VAFA William Buck Premier Men's Round 12 Preview

Jason Bennett • July 17th, 2026 2:00 pm

With the second bye weekend in the books, the race for September is officially on, and William Buck Premier Men’s roars back to life with 5 extremely important games, including a Top 2 blockbuster and a clash between the Grand Finalists from the past two seasons.

Every match will directly impact the finals and/or relegation race in what could ultimately prove to be one of the most significant weekends of the entire season.

Here’s a closer look:

OLD XAVERIANS vs UNIVERSITY BLUES (Saturday 2pm – Toorak Park: VAFA TV)

We begin with what could be rightly billed as the Game of the Year so far – first hosting second, with the minor premiership potentially on the line.

If Xavs win, they’ll kick two games clear of second spot, with the Blues every chance of dropping to third.

But if the Blueboys get up, they will join Xavs on 10 wins and be separated solely by percentage.

So, the stakes are enormous – and so are the form lines.

Uni Blues are on a 6-game winning streak, with just two losses this season (to St Kevin’s in Round 4, then Old Xavs by 30 points in Round 5). They haven’t lost since.

But unlike Xavs, only two of their wins have been comprehensive – they had to fight long and hard for the other four. Maybe that will hold them in good stead if this turns into a tight struggle late?

Old Xaverians have won 9 straight – their best winning streak since their 11-game run to the 2013 premiership. The league-leaders haven’t even come close to a loss since Round 2, and that upset defeat at the hands of Old Trinity remains their only blemish so far this season.

As we’ve mentioned previously, the T’s dominated Clearances and Loose Gets that day, winning the inside battle and mopping up spillages to burst out into space, then surged the ball forward to take masses of territory rather than trying to be overly pretty and precise. They also punished Xavs on turnover, leading to 11 of their 13 goals.

So, if that’s the blueprint to solve the Red & Black puzzle – how do Uni Blues stack up?

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It’s clear that when you strip it all back to basics, Old Xaverians do the fundamentals better than anyone else.

They win their share of hard ball and, importantly, are the best in the comp at RETAINING IT once they win it emerging from congestion. They get it from the inside to the outside more effectively than anyone else, and when their ball-carrier is in space, they hit their targets Inside 50.

They love to control possession and average 379 disposals per week – a huge number (next best is SKOB with 347). They do it by retaining the ball through uncontested marks that shift the opposition around in general play.

No-one hits more targets exiting their own Defensive 50, then they work it up the ground and deliver it to their studs Inside 50, who convert better than any other team.

So, like Old Trinity did in Round 2, the Blues must disrupt these patterns.

They need to muddy up the stoppages and ensure that Xavs don’t get the clean takeaways that release their ball-carriers into space.

They need to pressure the D50 exit kicks and break the possession chains that end in the hands of Charlie Macisaac and co by pressuring the ball-carrier, making precise delivery more difficult and giving the Blues defenders a chance to spoil or intercept.

Further to that point, the aerial battle looms as crucial. Both teams like to control the skies and have the guns to do it at both ends of the ground.

It’s the Number #2 Attack (Xavs) versus the #2 Defence (Blues), while at the other end, it’s the #1 Defence (Xavs) versus the #4 Attack (Blues).

Both forward lines have the A-grade weaponry to win the game.

Xavs have Charlie Macisaac (42 goals), Wade Brusnahan (19), Ed Delany (17), Jack O’Sullivan (11) and Charlie Knott (10), with the brilliant Alwyn Davey a perpetual creative threat.

While the Blues have James Stewart (45 goals), Sam Grimley (28), Ben Townson (16), James Curran & Charlie Cotter (11) – and they are all capable of cracking a game open in the blink of an eye as well.

Both teams are stacked in the midfield with AFL and VFL quality talent and experience, with mouth-watering match-ups to savour between some of the very best players in the entire competition.

And both defences are rock solid in the air and on the deck.

So, which team will step up and make a huge statement?

Over the past 14 months, the Blues have gone a combined 1-8 against Old Xavs, St Kevin’s and Old Brighton – the other three teams currently in the Top 4.

Is this the day the Blues ascend to the next level and prove they truly belong amongst the top teams, or will Xavs tighten their grip on the double chance by kicking two games clear?
This is the very definition of must-see VAFA TV!

Catch it LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm Saturday!

OLD BRIGHTON vs OLD SCOTCH (Sat 2pm – Brighton Beach Oval: VAFA TV & SEN app)

Since the Cardinals upset the Tonners to claim the 2024 William Buck Premier Men’s Grand Final, it’s been 4 straight victories for Old Brighton (including last year’s premiership decider and a 3-goal victory in Round 5 this season).

The current ladder suggests the reigning champs should be favourites once again, given they sit 3 games ahead of the Cards (in 4th at 7-4, versus 6th at 4-7). However, recent form lines tell a different story.

Old Scotch are currently on the upswing, having won 3 of their past 4 – albeit against 3 of the bottom 4 teams on the ladder. Are they genuinely ‘back’ or just beating up on the stragglers?

They’ve won more quarters than any other team currently outside the Top 4, and winning form is good form.

Meanwhile, the undermanned Tonners needed a week off to reset after dropping 3 of their past 5 matches, and just scraping home over the Blacks by 3 points to claim a vital win last start.

Neither team will run out onto Brighton Beach Oval anywhere near full strength, but at this time of the year, the famous motto of colourful former Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis rings true: “Just win, baby!”

The last time they met, it was a seesawing battle, with Old Brighton 22 points up at half-time before Old Scotch booted 5 goals to 1 in the third quarter to hit the front. Ultimately, it was Old Brighton’s inside dominance that finally helped them crack the game open, scoring 5 goals in 9 minutes in the final quarter. They dominated clearance and tackled the Cards into submission to post an 18-point win. Felix Flockart was the star with 22 disposals, 11 marks and 5 goals.

Last start, the Tonners had to come from behind themselves, having fallen 27 points down to the Blacks before fighting back to kick 5 of the next 6 goals to hit the front 10 minutes in the last quarter, then grimly hang on for the final 20 minutes for a gutsy 3-point win in the Melbourne Uni mud.

It was a backs-to-the-wall win full of character that delighted coach Marcel Bruin, and he knows his charges are going to be under enormous pressure against a desperate opponent once again.

For the Cardinals, the finals essentially start right now. They enter this game three games behind the Tonners and facing 3 of the Top 4 teams in the next 3 weeks – Old Brighton, St Kevin’s and Uni Blues, with league-leaders Old Xavs looming on the horizon in a final round blockbuster.

So, if the Cards are to work themselves into a position to make another barnstorming charge into September, it’s got to start now. Take a game off each of those teams ahead of them – one of which they are ultimately going to have to dislodge – or fall out of the running and risk sliding back into the relegation race in the run home.

The return of Big V reps Angus Jones and James Tarrant has suddenly made the Cards’ forward line look much more dangerous. Old Scotch topped the ton just once in their first 9 games, but have now done it in their last 2 starts.

Their 19.5 return against the Bloods was a masterclass in finishing, and they’ll need to be similarly accurate against a miserly Tonners defence that has not conceded 100 points in their last 28 matches at Fortress Brighton. (You have to go all the way back to Round 9, 2023, when Old Xavs booted 15.15 (105)).

But speaking of the Fortress, the walls have been a little crumbly in recent times, with their remarkable 20-game winning streak snapped by losses to the Blacks, Xavs and Fields. They’ve actually lost 3 of their last 4 at home, which was unthinkable just a couple of months ago.

So, the aura of the Fortress has been somewhat broken. Can the Cards breach the walls for the first time since Round 16 of 2022?

If they can, they take a giant step closer to keeping their September dream alive. And given their recent history, who would want to face a charging Cardinals in the run home to the finals?

It promises to be an absolute beauty.

Catch the next exhilarating chapter in this great modern rivalry LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.55pm Saturday!

ST KEVIN’S vs CAULFIELD GRAMMARIANS (Saturday 2pm – TH King Oval)

Caulfield Grammarians head to TH King to face St Kevin’s with a golden opportunity to make up some ground on a team above them in their bid to force their way back into the Top 4 race.

The Fields have been a pleasant surprise, surging while others around them sagged, and return from the bye having won 4 of their last 6, including a meritorious 1-point away victory over the Tonners in Round 10 – their first win at Brighton Beach Oval in 15 years.

Now they face a similarly intimidating challenge – the strike power of SKOB, which has blown away 8 of their past 9 opponents.

SKOB have topped the ton in 5 of their last 6 starts, and just keep racking up scoring shots en masse, averaging a thumping 31 scores per game (a total of 50 more shots than any other team) to be the #1 ranked Attack in the competition.

Last start, they had 36 shots to 17 against the Snowdogs at the Snake Pit, and while their inaccurate return of 13.23 didn’t prove costly against the bottom side, it’s become a trend with SKOB ranked #9 for Goal Accuracy this season.

Coach Anthony Lynch will want to see better conversion against a notoriously resilient side that refuses to quit and has a happy knack of hanging around to keep a game alive.

Squander opportunities and leave the door open against Caulfield, and they can make you pay. But only if they take their chances themselves.

History suggests that the Fields will struggle to contain St Kevin’s all afternoon, so they’re going to need to up their own conversion if they are to keep pace. They must seize the opportunities they create at the other end, and that begins with creating kickable shots by hitting targets in good positions entering Inside 50.

The Fields are last in the comp for retaining possession on their way into the forward arc, and it’s no coincidence that they are also last for Goal Accuracy. They have kicked more behinds than goals in 6 of their 11 matches, including 8.16 to 14.14 in their 34-point loss to SKOB in Round 5. They can take confidence from generating just 4 fewer shots that day, but the fact remains that they need to kick more than they miss if they are to topple the competition’s best attack.

To the contest - no one wins more contested possession than SKOB, and no one wins fewer clearances than Caulfield. St Kevin’s ruck behemoth Billy Coates could put up video game numbers in the hit-outs column this weekend. So, the Fields must focus on turning those contests into messy scraps that prevent St Kevin’s from converting first possessions into clean takeaways.

Fortunately for the Fields, they are the #1 Tackling team in the competition, and that defensive energy will be paramount once again. Coach Paul Satterley will be urging his players to just keep cracking in and being difficult to play against. Their relentless pressure generates turnovers, and, sure enough, the Fields are also the #1 Intercept Possession team.

Can they go hard enough for long enough to pressure SKOB out of their attacking rhythm?
It’s an enormous challenge, but as we’ve already seen numerous times this year, that seems to be just the way that Caulfield likes it.

Catch the action live at Princes Park from 2pm Saturday.

OLD HAILEYBURY vs OLD TRINITY (Saturday 2pm – Princes Park; Kommunity TV)

Meanwhile, the relegation race hits another crossroads with a couple of ‘8-point games,’ including this clash between the 9th placed Bloods and 7th placed T’s at Princes Park.

Old Trinity enters one game ahead of Old Haileybury, but 9% behind, so a Bloods win here would see them leapfrog over the T’s and out of the drop zone, while Old Trinity can kick themselves two games clear of the relegation positions once again if they can secure these 4 precious premiership points.

More than that, a win would give the T’s a huge boost and inject some excitement and energy back into their season, which began with a bang when they won 4 of their first 5, but then hit the wall with 6 straight losses.

Can they rediscover the fizz that saw them put Old Xavs to the sword in Round 2?

Time in Possession hasn’t been their problem (#4 Disposals) but getting it forward to create scoring opportunities has. Despite all that ball, they are ranked last for Inside 50s, so they need to find a way to evolve their ball movement to take more territory and challenge the opposition’s defence.

They rank last for Contested Marks, so they aren’t built for kicking to contests. But it means that opposition coaches are happy to concede as much uncontested ball to the T’s up the ground as they like, as long as they hold them up and prevent them from manoeuvring it into scoring positions.

Neither of these teams has dominant marking forwards to bomb it to. The long-awaited return of Dom Payman from concussion has certainly given the T’s a prominent target, but he needs quick and direct delivery that gives him one-on-one contests.

Much like Old Trinity, the Bloods started the season brightly enough (2-2 after Round 4) before a losing streak slowed their momentum. Old Haileybury has lost 6 of its last 7 games since, with their only win being a tight 1-point thriller over Caulfield in Round 9 after Durras Seccull swung forward and put on his Superman cape with a couple of goals in the final minutes.

The Bloods have struggled on the inside this season, and since their intercept game hasn’t been dominant either (#7 intercept possessions and #9 intercept marks), they’ve found it tough to win and control enough of the ball (#9 total disposals).

But this week, they’re up against an opposition that wins even fewer contested possessions and clearances, so Old Haileybury might be able to take control on the inside and build from there. What they do with it once they win it will be just as crucial.

The Bloods are last for Disposal Efficiency, and it’s been particularly costly exiting Clearance. No-one turns the ball over more than Old Haileybury when leaving a stoppage, and it’s an area of their game that they have to improve, given one of the fundamental planks of the modern game is being able to go from inside to outside more effectively than your opposition.

The last team that Old Trinity defeated was the Bloods in Round 5. If they can repeat the dose and snap their 6-game winning streak, they will take a giant stride away from the drop zone.
But if Old Haileybury can tidy up their ball use, they can get more reward for effort. They actually generated more scoring shots in their last start against Old Scotch, but kicked 10.17 to 19.5 and lost by 7 goals.

However, if they can hit more targets around the ground and goal, they can put pressure on the T’s, who have averaged just 52 points across their 6-game losing streak.

Then defensively, Guy Martyn will be imploring his team to maintain their intensity, interrupt the T’s uncontested chains and force them ‘East-West’ movement rather than ‘North-South’ towards goal.

It promises to be a fascinating contest, with significant repercussions in the race to avoid relegation, and a huge confidence boost on offer for the winner.

Enjoy this clash LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Kommunity TV from 1.55pm Saturday as Part 1 of our VAFA KTV Double-Header, with the Holmesglen Under 19 Premier Match of the Day between Parkdale Vultures & St Kevin’s to follow from 4.45pm!

UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs ST BERNARD’S (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne Uni Oval)

The final game of the round is another relegation race special, as the 8th placed Blacks host the 10th placed St Bernard’s at Melbourne Uni.

The Blacks are one game ahead of the Snowdogs, only clear of the drop zone on percentage. So a win here will open a two-game gap over the Dogs. But a loss will see the Dogs join them on 3 wins apiece, and the Blacks will find themselves squarely in the race to avoid relegation.

Dale Bower’s men have dropped 5 of their last 6, with their only victory in that time being a 28-point win over Old Scotch in Round 9. But they have been far more competitive than that stat suggests.

Their last 3 losses have been just 17 points to Old Xavs, 14 points to the Blues, and then a 3-point heartbreaker to the Tonners last start. Three Top 4 teams, all stretched by the Blacks before they found a way to wriggle free and collect the 4 points.

But it shows that the Blacks are well capable of testing any team in the competition. Their own challenge is to deliver enough four-quarter performances to kick themselves clear of the drop zone.

They played a brilliant second quarter last start against the Tonners, booting 4 unanswered goals to open up a 27-point half-time lead, but then gave up the first 4 goals of the third term to allow Old Brighton back into the game.

They also led Old Xavs at half-time, before conceding 7 unanswered goals in the third quarter, and all the way back in Round 1, they led Old Haileybury by 26 at the last change before coughing up a 7-goal final term to get rolled late.

This series of results proves two things to be true – the Blacks are capable of troubling any team when they’re on song, but they’re also extremely vulnerable when things start to turn against them.

This will give Steve Alessio’s Snowdogs the belief that, even if they fall behind on the scoreboard, if they keep at it, the game could swing back their way.

It’s been a challenging campaign for St Bernard’s, but they’ve been here before and survived. In fact, their past two seasons have seen them fight successful rearguard actions in the run home to September, so they won’t be panicking or losing sight of the next task in front of them.

Currently 2-9, they could easily have been clear of the drop zone right now, but for a 6-point loss to Old Trinity in Round 4, and a 4-point loss to Old Scotch in Round 10.

Ranked #9 in Attack, they average 69 points per game, just 2 shy of the Blacks at 71 points.
But it’s the other end of the ground that presents the larger challenge for the Dogs. Ranked last in Defence, they concede an average of 101 points against, and that’s 19 points more than the Blacks’ defence.

St Bernard’s have conceded 85 points or more in 10 of their 11 games this season, with 6 triple-digit scores against, including 3 of the past 4.

If they can find a way to hold the Blacks to somewhere around their season average of 71, then boot somewhere around their own season average of 69, they could find themselves right in this game.

But if they end up needing to kick the ton to win it, they’re going to be up against it, given they’ve only raised the bat once in their 11 games this season. (They got close a fortnight ago when they kicked 14.12 (96) but fell 4 points short of the Cards.)

When these two teams last met at the Snake Pit in Round 5, there were just 8 points the difference at three-quarter time, before the Blacks edged away with 3.6 to 1.1 to win by 25 points.

All of this evidence suggests that the Blacks will have their moments of dominance, but also their periods of vulnerability. The question is going to be whether the Snowdogs can hang in when the Blacks are on top, then inflict enough damage themselves when the Blacks run a little flat.

The 4 points on offer here could ultimately prove decisive in the relegation race. If the Dogs lose and the Bloods beat Old Trinity, they’ll find themselves two games behind the field with 6 to play (including 3 of the Top 4 teams), and survival becomes significantly more challenging.

It’s a game with huge potential consequences, and nerves might be jangling deep into the second half at the Uni.

Find out who collects the points on Saturday from 2pm at Melbourne Uni Oval.

WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 12 SATURDAY JULY 18 – 2pm:

Old Brighton vs Old Scotch 1.45pm – VAFA TV & SEN app
Old Xaverians vs Uni Blues 1.55pm – VAFA TV
Old Haileybury vs Old Trinity 1.55pm – Kommunity TV
St Kevin’s vs Caulfield
University Blacks vs St Bernard’s

Photo credit: @AriHatzis

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