Its Showtime for Premier B Men’s in 2023

Josh Heriot

VAFA footy is back and for the players, coaches, and supporters, Saturday can’t come quicker. 

It’s been another busy off-season for Premier B, with players and coaches on the move and lots of change for season 2023. 

Premier B will begin the season with four new teams entering the mix and there’s sure to be some shake-ups throughout the year. 

Old Trinity and St Bernard’s enter Premier B having been relegated from William Buck Premier last year meanwhile Monash Blues and Old Geelong also enter Premier B having been promoted from Premier C last season. 

Old Trinity enters the 2023 season with a brand-new coach Donald McDonald. 

McDonald takes the reins after holding the role of Director of Football at Old Scotch, but the former North Melbourne ruckman and Box Hill Hawks premiership coach brings a wealth of experience to the role. 

Trinity ruckman Harry Thompson will be pivotal for the side this year after earning team of the year honours last season in premier division. 

Thompson will be assisted by club veterans Ed Weatherson and Callum Pohl as well as young guns Oliver and Myles Scott. 

When they’re not playing VFL, Trinity will also have the services of Hugo McGlashan, Sam Mason, Charles Beasley, and George Belcher who are all playing at Coburg under former coach of the T’s, Jamie Cassidy-McNamara. 

While last year didn’t work out for the snowdogs, they’ll take a stack of confidence into the 2023 season. 

St Bernard’s are a young team and exposure to premier football last year would no doubt have given the side great insight and experience.

St Bernard’s also have a new coach in Steve Allessio who will take charge in 2023. 

Allessio can look forward to coaching some club favourites in Ben Overman and Daniel Mott. Meanwhile Charlie Vague will be looking to continue his strong form into season 2023 after impressive performances throughout last season. 

Luca Allesio (son of Steve) is also a notable inclusion for the snow dogs who in recent years have been able to rebound quickly from premier relegation to find themselves back up at the top. 

Monash will enter the premier B competition on a high after their premiership win last year in premier C. 

The boys in blue will this year be led by new coach Dylan Cousins who takes over from Mark Passador after his six-year stint which included last year’s premiership. 

Mac Cameron leaves a big hole for the two-blues to fill after deciding to take his footy elsewhere in 2023. Cameron last year took out the L Zachariah medal and also his clubs best and fairest award. Significant shoes to fill.  

Old Geelong also enters the competition after coming up from Premier C last season. 

They stormed into the grand final from fourth after registering 12 wins for the season and despite the grand final loss by 21 points, they put together a strong year that they can continue to build on. 

Last season it was Will Horsfall and Jack Sheridan who stood out for Old Geelong, and both were also gallant during their grand final loss.

New recruit Sam Barnett will be a great addition to the Geelong line up after he played in a premiership with St Kevin’s in 2018 before spending time with Footscray in the VFL. 

Werribee VFL player Hudson Garoni is also a chance to pull on the Old Geelong jumper when not playing VFL. 

This weekend, Old Geelong will take on Beaumaris at Como park and it promises to be a tight contest.

Speaking of Beaumaris, they’ll be looking for some redemption this season after bailing out in the preliminary final against Haileybury. 

The Sharks are also another club to have a new head coach with Josh Bourke heading to the club. 

Some of the off-season inclusions to the Sharks have included Jimmy Freeman from Balwyn who also played VFL with Sandringham. Ben Hempel and Logan Young, also playing at Sandringham, will join the Sharks for season 2023. 

Other names include Brandan Young who comes across from Western Australia after playing with West Coast in the WAFL. 

No doubt the strong string of recruits will help the sharks in 2023 and they’re definitely a team to keep an eye on. You also can’t rule out Jak Nardino who claimed the 2022 GT Moore Medal as the best player in Premier B. 

De La Salle will be an interesting side to watch this season. After coming back down to premier B at the end of 2019, they have been competitive but haven’t been able to take their football to the next level. 

Last season saw them finish up in 5th with seven wins as they unsuccessfully fought for the final fourth spot for finals. 

Also a team with a lot of young talent, De La Salle have added some additional names to their 2023 list with the signings of Liam Murphy who heads back to the club after playing with Blackburn in the Eastern Football League. 

Lachie Gawel also joins the club after playing with Park Orchards in the Eastern Football League and a short stint with Carlton in the VFL. 

It was a tough year for Williamstown in season 2022 with only three wins and finishing 8th on the ladder. 

However, their fresh list will relish the opportunity to continue playing premier B football and they’ll be hungry to improve. 

Rob Chan will lead Williamstown as senior men’s captain and will be strongly assisted by both Brad Tucker and Nathan Malkoun.

Best and fairest winner from last season Tom Johnstone will also be a key pillar for the Williamstown side as they push for a stronger season. 

Ajax will be looking to mount a strong push for a top four spot this season after recording six wins in 2022. 

They have plenty of younger players coming through the club which is positive for their future and great for players gaining experience this season. 

Taking charge as coach will be Andrew Jago who will work with senior men’s captain and club veteran Nick Lewis. 

Lewis was reappointed captain last month which will see him captain of the club for the seventh consecutive year. He’ll be assisted by vice-captain Kane Nissenbaum as well as key players Brandon Joel, Corey Zielinski and Elliot Debinski. 

St Bedes/Mentone will have a stronger line-up in season 2023. Last year they showed glimpses of consistent footy but they’re tipped to come out firing this season.

The club has been busy recruiting some former players back to the club. 

Kye Beveridge returns to the club after playing VFL with Sandringham and Collingwood. Beveridge is also a former senior best and fairest winner at the club. 

Alex Cross also returns to the club having played VFL with Sandringham. Cross is a premiership player with the Tigers as part of their U19 program. 

One of their other notable recruits is Alex Smout. Smout spent time playing footy in Canberra as well as playing with GWS in the VFL and along with Beveridge and Cross, will significantly boost their list. 

Fitzroy finished last season in fourth spot and snuck into the finals. They played eventual premiers Haileybury in round one of the finals and lost in a tight affair by six points. 

However, they are a team to watch throughout the year and will be dangerous for opposition sides. Off season changes included the retirement of three club champions with Toby Hudson-Bevege, Matt Kyroussis and Tom O’Donnell all hanging up the boots. 

They will be replaced by new recruits to the club with Chas Roberts, Caleb Harward and Jordan Jobling all wearing the Fitzroy jumper in 2023. 

With a mixture of youngsters and more experienced players, Fitzroy will be once again threatening in premier B. 

It promises to be an exciting year in premier B with a plethora of new recruits making things all the more interesting this season.

Round one is packed with mouth watering clashes across the board so grab your coat and your footy and head on down to watch the return of VAFA football in 2023!