St. Bedes Mentone/Tigers claw back with a vengeance

Round 12 is now behind us in what was a gritty and tightly contested weekend of football. This U19 Premier section is one of the tightest in recent history.

Only five teams will play finals, yet there are four teams sitting on six wins each. St. Kevins is sitting one win clear of the pack but was just torn apart by a young and hungry St. Bedes Mentone/Tigers, sitting in sixth.

Williamstown and Old Scotch are not to be counted out of finals contention either, sitting on 5 wins apiece. A lot can happen in six rounds, all eyes are on the future stars of the competition in U19 Premier.

St. Bedes/Mentone Tigers def. St. Kevins by 29 points

SBMT have kept their season alive with a ruthless victory against the top placed SKOB. The hard-nosed Tigers remained on top from the outset, not allowing their opponent to play the composed style their accustomed to. The large crowd were treated to a fiery contest under the lights at Brindisi St.

The consistent nucleus of J. Harding, J. Turner, F. Chandler, H. Gleeson, L. Bowles, & T. Nash stood tall for the home side. Whilst L. Dunn, H. Gleeson & L. Bowles combined for 6 majors. SBMT didn’t allow themselves to be intimidated by the classy SKOB and played a game style conducive to their home deck. SKOB have been a class above all season and will be disappointed to have missed a scalp against a team they defeated 5 weeks ago.

St. Kevins will look ahead to Old Brighton this week, a match they must win to remain on top. St. Bedes will face University Blues in what will be great test for the youthful side.

Williamstown CYMS def. University Blues by 17 points

Another result which illustrates the claustrophobia of this section. Uni entered this game 2 games clear of the CYs and were yet defeated by an uncompromising Williamstown side. Williamstown remain one of most dangerous teams on their home deck but just haven’t been able to string together consistent away performances that would fuel their descent up the ladder.

Z. Provest has been a pillar for the CYs throughout this entire season. His 4 majors were important in closing out this contest. He now sits second in the division for goals scored. A. Fernandes was best afield with a high possession count and 3 goals.

Uni are now one of four teams sitting 6-6 and will need to secure some wins to stay in the top 5. It wasn’t a poor performance by any means, but they’ll need to make some small adjustments with only six rounds remaining. I. Dykes, J. Ryan, T. O”Brien, T. Ingram, H. Meggitt & J. McMahon were all admirable in a losing side.

Uni will play St. Bedes Mentone in RD13, another side which sits 6-6. Whilst Williamstown will test themselves against Old Xavier.

Old Xavierians def. Old Brighton by 44 points

Old Xaverians remains a big player in this section after a convincing win against Old Brighton. The Xavs are sitting in a good position at this point of the season, 2nd on the ladder and plethora of depth to utilise. Brighton have fallen to the middle of the pack but are a more than capable side.

W. Exell had a monster game for Old Xavier, making an impact high up the ground whilst scoring 4 majors. W. Wrigley, T. Bourne, C. Bourne, A. Scally & J. Sassi were all terrific in an important win.

Old Brighton started in a sluggish manner, scoring a singular point in the opening quarter. With 6 rounds remaining, it is possible that fatigue may be starting to set in for the young side. J. Campigli, L. Mccluskey, R. Mckenzie, T. Rohan, M. Bierens & J. Caldwell did all they could to try wrestle back the margin.

Old Xavierians will face Williamstown in an important match this weekend. Old Brighton will go up against St. Kevins, a match that will likely dictate their finals eligibility.

St. Bernards def by. Caulfield Grammarians by 68 points

Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear St. Bernards season will get any better. They’ve gone 12 rounds without a win and have struggled to match the standard required at U19 Premier level. Caulfield’s season has been impressive in spurts, but they find themselves 6-6 and will need to work hard to capture a finals berth.

D. Gilham, J. Rendelmann, D. Restuccia, T. Lowrie, A. Ryan & M. Loukomitis were all admirable for St. Bernards. Despite not being able to capture a win, their overall scoring has been impressive. D. Gilham was able to slot 4 in a losing side.

Caulfield were impressive for the duration of the contest. Their first quarter set the standard with 11 scoring shots. A. Loughnan was the standout best afield with 6 majors and plenty of impact across half forward. After spending last year with the Sandringham Dragons, he has frequented for Caulfield’s seniors throughout this season. He is a handy inclusion for the U19s in their quest for finals.

St. Bernards will play Old Scotch in RD13. Caulfield will play local rivals in De La Salle.

De La Salle def. Old Scotch by 7 points

Another thrilling encounter at Waverley Oval saw De La prevail by a goal over the closely matched Scotch. De La Salle now sit 2 games clear of Old Scotch in 3rd position.

Despite starting a little slower than they would’ve liked, De La wouldn’t let Scotch out of their grasp on their home deck. Some great passages of play saw them take the lead by 3 points at ¾ time. Noteworthy composure from J. Stewart, S. McNidder, S. Cross, E. Macbeth, J. Torey-Toth & C. O”Meara was instrumental in De La’s victory. L. Lyngberg was the only multiple goal scorer for the afternoon.

Old Scotch will be frustrated that they couldn’t secure a RD12 victory. They now sit second last with finals hopes dwindling. Though their 5 wins this season have been to a classy standard. W. Townsend, R. Beckworth, S. Norman, H. Byrne-Jones, J. Harker & C. Ferguson were amongst Scotch’s best.

De La will travel across the suburbs to play Caulfield in RD13. Old Scotch will look to resuscitate their season against the lowly St. Bernards.