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VAFA William Buck Premier Men's Round 12 Review
Jason Bennett • July 7th, 2025 6:20 pm
Xavs snatch top spot as SKOB topples Tonners – William Buck Premier Men’s Round 12 Review
Round 12 of Premier Men’s impacted both ends of the ladder. Here’s a closer look.
Old Brighton has been toppled from top spot for the first time this season after St Kevin’s turned on a final quarter blitz at TH King Oval.
The Tonners led by 7 points at the first break before being held goalless in the second term as SKOB added 4 goals to the scoring end to lead by 14 points at the half.
Old Brighton kicked again in the third, regaining control in a see-sawing affair to boot 5 goals to 1 and head to the last huddle with an 11-point lead.
But St Kevin’s weren’t going to let this opportunity slip against a weakened rival who had made 6 changes to their line-up.
Much to the delight of their passionate home crowd, SKOB closed within a kick via a Cam Hodges goal at the 8-minute mark, then ripped the game open with 4 goals in 8 minutes to rocket past the Tonners, with their accuracy woes of recent weeks put to bed in no uncertain terms.
Zach Travers pulled one back for Old Brighton entering time-on, but two late goals from Callum Jones and Sam Cameron blew the final margin out to a game-high 27 points – SKOB’s biggest win over the Tonners since Round 17, 2022, and a critical victory that secures their place inside the Top 4 entering the double bye.
Cam Hodges was voted SKINS Player of the Day by the VAFA Media commentary team for his 20 disposals, 6 clearances and 2 goals in the final term, while Sam Tucker was prominent with 25 disposals and 10 Rebound 50s.
Felix Flockart battled hard for the Tonners to finish with 16 disposals, 11 clearances and a goal, while Louis Butler had 28 and 9 Rebound 50s, with Harry Hill working overtime for his 23 touches and 11 clearances.
SKOB have now navigated the trickiest part of their draw, and will face just one more Top 5 team (the Bloods in Round 16), while the Tonners have two Top 5 opponents (Old Scotch next and Old Xavs in a Round 15 blockbuster) before finishing with Collegians and Uni Blues.
Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “Overall, we are just thrilled to get a good result against the ladder leader, which gives our boys great momentum into the double bye.
“Both teams had periods of control and were able to hit the scoreboard during those times. Fortunately for us, our final quarter was our best, and we were able to execute on our field position and put scoreboard pressure on.
“Brighton have been the benchmark of 2025, and they are deservedly in a really strong ladder position. The last fortnight for us has probably got our season back on track.
“We will give our players a little freshen up, but we are more keen than ever to attack the last 6 games and give ourselves a chance to qualify for another finals series.”
Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “SKOBs were clinical, particularly in the last quarter when the game was there to be won, and we’ll end up ruing some missed opportunities earlier in the game.
“We weren’t able to maintain the effort and momentum from the third quarter, and SKOB showed class in front of goal, finishing the game strongly.
“First gamer Gus Corke had a terrific debut and Tom Fisher continued his superb season with another solid game.”
That result at TH King opened the door for Old Xaverians to snatch top spot, and they did so in style with a thumping win over St Bernard’s at Toorak Park.
The result was never in doubt, with Xavs dominating from the get-go with an extremely impressive opening quarter that saw them boot 5.5 to no score.
Their 35-point quarter-time lead shrank slightly as the Snowdogs finally got their feet underneath them in the second term, kicking 3.3 to 2.5 – but Xavs still held a comfortable 31-point advantage at the major break.
The third quarter was a red & black statement as Xavs rammed on 9 goals to 1, blowing the margin out to 80 points as a triple-digit demolition looked to be on the cards.
A couple more goals increased the margin to 94 points early in the final term before the Dogs dug in and finished with 4 of the last 6 goals to avoid the dreaded century.
But it was a signature afternoon for Old Xaverians, who launched themselves to the top of the Premier Men’s ladder for the first time since their 2021 minor premiership with a powerful 81-point win.
They controlled the football with more than 400 disposals (+75 handballs) and dominated territory (Inside 50s 64-39). Marcus Stavrou starred once again with 35 disposals (20 contested), 10 clearances and a goal, while Will Goss rebounded at will (30 disposals and 8 Rebound 50s).
Xavs now have the double bye to prepare for a season-defining three weeks against the Bloods, Cards and Tonners. Successfully navigate that tricky period and they could be well placed with Collegians, Blues and Blacks (both at Toorak Park) to finish.
Ethan Schumann was great for the Snowdogs, racking up 29 disposals, 6 tackles and 6 clearances as his team dropped to 8th position, just half-a-game clear of the drop zone and with a must-win game against De La coming up straight after the double bye.
That home game (plus the one against Collegians in Round 15) shape as absolutely critical, given their other 4 matches will all be against Top 5 teams (the Tonners, Cards, Bloods and SKOB).
The Snowdogs will hope to bank a couple of wins against De La and the Lions to try and kick clear of the drop zone, then give it everything against the top teams in what is shaping up as a desperate sprint finish.
Dan Donati (Old Xavs): “A perfect day for footy at Toorak Park. We started the game really well in the first quarter, getting some reward for possession to be 5 goals ahead.
“It was two very different-looking sides compared to the last time we played one another. Both teams had 10 different players from our match in Round 5, with some injuries and player unavailability impacting the competition in general at the moment.
“We are certainly blessed with some fantastic depth at Xavs, and the boys that have been given an opportunity have all taken it over the last few weeks. We managed to have the game on our terms for the majority of the day and enjoyed a good win in the end.
“I’ve no doubt St Bernard’s are going to be a much stronger outfit when some of their key players return after the byes as their best can be damn good.
“Extremely pleased to have gotten to the double bye in great shape and super proud of the effort so far. A long way to go though.”
Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “Disappointing effort from all of us against an in-form Old Xavs team. You cannot go into a game against an opponent who is chasing top position on the ladder and not have your contested game firing.
“We got a close look at a team who were smart around stoppages and transitioned well at both ends of the ground with and without the ball.
“The positive out of the game was that we got to try several players in different positions, and think we may have found some new options for our side in the coming weeks.”
Collegians continued their remarkable dominance over Old Scotch with a vital 12-point win at Harry Trott Oval.
The Cards booted the opening goal in skipper Andy Jelbart’s 200th game, but the Lions did the remainder of the first quarter scoring to lead by 9 points at the break.
Goals proved hard to come by in the second term, with Collegians finding an early one via Max Stobie, then a late one from Jonty McGuiness, before Henry Brown pulled one back to reduce the Cardinals’ half-time deficit to 10 points in a low-scoring struggle.
The third quarter proved to be the decisive one as the Lions booted 2 goals in 2 minutes to open up a handy 22-point lead, forcing the Cards into chase-the-game mode.
Trailing by 22 at the final change, Old Scotch couldn’t find an avenue to goal until the 17-minute mark, when Hamish Wild dribbled home the opening major of the term. When Ben Hays added another at the 25-minute mark, Lions’ fans started to get a touch nervous, given their winless record at home this season.
And when Will Clark marked on the goal-line to reduce the gap to one straight kick at the 28-minute mark, another Collegians heartbreaker suddenly shaped as a possibility.
But Will D’Amico stepped up to snap the sealer at the 31-minute mark, handing the 2023 premiers a 12-point win over the 2024 champs – an incredible 12th victory over the Cardinals from their last 13 clashes.
Collegians’ first home win for 2025 saw them leapfrog St Bernard’s into 7th spot as the race to avoid relegation officially became a 3-way battle between the Lions, the Snowdogs and the Blues.
The Lions have a reasonably balanced run home, facing 3 of the Top 4 teams (SKOB, Xavs and Brighton) but will also meet the Blacks, Snowdogs and De La in the final round. This victory over the Cards could prove to be vital.
Jim Bazzani was outstanding once again with 34 disposals, 18 clearances and 7 tackles. Josh Walker had 28 touches and Ben Van Twest 27.
Will Clark was effective with 22 disposals, 8 clearances and 2 goals for Old Scotch, who slid a game off Top 4 pace, with the Top 2 teams awaiting them in a season-defining fortnight after the double bye.
That will be followed by three games against teams outside the Top 5 (Blues, Snowdogs, and Blacks), then the Bloods to finish in what could be a final-round blockbuster!
Jordie McKenzie (Collegians): “It was great to get the result for the first time this season at Harry Trott, in front of a large home crowd.
“We started a little slow and lost Will Mayhood to concussion, but ended up grinding out a pleasing first half.
“The premiership quarter had many momentum swings. We finished the quarter well, securing a 4-goal lead. Scotch came hard late in the game, but credit to the players, and we kept fighting to the end. Will D’Amico kicked a great sealer on the back of some great work from Thomas, Walker, and Pinchbeck.
“Ben Van Twest played one of his best games for the club down back, well supported by his fellow backmen. The midfield was huge, especially in the last quarter, led by Bazzani and Pinchbeck. The forward line was potent, with Lukic, Thomas and Pocknee continuing their strong form.
“The win caps off a solid month of footy. We’ll reset over the double bye and look forward to Uni Blacks.”
Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “It was a disappointing performance from us - especially in Andy Jelbart’s 200th match. Collegians were better around stoppages and easily won the clearances.
“The Brown brothers - Henry and Jack - both played well and won their respective battles. Will Clark dominated in the ruck and his work-rate enabled him to follow-up and impact subsequent contests too.
“Overall, Collegians had more contributors and deserved the win. Our thoughts are with Will Mayhood, and we wish him all the best in his recovery from another concussion.”
University Blues ultimately saw off a persistent De La Salle to collect 4 precious premiership points at Waverley Oval.
Leading goalkicker James Stewart looked set for a big afternoon, booting 3 first quarter goals, before a pair of late majors to Aidan Browne and Tom Stanton brought the hosts back within two points at the opening break.
The visitors threatened to slip away after kicking the first 3 goals of the second term, before Fraser Cameron’s goal in time-on kept De La in touch at the half – the margin 15 points.
The third term was one of swinging momentum. The Blues got back out to a 22-point lead, before 2 goals in 3 minutes saw De La Salle close within 10 points at the 17-minute mark and, with their tails up and crowd behind them, the dream of a breakthrough win was suddenly real.
However, the Blues stepped up and met the moment, stabilising the game, then booting 3 goals of their own in time-on to snuff out De La’s comeback and head to the final change with a handy 29-point lead.
That was pretty much the ball game, and when the Blues kicked the first 3 goals of the final term (including goals 4 & 5 to Stewart), it was all over.
The final margin was 54 points in a game that felt tighter than that – the Blues picking up their first win since Round 4 to remain within half-a-game of Collegians and St Bernard’s in the race to avoid relegation, but with an extremely challenging run home that will see them face all of the Top 6 teams.
Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “Overall, a pleasing performance and great to finally get a win.
“We knew De La would come out and throw everything at us after a disappointing result the week before. To their credit, they did just that, and genuinely kept cracking in for the four quarters.
“Our challenge was to maintain our standards from the previous week and carry them into this game, and I think for three-and-a-half quarters we did that, finally getting reward for effort with a well-rounded performance.”
Nick Hyland (De La Salle): “Credit to Matt and the Uni Blues team who deserved the win as they were clearly the better team all day.
“There were parts of the game where we had momentum, but then some undisciplined acts really cost us and halted our momentum. Our inability to use the ball effectively meant we couldn’t connect forward of centre.
“For the first three quarters we gave consistent effort and were up for the fight, but it was disappointing to finish with a poor last quarter. We need to regroup over the double bye, and come back determined to attack the final third of the season.”
The final game of the weekend was University Blacks’ annual Sunday fixture, but it was Old Haileybury enjoying a pleasant Sunday afternoon at Melbourne Uni Oval.
Blacks booted the opening goal via Thomas St Clair, before the Bloods kicked the next 4 to be 16 points up at the first break.
They added another six majors in a powerful second term, heading to the half-time break with an impressive 10.1 to 4.4 scoreline and 33-point lead.
Blacks rallied with two quick goals to open the second half, but six-pointers became difficult to find as the game tightened up – Durras Seccull booting two in a minute approaching time-on to extend the lead to a comfortable 35 points at the last break.
Again the Blacks would come up with the first two goals to close within 25 points at the 11-minute mark of the final term, but any thoughts of another spirited comeback were dashed by 3 goals in 5 minutes to the Bloods, who
would return to the winners’ list with a handy 33-point victory that keeps them in third spot, a game clear of SKOB and with 4 of their final 6 games at home, where they are 4-1 this season.
Livewire small forward Andreas Stefanakis was at his brilliant best with 7 goals.
Back-to-back losses to Top 3 teams (the Xavs and Bloods) have seen Blacks slip a game off Top 4 pace, but they face the Bottom 3 teams in their next 4 matches. Take care of business in those and they will be squarely in the hunt entering the final dash to September, when they will face SKOB, the Blues, Old Scotch and Old Xavs in a very challenging sprint to the line.
Daniel Ward (Old Haileybury): “Pleasing response from our group after last week. Blacks are a group we have a lot of respect for, so we needed to be at our best.
“I thought we were really strong against a group who are fantastic at the contest. We got our ball movement going, and it enabled our forwards to score, with Dre leading the way with 7.
“With two-thirds of the season done, we take stock, and enjoy a rest and look forward to the remaining 6 games and what is achievable.”
Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “Our skill level and decision making was not great. We fought hard to get back into the game, but basic errors put us on the back foot.
“Full credit to Old Haileybury, who played very well.
“We will look to reload over the break and have a crack at the back end of the season, we are good enough to win enough games to play finals.”
William Buck Premier Men's now enters a two-week hiatus, with Big V weekend followed by a competition-wide bye.
WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 13
SATURDAY JULY 26 – 2pm:
Old Scotch vs Old Brighton - VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM & SEN app – 1.45pm
Old Haileybury vs Old Xaverians - VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm
Collegians vs University Blacks - Kommunity TV double-header from 11.35am
University Blues vs St Kevin’s
St Bernard’s vs De La Salle
(Photo credit: @Andriske_Photography)
