Battles at both ends of the William Buck Premier ladder

Nick Armistead – @NickArmistead

While the top three, St Kevin’s, Collegians and Old Xaverians, are pulling away from the rest of the competition as all remain undefeated four rounds into the season, the battle in the bottom half of the ladder is heating up.

University Blacks, Beaumaris and Old Melburnians are yet to win a match, while St Bedes/Mentone Tigers registered their first win of the season against University Blues over the weekend.

The Blacks sit 10^th after the opening four games with a reasonably healthy percentage of 85.76. Their percentage far exceeds those in their immediate vicinity on the ladder (12.81% higher than next best) after gruelling matches against four teams inside the top six. They lost by just two against Old Trinity in Round 1 after leading by more than seven goals and have been in their matches against Collegians, University Blues and, most recently, De La Salle, with an average losing margin of 11.5. They were leading De La with three minutes remaining in the fourth term over the weekend before a free kick at a stoppage 30m out gifted De La the go-ahead goal. It was always tipped to be a close one with both sides evenly poised despite vastly different game styles. Big men, Josh Steadman and Alastair Robbins led from the front for the Blacks and gave them targets across the ground, while Brendan Close and Sean Fisher starred for De La. Fisher has been an outstanding inclusion since making the move from Edithvale-Aspendale in the Peninsula FNL over the off-season, bagging seven goals in the past two De La victories.

Beaumaris were tasked with stemming the scoring of St Kevin’s over the weekend, after opening clashes with OMs (abandoned due to lightning), Uni Blues at the Main and the undefeated Collegians. It was predicted to be a tough ask and proved just that as they went down by 84 points at Banksia Reserve. Will Edmonds and Max Williams fought hard for the Sharks but 13 scoring shots to 37 gave an indication of the challenge SKOB put forward. It wasn’t just the fourth consecutive win for SKOB but also the fourth match they’ve hit the scoreboard at least 28 times this season. They’ve had 71 scoring shots in the past fortnight alone and average 103 points per game after Round 4. Henry Parkes joined the in-form Zach Ginies with four goals each, while Connor Ross provided dash from defence. Nick Wood will likely be leading the Woodrow Medal four rounds into the count after another standout performance from him helped SKOB take the top position on the ladder.

With all factors considered, OMs arguably had the hardest match-up of them all this week as they travelled to Wesley College in Glen Waverley for the 125^th celebration match of the Collegians Football Club. And wasn’t it a day for Lions supporters to remember, running out 45-point victors in wintery conditions. OMs were coming off two valiant displays against De La and Old Xaverians where one quarter of football cost them dearly in both matches. They failed to get things going against the Lions and mustered just three goals from 13 scoring shots with Justin De Steiger snagging two of them. Theo Rosenthal and Tom Bachet played extremely well in the conditions while Josh Freezer’s presence is as important as Nick De Steiger’s. The Lions’ improved ability to move the ball quickly and directly in 2017 is paying ultimate dividends as they continue to take all before them. The recruitment of Kalem Post gives reining Coaches MVP, Tom Penberthy, more time up forward and their combination with Alexander Croft and Corey Cassidy provides the perfect target practice for their skilful mids. The Lions will face their biggest test yet this weekend when they take their undefeated run and carry to the wide expanses of Daley Oval.

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers rose from 10^th to seventh after they put four quarters together and defeated Uni Blues at the Main. Talented half back/forward Josh Cowan appeared on VAFA Tragics this week and spoke about his side’s first win, noting the difference between Premier B and William Buck Premier in depth of talent across the board. The Tigers’ first three rounds were filled with difficult match-ups against Collegians, Xavs and Trinity, and they used those experiences to stick with Blues for three quarters, before kicking three goals to two in the fourth for the six-point win. Big V centre half back, Jaryd Robertson, has moved forward and provides a marking target while Michael Barnes continues to operate a high level with five goals. The loss was the Blues’ first in three weeks after they’d showcased serious finals credentials over the past fortnight. Ross Young continued his scintillating form since returning from the bush this year and they remain in fourth position following the T’s loss to Xavs. 19 scoring shots was their lowest tally of the season but they would expect to hit back strongly against OMs this weekend.

The grand final ‘re-match’ (refer to this week’s edition of VAFA Tragics for my opinion on the term), provided an exceptionally hard-fought contest between Old Xaverians and Old Trinity, with the Xavs edging past their rivals by three points. The Xavs trailed by 20 points at three quarter time and only registered their second goal in the 21^st minute of the third. But as every great side does, and in tune with their previous three rounds, they turned it on when it mattered. Reminiscent of last year’s grand final, Nick Wynne was best afield in the last quarter and intercepted the T’s forward thrusts time and again before using his elite skillset to move the ball forward where, more-often-than-not, Matt Handley got on the end of it. There are few tall forwards in the VAFA but their value in times of need is priceless. Handley was unstoppable in the fourth as he clunked everything that came his way and controlled the clock in the dying stages. Conversely, a tall marking forward was exactly what Trinity lacked at the same point in the match. They tried valiantly to wrestle back the momentum but their inside 50s were going unrewarded and the ball often bounced straight back the other way. Ed Weatherson missing due to illness certainly played a part in the situation. They were the better side for three quarters as Harry Thompson continued to impress in the ruck and Harry Tinney provided run from defence. It’s the toughest three weeks possible for the T’s who back up their matches against SKOB and Xavs with an enticing battle against Collegians this weekend.