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VAFA William Buck Premier Men's Round 13 Review
Jason Bennett • July 30th, 2025 1:17 pm
Top 2 kick clear after big wins while the Snowdogs deny De La in a thriller –Premier Men’s Round 13 Review
The race for the double chance was blown wide open by a couple of eye-catching wins in Round 13, while De La was denied a first win in a last-gasp thriller.
Old Xaverians returned from the double bye and made a statement with a dominant all-the-way win over Old Haileybury at Princes Park.
Xavs overpowered the Bloods from the outset, booting the first 9 goals of the game, including a jaw-dropping 8.5 to 0.0 opening term. They took complete control around the stoppages, and were ruthlessly efficient up forward, kicking 8 goals from their 17 Inside 50s.
Old Haileybury’s first goal came from the boot of Josh Gasparini 6 minutes into the second term as they started to even up the contest in general play, swinging the territory battle their way to register 15 Inside 50s to 7 in the second term and boot 3.1 apiece.
In fact, the Bloods generated more Inside 50s than Xavs in the final three quarters (38-31), but the visitors’ high-powered offence meant they didn’t need as many opportunities to put the score on the board.
Old Xavs surged again with 5 goals to 1 in the third term, before finishing with 4.4 to 3.2 in the final term to register a stunning 86-point win that strengthened their grip on top spot, while the Bloods took a decent hit to their percentage, which could prove critical in the race for third and fourth spot.
Dan Donati (Old Xavs): “It was great to be back playing after a couple of weeks off. Whilst we had prepared really well, you never quite know until game day.
“We started the game really well. The boys were definitely on, and managed to slip away to a big early lead. It’s never easy being on the other side of that, but OH brought huge pressure and tackling effort after quarter time, and the game felt a lot closer than the scoreboard suggested.
“We’re very pleased to get a good win against a top 4 side that we have huge respect for.”
Daniel Ward (Old Haileybury): “Old Xavs took control right from the first bounce, beating us at contested footy and making us pay for our errors. Full credit to them – they were very slick, and the game was basically over by quarter-time.
“We managed to play how we wanted to at times, but they were very good at shutting us down again.
“We’ll lick our wounds and look to get back to our best footy next week.”
2024 Grand Finalists Old Scotch and Old Brighton met once again, and it was the Tonners making it 2-from-2 against the Cardinals in 2025, with an impressive performance at Camberwell Sportsground.
The Cards had their uncontested and intercept games going early, leading by 15 points at the first change, before the visitors started to take control midway through the second term.
Young gun Charlie Richardson and Ben Pryor booted their second goals, then skipper Harry Hill added another to put the Tonners in front, before Fraser Morrisby kicked a late one for the Cardinals to make it a 2-point game at the major break.
The tight contest continued in the third term, with Old Brighton holding a slight edge heading to the last change after kicking 4.5 to 2.3 – Sam Fanning with 2 goals in the quarter for the Tonners, who led by 16 points at three-quarter time.
Their start to the final term was impressive, holding Old Scotch scoreless until the 18-minute mark while booting 3.2 themselves to effectively put the game to bed. Will Clark pulled one back for the Cards entering time-on, before Big V Under 19 rep (and grandson of Richmond legend Kevin Bartlett) Charlie Richardson capped an important win for Old Brighton with his third major.
Big V captain Harry Hill was refreshed after the week’s break and was a standout with 30 disposals and 3 goals to collect the SKINS Player of the Day Award, as his team remained alongside Xavs at the top of the table.
Brodie Easton racked up 35 touches and 9 Rebound 50s for the Cardinals, while Sam Grant continued his stellar form in the ruck as OId Scotch dropped from fifth to sixth, now two games outside the Top 4 – the reigning champs set to face ladder-leaders Old Xavs in a Round 14 blockbuster as they fight to keep their premiership defence alive.
Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “A really hard-fought win that kicks off our run home, and an important win to try and maintain a buffer from the balance of the teams on the ladder.
It’s always a physical and pressure-filled game against Scotch, and I was incredibly happy with the intensity and focus our group maintained throughout the game.
“Our second half was terrific, given we had lost a couple of rotations. The work rate from our mids and half-forwards was exceptional. It was great to score effectively across the second half, and reward the hard work from our backs and mids.
“Terrific contributions across the whole group, as a lot had to play high minutes, but Harry Hill was instrumental contest to contest, supported by a number of players that won a lot of moments, including Gus Corke down back, Ben Pryor at HF and Mike Karrayanis.”
Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “It was pretty even in the first half, where the game didn’t reach any great heights and both teams had their opportunities.
“We started to get on top around the clearances early in the third and had the momentum, but failed to convert it on the scoreboard. Brighton then went back the other way, and they capitalised on our errors and made us pay with 4 goals. We fought the game out, but ultimately Brighton were more efficient and the better team.
“Sam Grant was outstanding again and continued his brilliant season. We also welcomed another debutant in Henry Kemp, who came through our Under 19s last season. We look forward to taking on Old Xavs this weekend!”
A streak was destined to be snapped when St Bernard’s hosted De La Salle at the Snake Pit. The Snowdogs hadn’t won a game at home all year, while De La hadn’t won a Premier Men’s game since their return this season.
And for most of the day, it seemed the visitors would be on the right side of history.
They exploded out of the blocks with the wind at their backs, controlling the game with 16 Inside 50s to 5 and slammed on 6.5 to 1.0 to lead by 35 points at the first change.
But the Snowdogs didn’t panic and managed to halve the deficit in the second term, playing almost the entire quarter in their front half (15 Inside 50s to 3) to reduce the damage to 18 points at the main break.
The third quarter proved pivotal as the Dogs worked overtime to score a couple of goals into the wind while holding De La to two goals themselves, thereby maintaining the deficit at 18 points at the final change. The chase was on.
It took ten minutes for St Bernard’s to find their first goal of the final term, and it came after a kick-in penalty allowed Dominic Sullivan to run to the centre of the ground and launch a long ball, which Ollie Liberatore crumbed over the back for his third goal.
But De La found an immediate response as Luke Healy’s quick snap from out of the pack bounced through to return the margin to 17.
Another build-up from the defensive goalsquare saw St Bernard’s close with 10 points once again at the 15-minute mark, courtesy of Dominic Sullivan’s finish. When Luca Alessio marked and goaled from the top of the goalsquare 2 minutes later, it was a 4-point game with plenty of time left on the clock.
The final minutes were tight and tense as De La Salle clung grimly to the lead they’d held all day.
Until Snowdog Marcus Holland marked 55 metres out, went back and launched a bomb which sailed through the middle and handed St Bernard’s the lead for the first time at the 31-minute mark of the final quarter.
A desperate 3 minutes would ensue before the siren sounded to hand the Dogs’ faithful their first home win of the season in a 2-point thriller. De La Salle gallant but shattered as a breakthrough win slipped through their fingers.
Dylan Gwynne led the way for St Bernard’s with 25 disposals (15 contested), 13 tackles and 8 clearances in a brilliant display, while Luca Alessio’s 19 disposals, 14 marks and late goal proved to be vital.
Robert Amendola fought hard for De La once again, finishing with 26 touches (19 contested), 10 clearances and 7 tackles.
It was a must-win for the Snowdogs in their bid to avoid relegation, given they will face 4 of the Top 6 teams plus Collegians in the last 5 rounds. If they are to survive in the top flight at season’s end, their record of 3 wins and a draw from 4 single-digit games this season might ultimately prove to be the difference.
Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “De La Salle came to play and played a really attacking brand of footy. Their skill execution was great and had us on the back foot all day.
“I’m encouraged by our grit and ability to hang in there and grind away, until we got a few more opportunities to score in that last quarter. I’m relieved we’re able to build some early momentum in our run home.”
Nick Hyland (De La Salle): “A great battle all day in tough, blustery conditions. We did so much right for so long, but unfortunately, just couldn’t hold on at the end. Credit to Steven and St Bernard’s for the way they kept coming. The result could have easily gone our way, but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.
“I’m enormously proud of our group for the way we played. I thought we were really strong in all three facets of the game (contest, offence and defence). I also thought our cohesion and willingness to support each other were the best they’ve been all year. Looking forward to continuing and building on that next week against Uni Blacks.”
University Blacks remain within striking distance of the Top 4 after outlasting Collegians at Harry Trott Oval.
Kicking into the breeze in the opening term, the Lions managed to prevent the Blacks from breaking free to create scoring chances, reducing the deficit to just 8 points (2.2 to 1.0) as the Blacks lost Sam Bennett to a leg injury.
The grind continued in the second term, with just 3 goals for the quarter – all to Collegians – who edged their way to a 10-point half-time lead.
The Blacks needed to make a move with the breeze in the third quarter, but the Lions managed to restrict them for most of the period. However, the Blacks finally managed to wriggle free in time-on, and their 4 goals in 13 minutes changed the face of the game as they headed into the last break with an 11-point lead, which felt about par, given the conditions.
Dale Bower’s team then dug in for the fight early in the final term, and when they managed to come up with 2 goals in 2 minutes to Thomas St.Clair and Max Gray, their lead suddenly ballooned to 23 points and was starting to look like a bridge too far for Collegians, who couldn’t find their attacking flow.
Alex Lukic looked to be their one great hope, and when he snapped a brilliant goal at the 13-minute mark, the home fans found some voice and hope as their team closed to within 3 straight kicks.
But the Blacks had the answers, and when St.Clair kicked his second, then Big V rep Kane Loftus booted his second early in time-on, the contest was effectively over. Uni Blacks returned to the winners’ list with a victory that closes them within a game of the Top 4, and with the bottom 2 teams on their horizon in the next 3 weeks.
Kane Loftus continued his excellent form with 21 touches, 12 tackles and 2 goals for the Blacks, while Xavier Chalkley racked up 29 disposals, 9 marks and 5 Rebound 50 in a hard-working performance.
It was an all-too-familiar, frustrating afternoon at home for Collegians, who are now 1-6 at the Trott this season and still flirting with the relegation zone.
It was an all-too-familiar, frustrating afternoon at home for Collegians, who are now 1-6 at the Trott this season and still flirting with the relegation zone.
Alex Lukic booted 4 goals, while Campbell Walker worked hard all day to finish with 32 touches (18 contested), 13 clearances and 6 tackles.
Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “Collegians were a bit stronger than us in the contest early, and we struggled to connect and score.
“In the second half, the boys really stepped up, and with limited rotations, we really ramped up our pressure and contest stuff, and started to create some strong ball movement. Our tackle numbers were impressive.”
Jordie McKenzie (Collegians): “Our first half was quite pleasing. Unfortunately, it was a 10 to 15-minute period late in the third quarter in which Uni Blacks were able to gain the ascendancy and create some genuine momentum.
“Disappointingly for us, we were unable to stem this, and in the last quarter, we were unable to get any drive going with the wind.
“It was great to see Tom Van Twest and Louie Heriot debut and show some good signs, while Jonty McGuiness, Luke Smith and Max Pinchbeck were tireless all day, and can hold their heads high.”
The final game of the weekend saw St Kevin’s leapfrog the Bloods into third spot with a percentage-boosting 52-point win over University Blues at Melbourne Uni Oval.
There wasn’t much to separate the teams in general play early, and all that distinguished them in the opening term was SKOB’s slightly more polished finishing, which gave them a 13-point quarter-time lead (4.3 to 2.2).
But, the second term was all St Kevin’s. They were getting first hands on the ball around stoppages, and their intercept game continually disrupted the Blues’ possession chains as they forced midfield turnovers. They would add 3.5 to no score in the second stanza to open up a significant 6-goal lead at the major break.
Scoring was at a premium in the third term, with the Blues on top in general play but neither team hitting the scoreboard until 16 minutes in. The first goal came via Jack Whitehead’s set shot at the 18-minute mark, which reduced the margin to 28 points, but the Blues were left to rue their inability to convert dominance into score.
Jack Ball responded for SKOB six minutes later from a stoppage free kick to re-establish a comfortable 35-point advantage at the last break, and despite the Blues coming up with the first two goals of the final term (via Ben Townson and Charlie Cotter), the comeback never gained sufficient momentum.
St Kevin’s shut the door and tacked on some precious percentage with 4 goals in time-on to blow the final margin out to a game-high 52 points in a match that was well in hand all afternoon.
SKOB’s eighth win elevates them over the Bloods on percentage, with a relatively comfortable run home compared to the teams around them. The Blues remain stranded in the relegation zone, half a game behind Collegians and with a challenging run home that will see them play 5 of the Top 6 teams.
Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “We had lost our previous 5 games at the University Oval, which we openly addressed with our players pre-game.
“I sensed a response with a steely resolve in their intent early in the game, which carried on at a high level through the first sixty minutes. It was probably our best half of footy for the season.
“As expected, the Blues challenged hard through the third quarter, but our boys held firm and absorbed their dominance, only conceding the one goal.
“Both teams had some momentum throughout the final quarter, and pleasingly we were able to finish off with the last 4 goals, cementing a positive day at the Uni.”
Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “It was a really disappointing performance across the board.
“SKOB were just a better team – cleaner below their knees, and their ball use was slick across every line.
“We have a lot of work to do to get ourselves out of relegation from here on out.”
WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 14
SATURDAY AUGUST 2 – 2pm:
University Blacks vs De La Salle - SEN MOTD at VAFA.com.au & SEN app – 1.45pm
Old Brighton vs St Bernard’s - VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm
St Kevin’s vs Collegians
Old Haileybury vs University Blues
Old Xaverians vs Old Scotch (2.20pm) - VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 2.15pm
(Photo credit: @capturedbybrigette)
