St Bernard’s Football Club
Joined VAFA: 1963
Coach: Steven Alessio
Nickname: Snowdogs
Ground: St Bernards College, Gate 8, Hampton Road, West Essendon.
Under 19/Thirds: As above.
Colours: Black and gold vert. stripes, royal trim/ gold – royal number; shorts – royal; socks – black, gold & royal.
Secretary: Ross Di Lizio E: [email protected] M: 0407 747 327
President: Steve Perrett E: [email protected] M: 0447 584 264
It took only 13 seasons for St Bernard’s Old Collegians to climb into the the top section of the VAFA and given the start they had there is no wonder this club was destined for great things. St Bernard’s is the only club to win both the senior and reserve premiership in their inaugural year in the VAFA; a feat they accomplished in their first season in E Section in 1963. It was two promotions in two years when the club claimed the D Section flag in 1964. The ultimate prize in VAFA came in 1975 when the Snowdogs won the A Section premiership. The 1980s presented more success in the form of three B Section flags, however this also indicated an inability to hold their position in the top grade. Their 1991 B Section premiership commenced the club’s next strongest run, a 16 year presence in A Section. Despite eight finals appearances in this time, St Bernard’s claimed only one premiership, the 2002 flag to go with three runners-up appearances. The Club had arguably their best season to date in 2015, claiming the William Buck Premier flag & joint Woodrow Medallist, Adam Bentick, before enduring a long list of outs in 2016 and suffering relegation just one year after claiming the ultimate prize. The Snow Dogs welcomed star forward Chad Jones back from retirement in 2018 and he kicked 100 goals and won the GT Moore Medal in a dominant premiership-winning year for Bernard’s where they defeated Old Carey en route back into William Buck Premier.
Premierships
Seniors | Reserves | Thirds | U19s | Club XVIII |
9 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
A Section: 1975, 2002, 2015 | Section 3: 2018 | U19 Premier: 1977,1983 2003, 2014 | ||
B Section: 1984, 1987, 1991, 2018 | U19 (2): 1969, 2011 | |||
D Section: 1964 | U19 (Red): 2002 | |||
E Section: 1963 | 1963 |
Competition Best and Fairest Winners – Senior
A Section / Premier – JN Woodrow Medal – 4
B Section / Premier B – GT Moore Medal – 3
Year | Name | Medal | Votes |
2018 | Chad Jones | Premier B | 29 |
2015 | Adam Bentick* | A Section | 19 |
1998 | Luke R. Gollant | A Section | 19 |
1990 | M.R. Mulkearns | B Section | |
1986 | Michael C. O’Dea | B Section | |
1980 | Bernard F. Angel | A Section | 22* |
1977 | Peter G. Aughton | A Section | 20 |
*Joint medallist
Club News
MoreOfficial VAFA Podcast: Ep.19 with St Bernard’s ruck Matt Sauro
Jason Bennett, Joey Pignataro & Paddy Grindlay cast an eye across the VAFA men’s competition as September rolls around: A deep dive into the state of play in William Buck
Snowdogs find their snarl in William Buck Premier Men’s
The race to remain in Premier Men’s took another turn as Steve Alessio’s men chalked up their third win of the campaign. St Bernard’s re-ignited their season with an impressive
Final Anytime Fitness Men’s Rising Star Nominee: Luca Alessio
The VAFA congratulates Luca Alessio from St Bernards Old Collegians Football Club, who has received the final Men’s Anytime Fitness Rising Star nomination for the 2023 season. Luca has had
Brenton ‘George’ Garth joins St Bernard’s 300 club
In St Bernards proud history only four players have managed to play 300 VAFA games. Brenton ‘George’ Garth joins that illustrious group when he lines up for his 300th on
People coaching footy, let’s use that lens
Aasta O’Connor doesn’t see her position in the St Bernard’s coaching team as “that big of a deal” and believes it’s time that we change the lense around how the
VAFA Round 3 Match of the Day
St Bernard’s reign supreme in their biggest home and away clash! The Snowdogs claimed their first win of the season on Saturday out at the Snakepit against Old Trinity. The
There’s a new top dog in town at St Bernard’s
There’s been an off-season of change at St Bernard’s as they embark on their 2022 William Buck Premier campaign. Simon Caven steps down as captain after 3 years with fellow
AFLW’s O’Connor re-joins Groves at St Bernard’s
Western Bulldogs AFLW premiership player, Aasta O’Connor, will re-join Paul Groves in 2022 after she was announced as one of two key appointments for St Bernard’s senior men’s side. O’Connor,