Rd.10 William Buck Premier Men’s Preview

It’s crunch time for a few Premier Men’s teams as we enter the second half of the Home & Away season.

ST BERNARD’S will be desperate to snap their 6-game losing streak as they host UNIVERSITY BLUES at the Snake Pit.

The Snowdogs are severely undermanned with 22 players listed as unavailable last weekend and while they are effectively fighting with one arm tied behind their back, they ARE still fighting and are always a tricky proposition at home.

Their clear strength is out of the middle – they are the #1 Centre Clearance team in the comp by a decent margin, but they need to turn that into more scoring opportunities as their general play isn’t as dominant.

Last for Disposal Efficiency & Scoring Efficiency, they must capitalise on their Centre Break strength against the team ranked last in the comp for Centre clearances.

Unlike the Snowdogs, the Blues are super-efficient up forward, ranked #2 for Scoring Efficiency. They don’t need a lot of Inside 50s to kick a winning score due to their strike power, which includes the League’s two leading goalkickers James Stewart and Sam Grimley alongside the dangerous Eddie Ziebarth.

We know St Bernard’s will create chances. Can they seize their opportunities this week to pull off an upset win that would be a significant step in the race to avoid relegation?

Catch every moment of our VAFA SEN MATCH OF THE DAY LIVE on the SEN app, SEN.com.au & VAFA.com.au from 1.45pm Saturday.

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Much like the Snowdogs, UNIVERSITY BLACKS are entering a critical phase of their season, with a challenging 3-week stretch that begins by hosting league-leaders OLD BRIGHTON at Melbourne Uni Oval.

Blacks arrive at Round 10 just one win above the drop zone, having lost 4 of their last 5 to slip to a 3-6 record.

But 4 of those 6 defeats have come by 2 goals or less, including their Round 2 clash with the Tonners, who they pushed to 9 points at Brighton Beach Oval after holding them scoreless in the third term to level the game at three quarter-time.

So last week’s 53-point loss to St Kevin’s was uncharacteristically uncompetitive from Blacks and coach Dale Bower will be expecting a fierce response at home this week, mixed with far better ball usage – the Blacks their own worst enemy against SKOB both around the ground and in front of goal.

Old Brighton’s last two starts have given the rest of the competition hope, with St Kevin’s inflicting their first loss of the season followed by Collegians all but following suit with another defeat last weekend, before the Tonners got out of jail in vice-captain Mike Karayannis’ 200^th game.

The league-leaders pride themselves on their inside game and skipper Harry Hill told the VAFA’s FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME podcast this week that it’s an area they are determined to get back on top of after being challenged in the last couple of matches. Still ranked #1 in Contested Possessions, they face a Blacks line-up ranked #3, so it’s going to be hot in the kitchen as the Top 2 Ground Ball teams collide.

The Tonners’ biggest strength is their evenness across the field. Ranked #1 in both Attack and Defence, they will have to withstand the heat from the #1 Tackling team in the comp.

Can Blacks kickstart their campaign with a huge win at home or will the Tonners resume normal transmission?

Catch our UNI BLACKS vs OLD BRIGHTON double header live streaming on Kommunity TV from 11.40am Saturday (Reserves) into the Seniors from 1.45pm.

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OLD XAVERIANS host ST KEVIN’S at Toorak Park in what could be a season-defining clash for the Xavs, who had strung together 3 straight wins before being overwhelmed by the Cardinals in the second half last week.

It saw Xavs slip to sixth at the halfway mark, with 4 of their 5 wins coming over the 4 teams below them.

Ranked #8 in Attack and #5 in Defence, Xavs could use a big scalp to jumpstart their season and ensure they keep in touch with the leading pack.

But beating SKOB is easier said than done and last season’s runners-up will roll into Toorak Park on a 4-game winning streak that includes meritorious victories over Old Scotch & Old Brighton.

Xavs did a decent job of restricting the Cardinals’ flow for periods last week. They’ll need that discipline again this week against a St Kevin’s line-up that has been extremely efficient when they have the ball and disruptive when they don’t.

Xavs are strong around the contest (#2 for Contested Possessions & Clearances) and will be hoping to control possession and territory off the back of that, or at least prevent SKOB from racking up plentiful supply to dangerous forward duo Patty Kerr & Sam Tucker (SKOB are #1 Inside 50s vs Old Xavs #7).

Can the hosts snap SKOB’s winning streak and claim their biggest scalp of the season or will St Kevin’s keep on rolling?

Catch our OLD XAVERIANS vs ST KEVINS double header live streaming at VAFA.com.au from 11.40am Saturday (Reserves) into the Seniors from 1.45pm.

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COLLEGIANS are another team whose season could go in either direction. The reigning premiers enter Round 10 in 5^th spot, having slipped out of the Top 4 after their heart-breaking 2-point loss to Old Brighton – their second consecutive loss after a 5-game win streak.

This week they host the enigmatic OLD MELBURNIANS, who continue to ride the rollercoaster in 2024 with flat patches interspersed with scintillating bursts of irresistible football.

The Lions love to possess the ball and if they are allowed to rack up touches with endless chains of uncontested footy, they are very difficult to beat (#1 Disposal Efficiency by hand and foot). OMs need to disrupt these chains with defensive intensity.

Collegians are also the #1 Intercept Marking team in the competition and set up so well behind the ball, then slingshot back the other way. So OMs will be aiming to win the inside battle and then control the ball themselves.

Led by ball-winning machines Ben Harding, Ned Nichols & Will Nichols, OMs will be looking to feed their leading goalscorer Sam Laube, who has booted 22 for the season (the next best being Ned Nichols with 9).

Wins at Harry Trott don’t come easy. Can OMs light this one up for long enough to claim the 4 points or will the reigning champs return to the winners list?

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The final clash of Round 10 sees FITZROY host OLD SCOTCH at the iconic Brunswick Street Oval.

The Roys have been far more competitive and dangerous than their win-loss record might suggest. Last week they were within 5 points of Uni Blues at the final break but couldn’t take their chances late – inaccuracy costing them their shot at a second win.

Fitzroy have struggled to win and control the football (ranked Last for Disposals, Contested Possessions, Ground Balls & Clearances) and this week they come up against the #1 Disposal team in the comp – the Cardinals.

So the Roys will need to bring the heat to prevent Old Scotch racking up touches at will, because the Cards bat deep in the midfield with the likes of Ben Hays, Isaac Conway, Brodie Easton & Charlie Cormack all putting up big numbers in 2024.

If they are allowed to control the tempo of the game for extended periods, it will become a long afternoon for the Royboys.

But Travis Ronaldson’s team are always plucky at home and well capable of finding another gear in front of their adoring home crowd. They’ve controlled games in patches but not quite for long enough to pick up the wins. Is this the week they go on with the job or will the Cardinals defend their Top 4 berth?

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Join the VAFA SEN MATCH OF THE DAY call team for our live coverage of ST BERNARD’S vs UNIVERSITY BLUES from 1.45pm Saturday on SEN.com.au & the SEN app.

Catch UNIVERSITY BLACKS vs OLD BRIGHTON live streaming on Kommunity TV from 11.40am Saturday (Reserves) into the Seniors from 1.45pm.

Watch OLD XAVERIANS vs ST KEVIN’s live streaming on VAFA.com.au from 11.40am Saturday (Reserves) into the Seniors from 1.45pm.

Keep up-to-date with live scores and the latest news at VAFA.com.au