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Find your frequency hereVAFA William Buck Premier Men's Round 15 Review
Jason Bennett • August 11th, 2025 4:09 pm
Tonners kick a game clear on top, while relegation race heats up
The reigning premiers have been dragged down into a 4-way relegation race, while last year’s minor premiers took a huge step towards another one. Here’s Round 15 of Premier Men’s in review.
Old Brighton extended their winning streak at home to 17 straight with a definitive 33-point victory over previous league leaders Old Xaverians in their top-of-the-table clash at Brighton Beach Oval.
The Tonners trailed by 2 points at the first change before booting 4 goals to 1 in the second term to open a handy 19-point advantage at the major break, led by 4 first-half goals from 2024 VAFA Rising Star Joey Campigli, who returned from VFL commitments for his second game of the season.
Scoring was at a premium in the third stanza, with just one goal apiece allowing the Tonners to maintain their lead, and they dominated the early stages of the last quarter but didn’t take full toll on the scoreboard, kicking 1.4 to keep the door ajar.
When Xavs found 2 goals in 2 minutes, the margin was back to 13 points at the 15-minute mark, and the visitors were back in the game.
However, the hosts steadied with two goals in two minutes themselves to re-establish a 25-point buffer entering time-on, adding another at the 26-minute mark to blow the final margin out to a game-high 33 points, snapping Xavs’ 8-game winning streak and kicking a game clear atop the table with 3 rounds to play.
THE RUN HOME:
Old Brighton: De La Salle (Away), Collegians (Home), Uni Blues (A)
Old Xaverians: Collegians (A), Uni Blues (H), Uni Blacks (H)
Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “It was a hot game. Both teams wanted to own the contest and get the ball to outside runners. We set our group to put pressure on Xavs’ disposal, which they did really well for most of the game, as when they have time, Nuttsy’s men transition so quickly to their forwards.
“We had some good patches of forward half footy and good opportunities off forward entry, with backs doing a great job to repel quick transition for most of the day. A good win as we build for our last block of games.
“Finn and Joey Campigli were terrific, Louis Butler again fantastic down back, while Jordy Segar and Gus Corke competed all day.”
Dan Donati (Old Xavs): “As expected, it was a fast, tight game for most of the contest. But in the end, Old Brighton were too good on the day.
“We started well and didn’t quite take advantage of that early. Some costly turnovers forced by quality opposition made us pay, and this was a pattern throughout.
“The game was of high quality, lots of pressure and pace, but ultimately OB were the cleaner and better side and deserved the win. Still fair way to go, and I’ve got no doubt both teams will look a little different if we meet again, so we’ll take plenty of learnings from the game.”
St Kevin’s saw off a determined Uni Blacks at TH King Oval to take a giant step towards another finals series.
It was a hot start, with Tom St. Clair booting two goals in the first 5 minutes for the Blacks, followed by quick responses from Sam Critchley & Jack Darmody to level it up.
The two teams went goal-for-goal for the remainder of the first half, with 2 goals apiece in the second term handing SKOB a 7-point half-time lead.
The third quarter turned out to be a high-scoring exhibition of exciting footy – St Kevin’s eventually seizing the initiative with 3 goals in time-on to open up a handy 14-point advantage at the last break.
The last time these two teams met, the Blacks pulled off the comeback of the year, booting 3 goals in the last 3 minutes to break SKOB hearts.
And the Blacks displayed their grit once again, kicking 3 of the first 4 goals of the final term to hit the front by a point at the 25-minute mark. Surely not again?
Will Pfeiffer kicked a goal 90 seconds later to give SKOB back the lead, and after another 4 desperate minutes, Sam Critchley slotted his fifth goal to cap a best-afield performance and all but assure St Kevin’s will play in September for a 7th straight season.
For the Blacks, it’s a setback in their finals hopes, but not a fatal one, as they sit one game and a percentage behind the Bloods in the race for fourth, with a couple of make-or-break games over the next fortnight.
THE RUN HOME:
St Kevin’s: Old Haileybury (A), De La Salle (H), St Bernard’s (A)
Uni Blacks: Uni Blues (H), Old Scotch (H), Old Xaverians (A)
Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “The margin of the game was never more than 14 points for the day, which meant the mental side was always going to be a factor. Both teams had periods of control, so being able to score when you had these patches was critical.
“When Uni Blacks hit the front late, our coaches looked at each other and said, ‘We are about to find out a bit about our group,’ given what happened last time we met.
“I thought our boys handled every moment from then on almost perfectly - 4 scoring shots and we were able to lock the ball in our half of the ground. I was incredibly proud of their growth, and that win gives us great belief against an opposition who had everything to play for.”
Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “St.Kevin’s were better in groundball contest and stoppage for the majority of the game. They gained a territory advantage as a result, significantly outnumbering our inside 50’s.
“We fought hard to stay in the game and hit the front late, but could not finish off. We will continue to fight hard for a finals spot.”
Old Haileybury consolidated its hold on fourth spot with a much-needed win over De La Salle at Waverley Oval.
Entering this 2024 Premier B Grand Final rematch having lost 4 of their previous 5, the Bloods needed to regain some form and confidence – but De La were equally determined to make them work for it.
The hosts generated 5 shots to 3 in the first term but booted 2.3 to 3.0 to trail by 3 points at quarter-time – the league’s leading goalkicker, Andreas Stefanakis, causing havoc once again with all 3 majors for the visitors (on his way to 6 for the afternoon).
Inaccuracy continued to plague De La in the second quarter as they added 1.3 to 3.3 – the Bloods edging out to a 15-point lead in a high-pressure contest.
The third term provided more of the same, with Old Haileybury’s superior ability to convert opportunities into goals seeing them boot 3.2 to 1.1 and open a comfortable 28-point three-quarter time advantage.
But full credit to De La, who dug in and booted the opening two goals of the final term to reduce the margin to just 16 points, sparking hopes of a late revival from the hosts.
But a steadying response from Connor Riley settled the Bloods, who would ultimately break clear of a persistent, hard-working De La to run out 37-point winners and collect 4 precious premiership points that keep them a game ahead of the Blacks in the race to secure fourth spot.
THE RUN HOME:
Old Haileybury: St Kevin’s (H), St Bernard’s (A), Old Scotch (H)
De La Salle: Old Brighton (H), St Kevin’s (A), Collegians (A)
Daniel Ward (Old Haileybury): “Important win for our footy club. We know that De La has been in good form and probably should have already had some wins on the board. I thought they controlled the ball in the air at both ends of the ground and were on top for stages of the first half.
“We lifted our workrate in the third term and started to get rewarded for effort, then finished the game off well and was very pleased to get away with the 4 points.
“Improved effort after the last 2 weeks, but we are still searching for our best footy.”
Nick Hyland (De La Salle): “I thought we were a little off in the first quarter, but pleased with the way we wrestled momentum back and had large portions of the second quarter on our terms. Equal scoring shots at halftime, but poor conversion was our downfall.
“Second half we were outplayed. Haileybury took control around stoppage and gave them field position. Credit to Daniel and his team for the way they played. We struggled to get our hands on the ball and when we did, we were sloppy with our fundamentals throughout the second half.”
The thriller of the day was at Melbourne Uni as University Blues continued their late-season revival to knock off Old Scotch in a result that could prove pivotal in the race to avoid relegation.
The Blues were wayward early and squandered their chance to seize the initiative, booting 1.7 in the opening term to trail by 8 points at quarter-time. Their inaccuracy would continue to plague them in the second quarter, adding another 3.5 to trail by 5 points at the major break, despite having 10 more Inside 50s and 5 more scoring shots.
The game tightened considerably in the third term, with the Blues adding 2 goals to 1 to close within a single point at the last break and set the scene for a grandstand finish that may have huge repercussions come season’s end.
It took 11 minutes for either team to find a major as the pressure started to build. The Blues found one via a Charlie Furphy set shot, but the Cards responded immediately through a crumb from skipper Andy Jelbart to snatch back the lead.
George McCulloch dribbled a brilliant rover’s goal from the pocket to give the Blues back the ascendancy entering time-on, before Sam Grimley pulled down a strong contested mark and nailed the sealer 26 minutes in, lifting the Blues to 7th spot, alongside the Cards on 24 points and half-a-game out of the drop zone.
The Blues’ gain is Old Scotch’s loss, and not only is the Cards’ premiership defence now officially over, but they also find themselves dragged down into the relegation race with three rounds remaining, beginning with a must-win blockbuster against the Snowdogs in Round 16.
THE RUN HOME:
Uni Blues: Uni Blacks (H), Old Xavs (A), Old Brighton (H)
Old Scotch: St Bernard’s (H), Uni Blacks (A), Old Haileybury (A)
Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “Giving up early leads seems to be a bit of a trait of late. Inaccuracy early really cost us an opportunity to apply real scoreboard pressure, and we found ourselves trailing at half-time despite having 6 more scoring shots and feeling like we had controlled a large part of the match.
“To Scotch’s credit, any time we hit the scoreboard, they were able to get a quick response.
“Our group has come a long way in recent wins, and our ability to stick to and execute individual roles gave us a really mature win.”
Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “There were momentum swings both ways in a tight contest all day. We had our chances to win the game and unfortunately were unable to capitalise. Some of our ball movement chains were improved, and this created good scoring opportunities in our front half.
“There were a lot of learnings for our group in key moments, and this will be invaluable as we move forward. The beauty about footy is that we get another opportunity next week and St Bernard’s at Camberwell is our immediate focus.”
The Blues’ win would drop the loser of the Collegians-St Bernard’s clash at the Snake Pit into the relegation zone, and it was the Lions who got the better of the early exchanges, generating 8 shots to 3 to lead by 10 points at the first break.
Inaccuracy was the only thing holding them back in the first half, as they added a further 2.5 to 1.2 in the second term to lead by 19 points at the half in a game that they could have led by a lot more, given they had created 15 more Inside 50s and 9 more scoring shots.
Collegians finally found their range in the third term, scoring 5.2 to 1.0 and taking complete control to lead by 45 points at the final change. Coach Jordie McKenzie delivered his address before rushing to the hospital, where his wife Bella had just gone into labour with their first child. (We’re delighted to report that Grace arrived safely, and all are doing well.)
Despite the Snowdogs enjoying their best period of the game when they added 3 goals in 6 minutes early in the last term, the Lions were never headed and posted a vital 36-point win (led by Max Pinchbeck’s incredible 47 disposals, 10 tackles & 6 clearances) that sees them leapfrog St Bernard’s on percentage, who slip to ninth.
They sit 19% behind the Lions and half-a-game behind Old Scotch and Uni Blues, so the race is still well and truly alive – particularly given the Dogs play the Cardinals this week in one of the most significant games of the entire season. Win that and they’ll jump over Old Scotch (and potentially the Blues and Lions as well).
But lose and they’ll have to defeat at least one of the Bloods and SKOB in the final two rounds and hope that other results go their way, while the Lions face the Top 2 over the next fortnight, then De La Salle to finish.
THE RUN HOME:
Collegians: Old Xavs (H), Old Brighton (A), De La Salle (H)
St Bernard’s: Old Scotch (A), Old Haileybury (H), St Kevin’s (H)
Jordie McKenzie (Collegians): “Down back, the defensive six worked superbly as a unit, combining well to set up multiple transition plays from deep in defence. Unfortunately, we weren’t always able to capitalise going forward. Our final Inside 50 kick let us down at times, and inaccuracy in front of goal proved costly.
“To eventually run out comfortable winners was pleasing, and great reward for effort.”
Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “Once again, after a competitive first half, we weren’t able to sustain the pressure at the contest, and Collegians’ ball movement really pressured us defensively.
“Some crucial injuries to a few of our ball-winners hurt us in the second half. We need to keep finding a way to generate some momentum, and there will be opportunities up for grabs for a number of players.”
WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S – ROUND 16
SATURDAY AUGUST 16 – 2pm:
University Blacks vs University Blues - VAFA.com.au & SEN app – 1.45pm
Old Scotch vs St Bernard’s VAFA.com.au - LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm
Collegians vs Old Xaverians - VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.55pm
Old Haileybury vs St Kevin’s
De La Salle vs Old Brighton
(Photo credit: @bruceatobin)
