Competitive balance on point in William Buck Premier

By Nick Armistead – @NickArmistead

One round into the William Buck Premier season and one thing is obvious; the competitive balance is on point.

Reigning premiers, St Bernard’s, went down to Old Xaverians at the Snakepit in a match decided by the final quarter; De La Salle trailed for the majority of the day prior to their last quarter heroics against St Kevin’s; Old Melburnians led for one half and finished eight points shy of an upset against University Blues; University Blacks found themselves trailing at the main break before a 10-goal second half secured the points against Collegians; and Old Carey were well within striking distance of Old Trinity before the T’s kicked away in the last.

Old Xaverians commenced their season exactly how they would have envisaged since the moment fixtures were released, piling on eight straight goals in the final quarter to run over St Bernard’s by 51 points in a match rife with momentum swings. Following a hard-fought first term, the Xavs produced the first dominant period of play for the match as they kicked seven goals to two in the second on the back of some Jake Williams and Brendan Goss magic. While the midfield battle between Michael Darvell (OX), Ben Kennedy (OX), Adam Bentick (StB) and Tom Sullivan (StB) was 50/50 across the course of four quarters, it was the Xavs’ ability to make the most of their inside 50’s which proved the difference. Last year’s leading goal kicker, Matt Handley, Goss and Williams were the main recipients up forward, while Clay Johnston and Lachlan Howe chipped in with two goals each. The Snow Dogs came hard in the third as Alex Singleton, Nathan Kazuro and Sullivan stood tall, but a Matt Handley-inspired Xavs outfit galvanised and ran out the game with the last eight majors.

De La Salle showcased the fast-paced and run-all-day attitude evident from the back half of last season when they came from a goal down at the last break and defeated St Kevin’s by 16 points at TH King Oval. Their ability to outrun opponents is second-to-none and, despite trailing for the majority of the match, possess the confidence necessary to overcome any opponent at any stage of the match. Jacob Gotch kicked three goals in a best-on-ground performance, while Tom Humphrey starred. With Jon Edgar the sole leader of the pack this season, St Kevin’s proved they are well and truly capable of mixing it with the best in William Buck Premier. De La is a finals side and SKOB were five minutes from inflicting a first round loss and winning their 21^st on the trot. With former AFL players Steven Salopek, Stephen Gilham, James Strauss and Rohan Bail playing alongside Nick Wood, Kelvin Williams and Jason Salopek, SKOB will challenge all nine opponents in 2016.

Old Melburnians were two kicks away from a Round One upset against last year’s preliminary finalists, University Blues. Leading by two points at the half time break, OMs were unable to curb the influence of former Swan Districts forward, Tim Geappen, as he booted three goals to help the Blues over the line. Will Cuningham and Hugh Vickers-Willis led from the front in the Blues’ second half comeback, while Tom Quinn and Jeremy Mugavin kicked two each and continued their red-hot form from 2015. The OMs were relative unknowns heading into this season after their Premier B Grand Final loss last year, but all signs point to continual improvement as young guns, Nick De Steiger and Theo Rosenthal, join experienced star, Tom Paule, in this week’s best.

With the return of 2014 premiership coach Cam Roberts, University Blacks overcame a disappointing three-goal opening half as they piled on 10 goals to four in the last two quarters of their 35-point victory against Collegians. Roberts will have fond memories of his last two matches as senior coach of the Blacks, with the 2014 Premier Grand Final win also against the Lions. Jordan Quaile is a superstar in the making and performed to the standard he set as a Rising Star nominee last year. Alastair Robbins continues to prove a handful for opposition defences, while new recruit, Lachie Dornauf, registered two majors in his first match for the Club. Experienced trio Bede Mahon, Adam Pitt and Charlie Richardson gave the Lions headaches and showcased the Blacks’ combination of maturity among a host of young talent. The Lions will be buoyed by the standout performances of Matt Jenkinson, Courtney Hylton and Trent Zimbachs, despite the team allowing the Blacks’ second half resurgence. While their fixture does not get any easier this week against the reigning premiers who are coming off a loss, the Lions boast a talented list among their before mentioned stars and will get a good read of their depth in front of their home crowd.

Old Trinity shoot straight to the top of the ladder after a four-goal to nil final quarter helped them to a 50-point win against Old Carey at Carey Sports Complex. The T’s were the next best side in 2015 and continue to develop the young talent at their disposable as well as any side in the competition. Names such as Andrew Kyriacopolous, Jack Hunt and Gabe Hamilton are at the forefront of the T’s push for their first William Buck Premier flag. No surprise, those names were also among the best on Saturday. Ed Weatherson is a livewire up forward and ended his day with four goals, while Douglas Morris recorded three. When Brendan Iezzi returns throughout the year, this T’s outfit will be scary; or scarier. The Panthers were strong in the face of a team coming off a grand final loss and stood tall for four quarters. Sam Cust ran riot as he builds a reputation as an A-Grade gun and Joel Rice continued being Joel Rice. Kicking five of their seven goals in the second quarter, the Panthers showcased their ability to score in quick succession and will build from this loss moving forward.

With every game a possible blockbuster at this stage of the season, the 2015 Premier B Grand Final rematch between OMs and SKOB this Saturday will provide a number of highlights, while De La Salle travel to Toorak Park for their clash with Old Xaverians under lights. Uni Blues and Old Carey will go head-to-head in a game likely to go down to the wire and last year’s grand finalists will face off with Uni Blacks and Collegians.

Round 2 Tips

Old Trinity vs University Blacks

Collegians vs St Bernard’s

University Blues vs Old Carey

Old Melburnians vs St Kevin’s

Old Xaverians vs De La Salle