St Mary’s, Old Yarra continue to dominate early

Four teams sit undefeated and four teams remain winless after two rounds of the Division 2 Men’s season.

Old Yarra continued their hot start to the season, winning their second consecutive game by triple figures as they steamrolled Aquinas by 117 points.

The Bloods broke through early, with Sam Glennie kicking the first goal of the game. But it was one way traffic for much of the first half after that point, with Old Yarra kicking the next 10 goals on their way to a 48-point lead at half time.

The Cobras continued to run away with the game in the second half, kicking 11 goals to one. Max Parkes was particularly impressive, registering four of his five goals after the main break.

Old Yarra coach Nathan Monaco was impressed with the team’s defensive efforts, conceding a solitary behind in the final quarter this week against Aquinas after holding South Melbourne scoreless in the fourth quarter last week. He praised Eoin Hanrahan and Will Fleming for their strong performances in the back half in the early part of the season.

Bloods coach Craig Glennie was proud that his team never gave up but conceded Old Yarra were too good, spreading the ground well and capitalising on Aquinas’ turnovers.

St Mary’s Salesian made it two wins from two home games to open the 2025 season following their 140-point thumping of Hawthorn at Ferndale Park.

The Saints led from start to finish and maintained a high level of offensive output throughout the game. St Mary’s had 11 different players hit the scoresheet, with Jacob McElroy (seven) and Clay Tait (four) doing the majority of the damage. 

Saints coach Clay Tait was pleased with how well the team held their structure for most of the contest, which had been a key focus in the lead up to the match.

“Our midfielders were really strong all day, but they didn’t go kick chasing. They stuck to their structures and played within the team game, which was great. That’s something that we’ve been focusing on throughout the pre-season,” he said.

Hawthorn coach Mark Murray acknowledged his team didn’t have any answers to stop the rampaging Saints.

“It’s one of those games that you can sit down and review it to the nth degree, or you can just forget about it. And we’ll just forget about it because we know that’s not us. We know that won’t happen again,” Murray said.

MHSOB bounced back last week’s narrow loss to Hawthorn, defeating Canterbury by 41 points to claim their first win of the season.

Six points separated the two teams after the first quarter, before the Unicorns kicked five goals to two in the second to extend their lead to 27 at the half.

Cobras coach Steve Brown played two debutants yesterday, after 10 players ran out in the red, black, and yellow for the first time last week.

“When you have 12 new players at any footy club, it’s going to take some time to gel. Hopefully it will be sooner, but as long as the intensity is there it will be fine,” he said.

Sebastian Gotch fought hard for the Cobras, kicking seven goals.

“He’s a really good person and an older head around the football club,” Brown said of Gotch, while also commending ruck man Troy Wilson and assistant coach Michael Topp for their efforts.

St John’s and Whitefriars played a thrilling back-and-forth match at Thomas Carroll Reserve that saw the Friars steal it late and record a two-point victory.

The JOC’s held a seven-point lead at quarter time and a 12-point lead at the half before Whitefriars struck back in the third quarter, kicking six goals to three to lead by seven points going into the final quarter.

The home side kicked the first two of the fourth quarter to take back the lead; the first of four lead changes in the last. Sam Kieseker again led the way for the Friars with six goals, but it was Tim Angus and James Perrin who kicked them when it mattered late, turning a 10-point deficit in the 23^rd minute into a two-point victory at the final siren.

Friars coach Luke Matthews acknowledged the efforts of Kieseker and Angus when the game was on the line.

“Sam obviously kicked a bag, but he laid a massive rundown tackle when they were on the fly and got rewarded for it. He’s really stepped up in that leadership role after our captain went down in the practice game. And Tim Angus is really growing in the midfield this year, he was fantastic all game.”

JOC’s coach Tim Edwards was particularly impressed by brothers Clayton and Harvey Emery.

“Harvey’s pretty good most weeks, but I’ve never seen Clayton play like that before. They both took their game to another level,” he said.

West Brunswick proved too strong for South Melbourne at Ransford Oval, running out 36-point winners.

After a tight first quarter that saw the Magpies hold a five-point lead, the home team upped the ante in the second, kicking 3.2 while keeping their opponents scoreless to lead by 25 points at half time.

The Bloods came out strongly after the main break, kicking four of the first five goals in the third quarter to get within five points, before West Brunswick stole back the momentum and kicked six of the last seven to win comfortably.

Magpies coach Regan Tait highlighted the efforts of ruckman Mitch Graham and midfielder Cameron Ralph, who excelled despite the hot conditions that left many players battling cramp in the second half.

“Cam just knows how to take the game on. He’s so aggressive and has a great footy brain – all the little moving parts that can turn a game on its head,” Tait said.

“And Mitch’s work ethic around the ground is amazing… his defensive mindset as a ruck is fantastic and he covers the ground so well.”

South Melbourne coach Nick Abbott thought his team showed some good signs but hoped their efforts would be more consistent in the coming weeks as they look to establish a more settled squad, having used 33 players across the first two rounds.

After a league-wide bye next week for Easter, the Friars will look to continue their winning ways as they host Canterbury at Whitefriars College. The Unicorns welcome West Brunswick to Melbourne High School, while South Melbourne could be in for another tough day when they host St Mary’s Salesian at the Lindsay Hasset Oval. Aquinas and St John’s will both be aiming for their first win of the season when the JOC’s travel to Ringwood, while Hawthorn host ladder leaders Old Yarra at Rathmines Road Reserve.