Sharks, Blacks step up in Premier B

Alisha Min

An unseasonably summer-like afternoon greeted our Premier B teams and fans in Round 1 of the 2018 VAFA season, though with an average winning score line of 71 points across the competition, for many, the uplifting weather was where the good news ended.

Beaumaris vs Parkdale Vultures

12.18-90 vs 6.4-40 (50 points)

Just one year after their promotion to William Buck Premier, Beaumaris re-entered Premier B with a bite defeating the Parkdale Vultures by 50 points at Banksia Reserve.

The Vultures were able to fly with the Sharks early in the piece, trailing by only 3 points going into the first break. After their halftime re-group, the Vultures came out with a renewed energy in the third but a composed Beaumaris forward line, epitomised by Rob Cathcart’s 4 goal effort, proved too strong for the Parkdale side.

Though inaccurate in the final term (4.9), Sharks’ newly appointed senior coach Guy McKenna will be pleased with their debut back in the Premier B competition for 2018, while the Vultures will be keen to quickly put this loss behind them ahead of their Round 2 match-up against the in-form University Blacks. Beaumaris will look to consolidate their Round 1 success next weekend when they take on Old Haileyburians.

Caulfield Grammarians vs Old Carey

4.14-38 vs 19.16-130 (92 points)

An inaccurate Caulfield Grammarians (4.14), and an all-out-attacking Old Carey, proved too dominant in Round 1 of the Premier B competition as the Panthers notched a 92 point win to kick off their season.

After a successful season in the Premier C competition in 2017, the Fields were looking to make their mark in this first round of Premier B, but the top-end talent from the Panthers side, including Kristian Jaksch and Will Nichols, both of which tallied an impressive 4 goals each, were just too convincing against the recent Premier B additions.

Leading goalkicker in Premier C for the 2017 season, Declan Reilly, could not convert any majors for the Fields throughout the match, while their undoubtable stars in Tim Nixon and Will Baker were also unable to make enough of an impact in the match to stop the impressive Panthers from more than quadrupling their team score. With 10 players contributing to the Panther’s 19 goals for the game, coach Michael Tarrant will have a lot to be confident about heading into the rest of the season.

Caulfield Grammarians will be put to the test in their Round 2 clash against Monash Blues, while Old Carey will be challenged by similarly high-scoring Round 1 winners, St Bernards.

University Blacks vs Mazenod

15.16-106 vs 7.5-47 (59 points)

A consistent 4-quarter effort by the University Blacks saw them emerge as 59-point victors over Mazenod at Melbourne University Oval on Saturday afternoon.

A scoreless second quarter, and trailing by 38 points heading into the half-time break, all but sealed the deal for the Nodder’s Round 1 defeat. Despite the grim outlook, the Nodder’s emerged positive in the second half, adding 5 more goals to their total, with players Angus Patti and Lok contributing with two majors a-piece. To the Blacks credit, they looked impressive throughout the match, with contributions coming from across the ground. Lachlan Huntington, Lochie Dornauf and Angus Locke were particularly impressive in the forward line, scoring 12 of the Blacks 15 goals between them.

In Round 2, the University Blacks will take on Parkdale Vultures off the back of their 50 point deficit to William Buck Premier relegates, Beaumaris. Mazenod will be looking to claim their first win of the season in their match-up against Mark William’s in-form Ajax.

Ajax vs Old Haileyburians

20.7-127 vs 10.8-68 (59 points)

Ajax looked set to build upon their winning form from their 2017 season in this match up against the Premier C flag winners in the Old Haileyburians at Princes Park Caulfield.

Despite a goalless first term, the Bloods looked ready to battle in the second with their 7 goal turnaround bringing them within just 7 points going into the major break. Ajax added 4 more goals to their total in the third quarter, but the Bloods were promising still going into the final break with a 21 point deficit. The final term sealed the deal for the Mark William’s Ajax side, with a whopping 10.4 scored in this term to the Bloods 1.2. With 6 players within the Ajax line up scoring more than 1 goal a-piece, the consistent Ajax effort ultimately lead them to a comfortable 59 point victory against the former Premier C side.

Ajax will be hoping to consolidate their Round 1 victory on Saturday 14 April against Mazenod, while Old Haileyburians will be looking to rebuild their confidence against a tough Sharks outfit at Princes Park Caulfield.

St Bernards vs Monash Blues

21.14-140 vs 6.8-44 (96 points) (16 goals)

St Bernards proved to be too good against the Monash Blues in their conclusive 16 goal victory against the fellow consecutive Premier B side.

The Snow Dogs began their 2018 season campaign with an impressive 6 goal display in the first quarter, against the Blues 1 goal effort. It was an uphill battle from their for the Blues, who endured a high-scoring spectacle from the poised Snow Dogs for the duration of the match. The Snow Dogs had 9 goal contributors throughout the match, 6 of which managed to score 2 or more, while Nick Petering was the only goal scorer from the Blues to get more than 1.

The Snow Dogs will be looking to continue their score power in Round 2 against the equally as impressive Old Carey, and Monash Blues are set for a tight battle against the Caulfield Grammarians, who will be looking to notch their first win in the Premier B competition upon their promotion from Premier C at the end of 2017.