From Blue to Blue Heaven – William Buck Premier Men’s Round 2 in Review

University Blues have ridden the footy rollercoaster in the first two rounds of William Buck Premier Men’s.

After losing to an after-the-siren goal in Round 1, the Blues found themselves entwined in another thriller – this time against Collegians at Harry Trott Oval.

They got the jump with 6 of the first 7 goals to hold a handy 29-point lead early in the second term, which turned into a low-scoring grind with just 3 majors for the quarter as the Lions created opportunities but didn’t take full toll, adding 1.3 to still trail by 21 at half-time.

The game opened up in the third term, and when Collegians booted 3 goals in 8 minutes midway through the quarter, the margin was slashed to 8 points. But the Blues steadied with a couple of late goals to head to the final change with their 21-point advantage restored.

However, the Lions weren’t done yet, kicking the first 3 goals of the final term to close within 2 points as a come-from-behind win suddenly appeared possible.

Credit again to the visitors, who settled with the next two goals and had the game seemingly under control until Jordon Carroll slipped across the front of a marking contest at the top of the goalsquare and brought it back within one straight kick at the 32-minute mark.

A desperate final 30 seconds ensued as the Lions drove it forward, looking for the goal to tie it up. But the Blues’ defence held on grimly for a 5-point victory that means so much more than just the 4 premiership points it delivered.

Matt Smith (Uni Blues): “A game of two halves, really. I thought we controlled the game really well in the first half, keeping to our style and the way we wanted to move the ball.

“To their credit, they just kept hanging around, finding ways to stay in touch, and then they owned a lot of the momentum in the second half. We played into their style and allowed them to dictate too much.

“A scrappy win, but we’ll take it. Any time you can get a win away against Collegians, you’ll take it however you can.”

Jordie McKenzie (Collegians): “Unfortunately, we had another slow start and were playing catch up throughout the afternoon.

“Conditions were challenging, and the game was played at quite a high intensity. We saw more of our brand of footy compared to last week, but ultimately couldn’t get the job done. Credit to the Blues who were able to stand up in the big moments throughout the day.

“Campbell Walker worked tirelessly on the ball, along with Kenny Ong. Caleb Franks and Luke Nelson made their club debuts and were also prolific.

“We look forward to taking on Scotch on ANZAC Day in what will be a very big clash.”

James Stewart finished with 4 goals for the Blues, while Alex Lukic did likewise for the Lions, who start 0-2 for the second straight season.

Just three teams remain undefeated after two rounds of William Buck Premier Men’s – last year’s premiers, last year’s minor premiers, and the plucky Snowdogs.

St Bernard’s have started their 2025 campaign in the best possible fashion, claiming the Melbourne Uni double, comfortably accounting for the University Blacks after that after-the-siren Round 1 thriller over the Blues.

The Blacks led by a kick at the first change before the Snowdogs booted 4 goals in 6 minutes to seize the initiative. Blacks stabilised to close within 11 points at the major break before the margin hovered in the teens and early 20’s throughout the third term.

The early stages of the final quarter proved decisive, as St Bernard’s kicked the first two goals to crack the game open.

They accelerated from there, finishing with a 6-goal last quarter to secure an impressive 46-point victory and a promising 2-0 start with a mouth-watering Round 3 visit from Old Brighton next on their agenda.

Tom Sullivan was outstanding, finding plenty of the football and booting 3 goals to win the SKINS Player of the Game Award from the VAFA SEN commentary team.

Steve Alessio (St Bernard’s): “We knew that we had to be on top of the contested part of our game. Uni Blacks are very good at getting numbers to the ball and then generating run and carry.

“I’m glad we were able to run out the game in the hot conditions. We were pretty even across the board, with most our players contributing well on the day.

“We look forward to the break and assessing as a group where we are at and the improvement areas we need to address.”

Dale Bower (Uni Blacks): “St Bernard’s were excellent and thoroughly deserved victory. Unfortunately, we ran out of steam in the second half, but I am proud of how our players fought to the end through adversity.

“We know our best footy is good enough to get the results we want. We just need to keep working towards it.”

Two potential premiership contenders collided as St Kevin’s hosted Old Xaverians at TH King Oval.

It was a tense, high-pressure struggle all afternoon after Xavs scored the first 10 points of the match – which proved to be the largest margin all day.

Goals were hard to come by, with the two teams kicking a combined 13.25 as the pressure and intensity took their toll in the hot conditions.

After booting 28 goals in the opening round, Xavs’ high-powered attack was a handful once again, taking 14 marks Inside 50, but they didn’t finish their work as efficiently as they would have liked. The same could be said at the other end of the ground, where gun sharpshooter Patty Kerr went goalless (0.4) for just the second time in 24 matches.

The game hung in the balance all afternoon, with less than a kick separating the teams for much of the last quarter.

Denis Symeopoulos put Xavs ahead with a quick snap at the 13-minute mark, and another 13 minutes of close, tense football would expire before SKOB’s Jack Darmody was taken high and calmly slotted what turned out to be the winner from 25 metres out directly in front at the 26-minute mark.

The siren would sound 6 minutes later, signalling a confidence-boosting victory for St Kevin’s against a fellow contender and a team they seem destined to meet in September.

Anthony Lynch (St Kevin’s): “It was a fantastic display of VAFA football – highly skilled, huge physical contests, and both teams had their chances to win.

“We are thrilled to have found a way to grind out a win against a really strong opposition who we respect, and they have certainly improved since last year.

“It’s nice to even the ledger and we can hopefully now bounce out of the bye with some momentum.”

Dan Donati (Old Xavs): “We certainly had our chances throughout the day, but unfortunately, it was one of those days where our finishing was below where we’d expect.

“Full credit to Plugger and SKOBs in the end, such a well-drilled and organised team. If you don’t take your chances, they’ll get you. Really good game of footy, played in the right spirit throughout, it was just a shame we were on the wrong side of the result.

“I thought our backs were outstanding, Jed Fennelly and Alex Trigar lead the way, Jack Whitehead and Tommy McCrae were tireless in their efforts, and to be honest, I couldn’t fault any of the boys’ effort. Both sides put it on the line all day.”

Last year’s minor premiers met last year’s Premier B champions as Old Brighton hosted Old Haileybury at Brighton Beach Oval.

The Tonners maintained their impressive opening-round form into Round 2, dominating the first term with 11 shots to 2, establishing a 39-point lead at quarter-time that would ultimately prove decisive.

The Bloods worked their way into the contest in the second term, winning their share of ball inside the contest and controlling territory. Seven shots to three resulted, as they closed the gap to 30 points at the major break.

Old Brighton looked to have put the game to bed by kicking the first 4 goals of the second half before Old Haileybury responded with 4 of their own to wake it up again.

However, the Tonners resumed normal transmission to boot 4 of the next 5 majors and ultimately retained top spot with a comfortable 46-point win.

Durras Seccull kicked 5 goals for the Bloods, while Jamie Hope slotted 4 for the Tonners.

Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “Another beauty at the Beach – fast deck and good conditions had the ball moving.

“We wanted to make sure we started really well and, importantly, get pressure on Haileybury so they couldn’t get their speed and ball movement going as they score so quickly and you end up chasing.

“It was much more even after the first quarter, with both teams having momentum at different points. It was great to kick another score over 100.

“Harry Hill was exceptional all day, Sam Linder played a beauty for his debut – clean and professional – and Felix Flockart had a huge impact in the ruck and forward again. Campbell Tweedie defended well and gave us good drive from the back half.”

Daniel Ward (Old Haileybury): “Full credit to Old Brighton, who jumped us at the start. They made us pay for our errors by hand and foot.

“We lost Noah Higgins to a concussion and Kye Turner to a hamstring before half time, so the game could have really got away from us. We’re proud of the group for hanging in there all day and fighting the game out in tough conditions.

“Great lessons for our group about what a quality outfit looks like and where we can close the gap. We will regroup and look forward to taking on Old Xavs after Easter.”

The final game of Round 2 saw last season’s premiers Old Scotch visit De La Salle at Waverley Oval for the first time since 2018.

And the Cardinals quickly made themselves at home, booting 5 goals to 1 in the opening term to lead by 23 points at the first change.

Another 6 goals to 3 in the second quarter saw that advantage expand to 40 points at the major break, then 52 at the last change before De La finished well, posting a 5-goal-to-3 final term that reduced the eventual margin to 40 points.

The inside battle was even, but it was Old Scotch’s ability to turn clearances into scores which made the difference – the Cards booting 9 goals to 3 from stoppage.

Ryan Valentine booted 5 goals for the Cardinals, while Aidan Franetic and Brodie Easton were outstanding with 39 and 36 disposals respectively. Christian Algeri shone once again with 36 and 12 clearances for the hosts.

It’s been an impressive start to Old Scotch’s premiership defence. They join Old Brighton and St Bernard’s as the three undefeated teams after a fortnight of William Buck Premier Men’s footy, which pauses for the competition-wide Easter bye before resuming on Anzac Day.

Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “We played some really good footy for 3-and-a-half quarters.

“Our ability to set up well behind the ball and then move the ball with efficiency was very pleasing. Doug Lawrence and Jack Brown led the way in defence, and Angus Halse was again a pillar of strength.

“Both Brodie Easton and Aidan Franetic are starting to find plenty of the footy and Ryan Valentine was a strong target in the forward half.

“Full credit to De La who kept fighting as they finished the game off strongly and proved that they can match it with the sides in Premier Grade.”

Nick Hyland (De La Salle): “We were outplayed by a very well-drilled Old Scotch team. Similar to last week, we had some really good patches where we had the game on our terms. However, we just couldn’t sustain the intensity for the full 2 hours. Some lapses in concentration really hurt us, and to Scotch’s credit, they made us pay on the scoreboard.

“Generating 22 scoring shots was a positive, however we need to create more quality looks to give us a chance to kick a winning score. We also need to tighten up defensively and play more effective team defence.

“I’m pleased with the way we fought out the game and kept working in what were really trying conditions. Winning the last quarter five goals to three gives us some confidence to take into the Easter break.”

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THIS SATURDAY – EASTER WEEKEND BYE

ROUND 3 – WILLIAM BUCK PREMIER MEN’S ‘SHOWCASE ROUND’

EVERY Premier Men’s match STREAMED LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au:

FRIDAY APRIL 25 (1pm):

Old Scotch                             vs             Collegians                 VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 12.45pm

SATURDAY APRIL 26 (2pm):

University Blues                   vs             University Blacks       VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.45pm       

St Bernard’s                           vs             Old Brighton              VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.45pm

De La Salle                             vs             St Kevin’s                   SEN MOTD & VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.45pm

Old Xaverians                       vs             Old Haileybury            VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.45pm       

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV