Old Trinity are playing in a Field of delight

Photo: Graeme Diggle, Caulfield Grammarians

It’s arguably one of the most fascinating round of results we’ve seen in William Buck Premier for some time. Every game was well and truly alive at 3 quarter time, as the ladder starts to take some form of shape the bottom five sides are separated by percentage only as they’re all 1-3 after the opening month. 

The upset of the round came from the Daley Oval as Old Trinity got the opening quarter jump on University Blues. For the third time this season the Blues have trailed at quarter time and despite taking a two point lead into half-time the T’s refused to wilt regaining at five point lead at 3 quarter time and holding on until the final siren in an even scoring final quarter. 

Old Trinity have one of the youngest sides in the competition with an almost complete overhauling of their list, this win will feel like a form of validation for coach Jamie Cassidy-McNamara and the approach they’re taking to this season. They will front up against the ladder leaders next week ready to battle aiming for another scalp. 

Tom Paidoussis was rewarded by good early season form kicking 5 goals for the winners in a best on ground display. The Blues power forwards in Fasolo and Grimley were held goalless.

For Uni, they’ll be home for 3 of their next 4 matches and after a 2021 season that never really got going, this will be their window of opportunity to get 2022 back on track. 

Caulfield Grammarians were the other winless side going into Round 4 and it’s scary how similar they’re tracking with their 2021 form. Last year they produced a famous win against Old Xaverians, this weekend was exactly that, this time by 20 points.

Isaac Morrisby is having a terrific start to 2022 kicking three goals in tandem with Julian Dobosz (2 goals in his return), the Fields trailed at quarter time but didn’t give back the lead once they took it during the second quarter.

Not unsurprisingly when Caulfield win, Will Edwards is named the best player on the ground, playing a captains game and recapturing some of his best form from 2021 to get them over the line. Is this going to be the start of another Fields streak? Next week they head to Old Brighton, their biggest rivals in the competition. 

For Old Xaverians, you need to go back to the start of 2018 where they last lost three games in a row, they’re in a clump of five teams sitting at 1-3 but will be expecting a stronger output from their playing group next week against Collegians. 

A silver-lining for Xav’s was the senior debut of Daniel Tuddenham who kicked 2 goals and Tom Simmons after a strong showing in the reserves this year. 

Old Brighton welcomed back Will Lewis into the line-up for the first time this year but five goals from the power forward wasn’t enough to give them a 4-0 start as they went down to Old Scotch at Camberwell Park by 7 points. 

The Cardinals could’ve inflicted greater pain on the Tonners albeit for inaccurate kicking in the opening term leaving the door slightly open. Much like over at the Daley Oval, Old Brighton hit back and took a lead into half-time. Momentum swings in footy these days are far more common than kicking 100 goals in a season as Scotch took advantage of the ascendancy in the third term through Lukic (3 goals), and Tom Sellers (2 goals in a BOG performance). 

The preview of this game flagged a barnstorming finish if the sides were evenly matched at 3 quarter time. A 13 point lead was extended to beyond 20 early in the last term for the home side before the Brighton charge came again, unfortunately for the Tonners they ran out of time as Scotch held on for their second 7-point win of the season to give them a 2-2 start to 2022. 

Old Melburnians accounted for St Bernard’s at the home of VAFA football by 34 points in the only game that was predicted to go to script from the Premier preview last week. 

Cam Banfield, a late withdrawal in Round 3, kicked three goals for the home side supported up forward by Tom Baker who is making every post a winner at his new club. 

It’s no surprise to see Oscar Hosking and Josh Freezer named as the two best players on the ground for OM’s as the Snowdogs were kept to just 5 goals for the afternoon. While high scores have been few and far between in William Buck Premier from the opening 16 games of the season, St Bernard’s are having a tough time of it in front of goal kicking winnable scores. 

OM’s next assignment is Uni Blues at Melbourne University as St Bernard’s will welcome Old Scotch to the snakepit in Round 5. 

The RSN Carnival match of the day between the modern-day rivals St Kevin’s and Collegians didn’t disappoint. St Kevin’s prevailed by 21 points to become the only undefeated side in the opening month of the William Buck Premier season. 

Youngster Jack Darmody set the first half alight for SKOB fans with three of his four goals coming before half-time. At the other end of the ground, Dave Mirra and Ed Greene worked in tandem to wrestle back momentum for Collegians and then helped them forge ahead to a 13 point lead at 3 quarter time. 

Tempers flared throughout the afternoon with Jaryd Cachia on debut in the thick of the action. Ably supported in the midfield by Luke Winter and Josh Tynan’s run off the backline. 

Angus Hart and Matt Singleton fought a terrific fight all afternoon in the ruck, Kenny Ong and Sam Hibbins tried everything for the purple army but the strength of the home side won out in the end as St Kevin’s stormed home with six final quarter goals to show the rest of the competition they’re still the team to beat. 

This round of footy has proven that any team, on any day is going to be tough to beat and even 5% off your game is going to cost you in the end. 

We already can’t wait to see what Round 5 will bring in 6 days time.