliminary Final in four seasons (they are 1-1 in the previous two), while Old Brighton’s defence of its first William Buck Premier Men’s premiership comes to an end in heartbreaking fashion after a classic ‘momentum swing’ final at Beach Oval.

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St Kevin’s               12.12 (84)

Old Brighton          12.11 (83)

GOALS:               

STK:       Kerr 5; Mahony, Tucker, Pfeiffer, Bryan, Gill, Behnk & Darmody 1.

OB:         Manton 3; F.Flockart 2; Burnell, Hill, Pryor, Carr, Travers, Hope & S.Flockart 1.

BEST:                    

STK:       Will Pfeiffer, Billy Coates, Doug Kerr, Cam Hodges, Liam Gunson, Tom Jok

OB:         Felix Flockart, Harry Hill, Louis Butler, Sam Linder, Archi Manton, Tom Burnell

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Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “We had a clear plan for Brighton, and for three quarters I thought our boys were simply fantastic at delivering on that.

The second quarter we saw Brighton in full flight, and that was clearly disappointing not to be able to slow their momentum. There were some really honest conversations at half time given the game was slipping away from us.

“The players’ commitment and effort in the second half was incredible, and should give them great confidence in what they are capable of in big games individually and collectively.

“We cannot wait for the opportunity to show our best against Xavs in a Prelim.”

Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “A tough way to finish the year, but all credit to ‘Plugga’ and St Kevin’s on their win. It was a strong, physical contest with momentum changes across the whole game, and St Kevin’s managed the late stages a little more effectively in the end. 

“They started strongly and brought great pressure to our disposal, managing to force errors and score off our turnovers. Their stoppage work got the better of us throughout the first quarter.

“Thankfully, the script was flipped through the second quarter, where we were able to string multiple stoppage wins to score and play more front half football. Archi Manton and Felix Flockart were strong targets on each forward foray, and we rode a wave of momentum through to the half.

“The third quarter had similarities to the first – stoppage loss and territory gained for St Kevin’s, and they chewed into our halftime lead.

“I felt like if we were able to manage the game with a little more ball control in the final quarter, that we would slow some of their momentum. Unfortunately, some decision-making put us under pressure and allowed SKOB to create multiple forward entries, making it difficult to create offence from deep inside our defensive 50.

“We had a brief moment to try and generate a couple of forward thrusts from kick-out, but again couldn’t get purchase on second opportunity at ground level, and the finish was played within St Kevin’s front half.

“Our boys fought until the siren, and I couldn’t be more proud of their output and effort across this season. A good opportunity to reset and prepare for season 2027.” 

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2^nd SEMI FINAL – UNIVERSITY BLUES 15.12 (102) d. OLD XAVERIANS 7.9 (51) by 51 points

The top two teams collided at Revo Fitness Park (Elsternwick Park) to decide which would progress straight through to Grand Final Day.

With the Blues and Xavs separated by just 5.7% across the home-and-away season, a tight and physical contest was expected. So, it proved early, with both teams generating 6 scores in an even opening term.

The Blues held a slight advantage in contested ball, and their intercept game was on song, taking 7 Intercept Marks to 2 in the first stanza. But both teams were guilty of repeatedly turning the football over, as the pressure and early nerves took their toll, with Kick Efficiency in the low ‘50s on both sides.

The minor premiers were well set up the ball as always, creating repeat entries Inside 50, and a behind to veteran Brad Ebert turned into a ‘7-point play’ when the resultant kick-in was knocked into his path and he calmly slotted the goal from 40 metres out.

Xavs responded within 2 minutes when Alwyn Davey burst onto a ball deep in the left forward pocket. His kick drifted across the face and was marked in the right forward pocket by Ollie Sestan, who stepped around and nailed the set shot to put Xavs on the board 8 minutes in.

Xavs were holding their space behind the ball well, allowing the Blues’ smalls to push up the ground to get involved and enabling their intercept defenders to clear the ball at ground level.

Dan Donati’s team now took their turn to post repeat scores, but could only manage 4 consecutive behinds before Archie Lord swooped on a loose ball 15 metres from goal to snap a Blues major against the flow.

QTR TIME:          University Blues 2.4 (16)          Old Xaverians 1.5 (11)

The early stages of the second term proved to be pivotal, as the premiership favourites made their move. Tidied than Xavs, the Blues began dominating disputed ball and feeding it to their outer layer (Contested Possessions Q2 45-29 & Loose Gets 20-11).

The result was territorial dominance, as the Blues racked up 15 Inside 50s to 6 for the term. But, more importantly, they put those entries to good use, with 3 goals in 7 minutes to Tom Hill, Ben Townson, and James Curran cracking open a handy 24-point lead 10 minutes into the second quarter.

Xavs needed to dig in and halt the momentum, which they did with an Ed Delany goal. That, combined with 14 goalless minutes for the Blues, allowed Xavs to steady the ship, however it’s near impossible to keep the league’s leading goalkicker, James Stewart, off the scoresheet for long, and when he bobbed up to add back-to-back goals at the 23 and 28-minute marks, the Blues headed to the major break with a handy 29-point advantage.

HALF TIME:       University Blues 7.6 (48)          Old Xaverians 2.7 (19)

Stewart then added to the pain by booting his third goal 2 minutes into the second half, which dried up scoring at both ends.

Xavs had managed to get on top of 50/50 balls in general play but had no time or space to use it effectively, and while they were sharing it around by hand, the pressure was telling. The Blues did a great job closing the exits, particularly out of Xavs’ Defensive 50, and it prevented them from getting their deadly running game going.

Just one behind was added (to Stewart) in the next 14 minutes, so when Sam Grimley marked on the back corner of the centre square and unleashed a monstrous 65-70 metre kick that sailed over the Xavs defence and bounced all the way to the top of the goalsquare for an unattended Ted Bain to collect and goal, it felt like a major body blow.

For all that digging in, the Blues had still managed to extend their lead to a game-high 42 points.

However, Xavs absorbed that blow and responded with two goals in three minutes. Charlie Knott slipped his tackler and slotted a lovely banana on the run from the right forward pocket, then fed Charlie Macisaac (who had been well held) for a set shot goal from 20 metres out.

It was back to a 29-point margin heading for three-quarter time, and Xavs’ hopes were still alive.

But James Stewart bobbed up to shut them down once again. His mark and goal at the 28-minute mark pushed it back out to 35 points, and when James Curran tacked on another 2 minutes later, it was Uni Blues back in complete command, holding a 41-point lead as they bounced into their final huddle.

A 4-goal-to-2 third term had seen them successfully ward off any potential Xavs rally and extend their lead by a couple of goals.

THREE-QTR TIME:        University Blues 11.7 (73)       Old Xaverians 4.8 (32)

Any hopes of a dramatic final-quarter comeback were all but snuffed out early, when VAFA Rising Star nominee Charlie Cotter booted his first of the afternoon to make it a 47-point margin.

The Blues would comfortably control general play in the final term, continuing to build a defensive wall that Xavs struggled to get around or over, and despite the Red & Black booting back-to-back goals to close within 36 points at the 11-minute mark, they never really threatened a late charge.

Sam Grimley punched the Blues’ Grand Final ticket when he took over, booting 3 goals in 8 minutes, all from marks, providing a timely reminder to whoever qualifies to face them on Grand Final Day that they will have a lot more than just James Stewart to worry about inside the Blues’ Forward 50.

In the end, it was an emphatic statement from University Blues, who muscled their way into the 2026 William Buck Premier Men’s Grand Final with a 51-point win, also holding Old Xavs to their lowest score since Round 2 of 2025.

It was the Blues’ largest victory over Xavs since Round 13, 2019, and it’s the first time since that 63-point demolition that they’ve posted back-to-back wins over the Red & Black, who had defeated them on 8 straight occasions before the Blues snapped that streak in Round 12 this year.

Stewart finished with 4 goals and Grimley 3, while veterans Marty Gleeson, Taylor Duryea and Brad Ebert do what elite, experienced players do in big finals – they maintain composure and structure, make the right decisions at the key times, and execute accordingly.

Old Xaverians now face the challenge of dusting themselves off and preparing to face St Kevin’s in the Preliminary Final this Saturday.

Last year, Xavs faced the same scenario – a convincing Second Semi loss, followed by a dangerous Prelim. They would fall to the Cardinals on the last kick of the day to exit in straight sets.

For a club as historically successful as the mighty Xavs have been throughout their storied VAFA history, the fact is that they have lost six consecutive finals since their last premiership in 2016.

And while the current class obviously can’t be held responsible for past failures, the Red & Black Mafia would love nothing more than to see the monkey (which has steadily grown into a gorilla over the past decade) off their back with a Preliminary Final win that would earn them another shot at the Blues on Grand Final Day.

The thought of another straight-sets exit would be too much for the old diehards to bear.

It promises to be a fascinating Preliminary Final!

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University Blues       15.12 (102)

Old Xaverians           7.9 (51)

GOALS:               

UB:         Stewart 4; Grimley 3; Curran 2; Ebert, Lord, Hill, Cotter, Townson & Bain 1.

OX:         C.Macisaac 2; Knott, Delany, Westcott, Phipps-Parsons & Sestan 1.

BEST:                    

UB:         Marty Gleeson, Taylor Duryea, Brad Ebert, Joe Furphy, Jeremy Goddard, Tom Hill

OX:         Hayden Woodhouse, Alex Trigar, Thomas Dunne, Ollie Sestan, Sam Hansen, Ed Delany

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Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “It was one of the most complete performances we’ve had across the board this year. The discipline each player showed in their role, and their ability to execute those roles across every position, paved the way for us to dictate the majority of the play.

“Xavs had periods where they were able to take control, and you expect that from quality opposition. What was really pleasing was our ability to identify those moments, limit the scoreboard damage, and then get the game back on our terms.

“We had five players who are still eligible for our Under 19’s playing their first senior final, and every one of them stood up and looked right at home at the level. Full credit to them for handling the occasion and not being fazed.

“For the playing group to get that first finals win gives us great belief that what we’ve built throughout the season stands up in finals footy. It should give us confidence that, while there are still areas to improve from the win, our football can stand up in the pressure cooker of a Grand Final.

“The focus now shifts to recovery. We can freshen up over the next couple of days, then reset and get back to work towards the back end of the week.

“We still have a job to do, and regardless of how good the weekend’s win was, it doesn’t mean anything going into the Grand Final.”

Dan Donati (Old Xaverians): “A disappointing result in the end.

“I thought we started the game well but failed to hit the scoreboard and apply enough pressure on a really good Blues team.

“It was a hotly contested game, but in reality, we were beaten by a superior team across the ground on the day.

“We’ll review this thoroughly, and I have faith that the group will respond accordingly.”

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WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S PRELIMINARY FINAL –

Saturday September 19 – 2.40pm (Revo Fitness Park/Elsternwick Park)

Old Xaverians vs St Kevin’s

LIVE coverage from 2.15pm Saturday on Kommunity TV (video stream), with our award-winning SEN Match of the Day radio coverage on VAFA.com.au & the SEN app!

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV