Plenty of questions, still no answers in William Buck Premier

Nick Armistead – @NickArmistead 

13 rounds into the season and just one and a half games separate fifth from 10th – outrageous! Questions remain about teams wanting to secure fourth spot on the ladder, while relegation is as open as we’ve seen in recent memory. 

Uni Blues re-opened discussions with the final four following a comprehensive 46-point win over St Kevin’s OB at Uni Oval. We’ve witnessed a change of fortunes at the Blues over the past four games, beginning with their five-point loss to Old Brighton in Round 10. They’ve since ran over De La, stumbled against the T’s after leading by four goals at the half and finally pieced it all together with last weekend’s performance against SKOB. Ayce Cordy is operating at an elite level and throwing his name in the air for Woodrow contention after another BOG display and his second four-goal haul for the season. Piers Flanagan continues to get fitter every week, while Jack Townley is back to his best in defence. Add Jeremy Mugavin, Tim Geappen and Ross Young (should he be able to quell his issues with syndesmosis) and the one-game gap between themselves and Trinity seems ridiculously gettable for a side who has underperformed in 2018. With the third-best percentage in the competition, all they need are W’s. SKOB won’t be too disappointed with this week’s result barring the fact they lost top spot to the Lions. They lost to the Blues by 44 points at Uni Oval in Round 16 last year, proving it’s not a happy hunting ground, but will be buoyed by the standout performances from young guns Cam Hodges, Tom Kerr and Sam Barnett.  

De La Salle registered their second consecutive victory and launched out of relegation territory into sixth spot on the ladder following a 47-point win over Old Scotch at Camberwell Sports Ground. It was the De La we know and love for large periods of the match, cutting it up across half back through Jake Williams and Jason Tutt, and subsequently piling goals on in succession. Adrian Indovino was the main recipient in front of goal with seven of De La’s 14 and four more than his next best output this season. Tom Humphrey and Sean Fisher delivered a defensive masterclass, while Geordie Nagle added composure and Harrison Burt showcased elusive foot speed. Brendan Close is having a breakout season as a run-with player and this week stifled the influence of Jack Bull. Trailing by 38 points at the half, the Cardinals imparted their physical pressure at the start of the third, but it mattered little as De La absorbed the contact and continued to apply scoreboard pressure. In just his second game, Lachlan Waddell was a standout for the Cardinals in the ruck. They’ve now suffered two straight losses to Xavs and De La by an average of 50.5 points, but still hold the fourth-best percentage in the competition.  

St Bedes/Mentone Tigers secured their third win in a row with a 45-point victory over Old Trinity at Brindisi St Oval. On a special day for the club where they dedicated the match to Jane Barnes and raised funds for the Maddie Riewoldt Foundation, the Tigers were on from the get-go as if finals had come five weeks early. They kicked 10 of the first 14 goals and never looked back, with Big V star and Jane’s brother, Michael, fittingly kicking three goals and named best afield. Josh Cowan and Liam Sumner added three goals of their own. The Tigers’ three-game winning streak has levelled them with both Xavs and Scotch on four wins, while they’ve improved their percentage from 69.6% to 85.36% – a far clearer indicator of their list’s talent. As for the T’s, it was a chance to maintain a two-game buffer over the Blues and, given their percentage is just 87.05%, wins are exactly what this club needs to maintain its spot in the four. Since winning four of their first five games, the T’s have won just two of their past eight by an average margin of five points.  

Can everyone take a deep breath? Old Brighton are back and they’re in the four. While they suffered two disastrous losses after a host of talented players left in pursuit of the northern sun, they welcomed back key personnel such as Harry Hill, Dylan Verney, Tom Larkworthy, Elliot Le Grice and Fraser Gregson. As such, they ran over an out-of-form Old Melburnians by 41 points at Elsternwick Park. Levi Otto booted three while Le Grice and 150-gamer Andrew Dewar were best afield. At this stage of the season, this much is true – the Tonners are finals bound and I for one cannot wait to watch their exciting brand of football in the first semi-final. On the other hand, OMs are in a world of hurt at present, having lost their past four games by an average of 55 points. At the half way point of the season, we were talking a potential finals run for the Redlegs as they sat comfortably in fourth but are now looking at them sitting in seventh with the lowest percentage of any side. The one thing OMs have that no teams around them can boast is Josh Freezer, Tom Paule, Al Armstrong and Matt Thomas when his body allows him. Nick Daish has been outstanding, and Tom Cameron is now four games back from injury but it all starts this weekend when they travel to Toorak Park for the match of the round against Xavs.  

Speaking of, Old Xaverians were unable to stop Collegians from claiming top spot on the ladder as they fell nine points short of the Lions at Harry Trott Oval. After losing to Xavs earlier in the season, a win was important for the Lions from a head-to-head perspective but played second fiddle to the successful return of Will Johnson and improvement of Lachie Ferguson. If the Lions are to go one further in September, a fit and firing Johnson/Ferguson combination is paramount to their potential success, so to see those two kick three goals each was of the utmost importance. The loss means Xavs fall to ninth, but their past two games have proved they’re not a ninth-placed team. Tomi and Clay Johnston were standouts and will need to lift again when the Xavs host OMs this weekend. If you’re undecided about where you’re watching VAFA footy, Toorak Park is the place to be.